Holy Land: UNICEF ambassador meets children living under occupation

Agnes Chan meets Palestinian children

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Agnes Chan visited the old city of Hebron in the West Bank, and the ecumenical Christian Peacemaker team office, on Tuesday, together with a UNICEF delegation, to see first hand effects of the occupation on children and their education.

The delegation also wanted to verify how money donated by UNICEF was being put to work in the area. Chan thanked EAPPI and CPT for their work in Hebron, ensuring that children can access school with more dignity. “EAPPI and CPT act as a checkpoint,” she said, holding soldiers accountable to their mandate, deterring abuses and documenting those that occur for the world to see.

Chan spoke with many children, and heard about the daily bag searches and detentions as well as having soldiers carry out practice routines, pretending to shoot as the children are on their way to school. Seeing flowers Palestinians had planted in their homes near checkpoint 56 to keep beauty around them and maintain pride in the face of great hardship nearly brought her to tears. The delegation also came across a boy doing his homework in the street as school was closed due to a teachers’ strike.

CPT thanked Agnes Chan for her visit and for UNICEF’s support of the Hebron team’s work.

For more information see: www.cpt.org/