After sharing how Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) are restoring access to education in Gaza, we want to share another side of the story—one that lives in laughter, color, and celebration.

Because in Gaza’s Temporary Learning Spaces, children are not only studying.
They are smiling again.

When Learning Turns Into Laughter

Through the Education Support Program of HEAL Palestine, more than 2,000 children across five Temporary Learning Spaces have received school supplies and structured lessons. But what happens after the notebooks are opened and the pencils begin to move is just as important.

With the supplies and toys provided, teachers have been organizing special fun days—moments intentionally designed to bring joy back into spaces shaped by loss.

Children gather for:

• Art and drawing activities

• Group games that rebuild teamwork and trust

• Storytelling circles filled with imagination

• Creative competitions and shared celebrations

For many of them, this is the first time in months that play feels safe.

Healing Is More Than Academics

Temporary Learning Spaces were created to ensure education continues during crisis. But they have become something deeper: places where emotional healing begins.

After displacement, fear, and instability, children need more than curriculum. They need:

• Space to express themselves

• Encouragement to laugh without guilt

• Moments that remind them they are still children

A simple coloring activity can become an outlet for emotions that are too heavy to speak aloud. A group game can quietly rebuild confidence. A shared laugh can soften trauma, even if only for a moment.

These fun days are not extras. They are essential.

Immediate Impact You Can See

Some projects show impact over years.
Temporary Learning Spaces show it immediately.

You see it in the way children rush to participate.
In the pride they feel holding up their drawings.
In the sound of laughter echoing where silence once dominated.

TLS is one of the most heartfelt initiatives within our Education Support Program because the transformation is visible in real time. The shift from fear to engagement. From withdrawal to participation. From uncertainty to joy.