In the Gaza Strip of Palestine in the Middle East, refugee elementary and junior high school students fried octopus handmade with the Japanese flag and wished for the reconstruction of the area affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
This activity has been carried out every year since 2012, the year after the Great East Japan Earthquake, by refugee children attending schools run by UN agencies that support Palestinian refugees.
Last year we couldn't hold it due to the influence of the new coronavirus, but this was the first time in two years with a limited number of participants.
This time, 16 elementary and junior high school students attending a school built with the support of Japan have been making preparations since last week by combining the colors of the Japanese flag and the Palestinian flag, such as red and green. I did.
On the 25th, the children who gathered in the plaza all fried octopus in the sky and prayed for the reconstruction of the disaster area.
A junior high school student who participated said, "I was struck by the thoughts of the people who were affected by the tsunami. I am always grateful for Japan's support for schools and medical care."
In the Gaza Strip, which has a population of 2 million, 60,000 people have been infected with the new coronavirus so far, but online classes are difficult due to unstable electricity and the Internet, and the number of children and students gathering in the classroom. The decentralized school attendance to reduce the number of students has had a major impact on education, such as a significant reduction in the number of school days per person.