Who, what, why?
Palestine Play Projects exists to help make play and creativity part of the lives of Palestinian children.
We envision a world in which Palestinian children’s right to play is upheld as part of a safe, happy and healthy childhood.
Over the years, we have supported children across Palestine and in Lebanon through building playgrounds and creative workshops. Today, much of our focus is on Gaza, where children face extraordinary levels of loss, trauma and hardship.
Fundraiser, Monday 23 November, 7pm
Arcola Theatre, London
This fundraiser event, hosted by nurcollective productions, presents a one-night-only reading of essays from “Your Presence Is a Danger to Your Life: Voices from Gaza".
These stories are first-hand accounts of those living in Gaza and their experiences following the 7th October 2023.
The book is a collection of twenty-six stories that have been curated by Samar Yazbek, named after one of the flyers dropped on the residents of Gaza minutes before a bombing.
Our line up of readers includes :
Denise Gough, Aiysha Hart, Jason Flemyng, Souad Faress, Amir El-Masry, India Amarteifio and Youssef Kerkour.
We hope to see you there. Tell your friends!
Breaking News
We are delighted that a "Right to Play Award", with special commendation, was awarded to Palestine Play Projects at the International Play Association (IPA) Triennial World Conference today in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Submitted under the collective name "Palestine Play Projects", we truly feel this award is for our partners in Gaza. The awards are judged by play practitioners and experts from around the world, so this is recognition by peers. The award recognises the work that they do, daily, to support and promote children's rights under the most challenging circumstances.
Right to Play Awards are selected only once every three years, and our submission received the highest possible commendation.
In Gaza, 1,700,000 children are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Despite the ceasefire, children continue to face lethal violence, repeated displacement, severe psychological distress, overcrowding, disrupted education, heightened malnutrition risks, deteriorating health conditions and critical shortages of safe water and sanitation.
UNICEF, July 2026
The results of the war in Gaza:
64,616 orphans, including over 55,000 children left to fend for themselves
41% battle chronic acute anxiety
38% struggle with depression
61% suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD)
over 1 million children in the Gaza strip are in need of psychosocial support due to repeated trauma and displacement.
Medics Worldwide, July 2026
Play cannot stop the hunger or the bombs, or rebuild shattered homes. But it can help children through the darkest of times, bringing moments of joy, hope and the chance to simply be children again.
Supporting Palestinian children’s right to play is an act of solidarity, hope and love.
As a small, volunteer-led charity, our expenses are minimal. Almost 95% of your donations go directly to supporting children in Palestine — giving your money the greatest impact. Thank you for your support.
Providing play opportunities for Palestinian children has always been complex and challenging […] Amid overwhelming humanitarian need, we carve out space to insist that play is not a luxury. It is an essential part of children’s recovery, identity and agency.
Read about our work in a recent issue of ‘Play rights’, a magazine by the International Play Association.
Access to Play in Crisis: A toolkit for staff, managers and policy makers
We are delighted to be the supporting partner to the 2026 Arabic translation of the "Play in Crisis Toolkit for staff, managers and policy makers" (International Play Association 2017). Every aspect of children’s lives is influenced by their need and desire to play. In times of crisis it is critical that we uphold children's right to play by supporting the conditions that allow play to happen.
Monday 6th July, 19:15 to 20:30, many of you joined us online to hear stories of impact and hope for Palestinian children.
Thank you to those who joined to discover how the generosity of supporters in the UK is helping bring play, creativity, and hope to Palestinian children.
We were delighted to be joined by some of our partners in Gaza and the West Bank, who shared first-hand accounts of their work and the extraordinary strength, courage, and creativity of the children they support.
We heard inspiring stories of resilience and learned how your support is making a difference in the lives of thousands of children and families.
Together, we celebrated what has been achieved and looked ahead to what is possible.
Our Big Give Appeal
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our 2025 appeal!
Together, we raised over £10,000 — a wonderful achievement for a small charity, and one that will make a real difference to children in Palestine, bringing opportunities for play, creativity and moments of joy during unimaginably difficult times.
We are incredibly grateful for your kindness and generosity.
Our 2026 appeal will be launching soon! Watch this space for more details and how you can help us reach even more children.
Children’s Right To Play
Children across the world have the right to play, no matter where they live. Play is a vital component to children’s development, and is so important that it is enshrined as a right in the UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, recognising children’s rights to:
“Rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts.”
UN Convention on the Rights of a Child, Article 31
Play is critical to children’s emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing. It strengthens coordination, motor skills, empathy, critical thinking, problem solving, and leadership, all important to children’s growth. It also provides an escape from stress and release of tension. When children play, their imaginations are activated and new worlds are built. We work to support this beautiful and important part of childhood for Palestinian children, helping them navigate the stresses and dangers of occupation. From building physical playgrounds where possible, to delivering drama, art, music and play therapy sessions where needed, we are there. Because every child has the right to play.
Support like yours enables us to continue to provide critical play opportunities to Palestinian children.
You can read more about our work in Gaza, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Lebanon here.