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Uplifting Moment for the Children of Gaza
by Ayman Mohyeldin
As blue skies turned into an array of colored paper kites, the sounds of children laughing and paper flapping served as a reminder to the youth of Gaza, that they too, deserve to be loved, respected, and nurtured ...despite the odds. Thousands of Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip have established a Guinness World Record by flying the most number of kites simultaneously in the same place.
More than 6,000 children gathered for the event on a beach near the northern city of Beit Lahiya as part of a United Nations ‘Summer Games program’. The initiative was organized to restore hope and normality to the war-torn territory and foster a positive experience for Gaza’s children.
“We are happy that we came here, full of joy, full of life,” 11- year-old Marwan Mohammad said. “We hope we can be free and can enjoy the same freedom the kites enjoy in the air. All we are looking for is to grow up like normal children.”
Nearly 250,000 young people participated in the Summer Games, with many local teachers offering their vacation time to help run the event. The program is providing entertainment, as well as education, for the youth who cannot leave the coastal strip.
While the program helps students who have fallen behind during the school year to catch up academically, the kite-flying activity was a genuine Guinness World Record attempt. The challenge was to simultaneously launch 5,000 kites into the air for at least 30 seconds to break the previous record of 967, set in Germany. The children, media and spectators were not disappointed: an estimated 4,000 kites soared into the sky, high above the heads of the crowds, amid joyous cries of record-breaking excitement. “There is a glorious symbolism about thousands of children in the world’s most locked down community, heading to the beach with beautiful kites they have made themselves, proving they are able to have fun like kids anywhere – and indeed, be number one in the world,” declared Chris Guinness, of the UN Relief andWorks Agency. “Thousands of kites soaring skyward, with kids gazing upwards, allowing their thoughts to rise up from the grind that they confront on the ground: it’s a symbol of the quest for happiness, freedom and human fulfillment,” he added.
Contact: Al Jazeera English, english.aljazeera.net
Story from Positive UK and Al Jazeera English
