‘I want to tell the Palestinian story’
dubai — Living under occupation is never easy. But Palestinian teenager Rawan Saleh wakes up cheerfully everyday to chase her dream. The 15-year-old, who dreams to become a journalist, arrived in the UAE with the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) to receive treatment for fourth degree burns. Rawan fell in a hot cooking pot while she was three years old and burned the left half of her body. She has undergone two operations in her chest and hands.
However, her favourite part of the UAE trip was receiving journalism internships in two Dubai-based publications. “I got first-hand experience on how to conduct interviews and write stories. Through my internships, I wrote two in-depth articles about Palestine and Syria’s latest chemical attack,” said Rawan.
She said her dream of journalism was inspired by a fellow Palestinian neighbour who used to pen peoples’ stories during the crises. Currently attending 10th grade at Al Zahra School in Jenin, a city in the north West Bank of Palestine, Rawan feels that the children living in conflict zones need more world support.
“I want to tell the world what Palestinian children go through, and the kind of help they need. They have dreams that they may not achieve if someone like me does not tell their story,” said Rawan, the youngest of five siblings who resides with her mother in a small house in Jenin. Her father died of cancer when Rawan was just over three years old. “Children of the Arab world do not have access to basic needs, be it education or entertainment. They live in a state of constant fear; lost in the flurry of war and chaos,” said Rawan.
“While I’m lucky getting treatment with the PCRF and getting
I want to tell the world what Palestinian children go through, and the kind of help they need. They have dreams that they may not achieve if someone like me does not tell their story.” Rawan Saleh, Palestinian teenager
access to education, thousands of children don’t have that privilege. They’re in need of moral, emotional and material support.”
Recently, Christos Stylianides, European commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, said that about 40 million children around the world are out of schools as a result of conflicts. Today, over 75 million children are in need of emergency educational support.
Rawan said a lot of children do not know how to seek aid, which is why NGOs must raise awareness for a bigger outreach.
She said while the Arab media has covered the Palestinian cause, more light needs to be shed for actions to be taken. And although the road is tough, Rawan wants to play a big role in taking that action.