Just read an article by Daniel Day-Lewis called Inside Scarred Lives (see www.davereed.org). He visits Gaza and meets Palestinians and the Médecins Sans Frontiéres psychologists who are counselling them.

With the help of a group of young children, on the psychologists produced a practical guide to help children in other war-torn areas. The children who worked on the guide were among those caught in Israel’s Days of Penitence offensive. “They’d been shot at, attacked, some of their houses had been demolished, they’d seen people blown up, and had been confined in the smallest room of their house for two weeks by Israeli soldiers,” says Mitchell.

From the article:

“I was feeling my heart small and I was unable to talk. I thought I was going to die,” said one of the children. Mitchell was inspired by how they coped with the trauma, and wrote down what they told her. The result is a booklet in the children’s own words, How to Manage the Effects of a Military Attack: Tips for Children. “Invent games that make you laugh and help you breathe,” says one child. “Look at each other’s faces. If you see someone is distressed, talk to them,” says another. And there are dreams for the future: “Eat olives — the olive tree is the tree of peace.”

“They’re delighted by the book,” says Mitchell, “but they also underplay their strengths. They say, ‘We’re not so special; all Palestinian kids know how to do this.’”