GOAL – Taawon Partnership helping children in Jenin find resilience through art

Healing Through Art: The Roots & Threads Journey

In Tulkarem and Jenin, the sounds of music, the colours of paint, the scent of wood, the texture of clay, and the patterns of embroidery are weaving together a new story of resilience. Through Roots & Threads, implemented by the Tamer Institute for Community Education in partnership with Taawon, under the patronage of the Ministry of Social Development and with the generous support of GOAL Global, children are reclaiming safe spaces for healing and creativity.

What began with psychosocial support sessions and life-skills training has grown into something deeper. Here, memory meets craft, and pain is reshaped into expression. Threads of embroidery, carvings on wood, murals on walls, and clay sculptures have become the children’s language of survival and hope.

“It’s my first time working with my hands like this,” said one participant. “I tried pottery and embroidery… and I felt it’s more than just an activity. It could be a skill I carry with me for life.”

In Tulkarm and Jenin, 200 young girls and boys discovered that art can be a path to healing and a doorway to a brighter future.

As the camp moves into the production phase, these young people are transforming what they have learned into art that speaks. Each piece reflects their individuality, their voice, and their story. Soon, families will witness their work displayed alongside the narratives born from the experience, living proof that creativity can rise from hardship.

“I’ve always loved drawing,” said another child, “but here it felt like something bigger… a way to express my feelings and ideas. When I saw my painting among my friends’ work, I felt proud.”

In May 2025, GOAL expanded its partnership with Taawon into the northern West Bank city of Jenin, an area experiencing a sharp deterioration in humanitarian conditions.

Building Confidence, Preserving Culture

Roots & Threads is not only about crafts. It is about restoring identity, reviving heritage, and giving children the confidence to dream. What started as a summer camp has become a space of healing and empowerment, where 200 adolescents aged 12 to 18 are learning that they are not defined by loss but by the futures they can create with their own hands.

Through the Roots & Threads initiative, summer camps became more than just a seasonal escape. They grew into creative spaces where children stitch their stories in threads of embroidery, paint them in colours, and shape them in clay.

Expanding Support Amid Rising Needs in the West Bank

In response to the escalating needs across Gaza and the West Bank,  in May 2025, GOAL announced the continuation of our partnership with Taawon for a further six months, made possible by the support of generous private donors. The funding will allow GOAL and Taawon to continue delivering critical health services, despite ongoing insecurity and limited humanitarian access.

As part of this renewed phase of operations, GOAL also expanded its partnership with Taawon into the northern West Bank city of Jenin, an area experiencing a sharp deterioration in humanitarian conditions.  Prolonged violence in the region has disproportionately impacted women and youth, who face growing protection risks, psychological trauma, and barriers to accessing health services. With the support of new funding, GOAL and Taawon will prioritise targeted assistance for these vulnerable groups. The Roots & Threads programme is just one initiative being supported by GOAL to help combat some of the psychosocial issues faced by youth in Jenin. 

Through Roots & Threads, implemented by the Tamer Institute for Community Education in partnership with Taawon, under the patronage of the Ministry of Social Development and with the support of GOAL Global.