13-year-old girl in Gaza holds classes for neighbourhood

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Published: 22 May 2020

Last updated: 4 March 2024

Fajr Hmaid, who hopes to become a professional teacher, provides English, Arabic and math lessons to children who have missed out on school due to the pandemic

ONLY 20 PEOPLE HAVE tested positive for the virus in the Hamas Islamist-run Palestinian enclave, where cross-border traffic has long been limited by Israel and Egypt and those entering Gaza in recent months have gone into quarantine.

Fajr Hmaid, who hopes to become a professional teacher one day, provides English, Arabic and math lessons to a class that has grown from four pupils to 15.

“I wanted to bring them here and teach them, this is my talent,” Hmaid said, wearing a white head-covering in the religiously conservative enclave.

“I have one girl in first grade. If she is absent from school for a period of time, she will forget how to grab the pen and how to write.”

Gaza teachers have also been giving lessons online during the health crisis.

FULL STORY Gaza girl, 13, teaches neighbourhood children during school closure (Reuters)

Photo: Fajr Hmaid captured on video (Reuters)