[Original (April 8, 2026); Translated by K. Tanimoto/S. Yoshihara] In November 2025, JVC held a psychosocial support session for staff and volunteers of our partner organization, Ard El Insan (AEI). This article follows “Psychosocial support for our partner organization (1) — Supporting those who care for others” and reports on the atmosphere of the session and shares voices from participants. A two-day psychosocial support session for those who care for others On a clear November weekend, the venue in Nuseirat, central Gaza, rang with the bright voices and joy of people meeting again after a long time apart. Over two days, 70 staff members and volunteers from AEI participated in…
Psychosocial support for our partner organization (1) — Supporting those who care for others
[Original (March 23, 2026); Translated by K. Tanimoto/S. Yoshihara] In November 2025, JVC held a psychosocial support session for the staff and volunteers of our local partner organization, Ard El Insan (AEI), which has been working alongside us to provide nutrition assistance in Gaza. AEI, our partner in delivering nutrition assistance in Gaza For more than two years, our nutrition assistance program in Gaza has continued without pause, delivering support to children, parents, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. AEI’s staff and volunteers have sustained this work on the ground. Many of them have been living in displacement themselves and have lost family members, yet they have continued their work. When…
A message from an artist in Gaza to our supporters
[Original (January 22, 2026); Translated by Y. Sasamoto] In JVC’s Palestine project, we have traditionally sent Christmas cards each year to our monthly supporters and to those who have contributed above a certain annual amount. Since 2018, the cards have featured artwork by Wala’a, an artist living in Gaza whom one of our field staff had the good fortune to meet back then. The worsening situation in Gaza meant that no Christmas cards could be created in 2023 or 2024. Following the ceasefire announced between Gaza and Israel on October 10, 2025, we once again turned to Wala’a. In response, she created a piece that expresses what she most wishes…
JVC’s local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza (Part 3)
[Original published in note.com by Masaya SAIKI, Intern for the Palestine project (March 15, 2022); Translated by Y. Miki/F. Farina] One of our local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza. Here is the report on the final day of her visit following part 2. — Drinking coffee in the morning with the sunshine in Gaza is “a great ritual to start the day” for me. Unfortunately, though, a taxi to the place I was visiting had arrived. I always wanted to check out the view of Gaza from the top, and when I went up to the roof of the building I was visiting, there was a lot of greenery. There…
JVC’s local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza (Part 2)
[Original published in note.com by Masaya SAIKI, Intern for the Palestine project (March 7, 2022); Translated by Y. Miki/F. Farina] One of our local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza. Here is the report on the second day of her visit following part 1. — Today, I visited a community center in the Al Brij refugee camp to monitor the workshop for the local health voluntary advisers. Once I arrived at the venue, women from the northern and central Gaza were already actively sharing their experiences. Those ladies who attended the workshop were very enthusiastic, committed, and strong with sensitivity like a hammer. Behind their smiles and laughter, they live one…
JVC’s local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza (Part1)
[Original published in note.com by Masaya SAIKI, Intern for the Palestine project (February 3, 2022); Translated by Y. Miki/A. Taguchi] One of our local staff in Jerusalem visited Gaza for the first time and had a good experience. I will introduce her report in three parts. Gaza had been off-limits for a long time, so we were not allowed to enter there. Therefore, when I visited Gaza for the first time, it seemed to be a very distant place from Jerusalem. I had many stereotypes about Gaza. It might be because of various briefings on life in Gaza I received for many years. Most of what I had known about…
Why can’t people put Christmas trees away?
Behind-the-scenes story related to Christmas in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip [Original by Yoriko YAMAMURA, Palestine Project (January 28, 2020); Translated by H. Ueda/A. Taguchi] What comes to your mind when you hear the word Christmas? It is widely recognized by the Japanese that December 24 is Christmas Eve and the 25th is Christmas Day. After the 25th, people in Japan put away Christmas trees and put up New Year decorations instead. However, things are slightly different in the Holy City of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, Christmas decorations including Christmas trees remain here and there even after the 25th. The same scene can be seen in the West…
At the end of the 4-year Project: The Growth of the Children Observed at the Symposium
[Original by Syunya NAKAMURA, Intern of the Palestine Project/ Yoriko YAMAMURA, Palestine Project (February 25, 2020); Translated by J. Sparks] On February 4th, a symposium was held in the theater room of a partner organization in Ramallah, the center of the West Bank, to conclude the East Jerusalem project, which JVC has supported for four years. The project has been implemented in order to improve both the resilience of the Palestinian youth living in East Jerusalem and the health environment in the community by cooperating with local NGOs. Resilience is “the power to flexibly come back from events or encounters with difficult situations”, and in a Palestinian area routinely exposed…
Women in Gaza move forward with their heads held high despite many difficulties confronting them, living their lives with a positive attitude
[Original by Yoriko YAMAMURA, Palestine Project (July 30, 2019); Translated by M. Kanai/M. Hajjaj] Scorching hot summer has started in Gaza, during daytime people will be soaked in perspiration if they merely walk down the streets. In Jerusalem, I can walk around wearing short sleeves. However, in Gaza it is considered inappropriate as is customary for women to show their skin in public places, so that I also cover up myself with a thin long-sleeve shirt when I go to work. In this report, I would like to share with you a story about Palestinian women living in Gaza. Due to stress arising from the blockade, considerably high ratio of…
Sharing early spring from the Jerusalem office
[Original by Mai NAMIKI, Public Relations (February 28, 2019); Translated by M. Goto/S. Altman] Hello, this is Namiki, the former program officer of the Palestine project. I moved to the Public Relations department this January. I will start reporting what you want to know about our work overseas and the local people. I would be glad if you could feel closer with us. I went on a business trip to Jerusalem, Palestine, this February. From my previous experience, I thought it would be cold in Jerusalem. February is the rainy season in the Middle East and it usually rains a lot. However, this year, it was warm and full of…