"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these"
This is from my conversation with Ahmad Riziq - the twenty-nine year old founder and CEO of Gaza Great Minds Foundation.
This is an initiative created following the destruction of education facilities in Gaza over the last three years. Through GGM, some children in Gaza are able to access education and essential psychological support.
Ahmad tells how GGM started in Spring 2024. He describes seeing a young boy carrying a school bag running through the streets. Initially assuming the child was going to school, he followed hoping to find a functioning school only to discover the boy was chasing parachuted aid packages. Convinced that he needed to do something about children's lost education, he and his colleagues established their first tent classroom offering free education. Initially they expected around 50 children but more than 200 arrived on the first day.
On 7 May 2024 they connected with international activists who helped advocate and raise funds for the project. Today GGM provides education and professional psychological support to children affected by the continuing death and destruction in Gaza. They have established schools in northern and southern Gaza supporting thousands of students. More recently GGM have developed a creative writing initiative to help students deal with their trauma.
In this podcast, Ahmad speaks of his own life, too - about his wife and their three children. He describes dealing with symptoms of trauma from the events he's experienced and how his elderly father was shot dead by a sniper following the "ceasefire".
Despite the harrowing nature of this interview, it was still deeply inspiring. Ahmad's focus and determination is to continue to teach: “To ensure every child in Gaza has access to education and the chance to rebuild their lives, amidst the genocide & beyond." Through creativity, imagination and laughter - the children of GGM have the capacity to see the beauty of life again.
While it's easy to believe there's little we can do in the UK to help the children of Gaza - the existence of GGM shows this is untrue. There is so much we can do that will make a real difference.
First share this video and podcast with everyone you know. Tell people about GGM and let them know they can help. Share it with your Church community, Mosque or Synagogue.
Encourage your children's schools to connect with GGM. Raise money and never stop talking about Gaza.
Then - there is a whole page of ways you can volunteer: https://gazagreatminds.org/volunteer/