DSPR
(Also known as NECC)

Amos has partnered with DSPR’s youth training and psychosocial programmes since 2011, as youth unemployment was so high due to the Israeli Blockade of Gaza that had begun in 2007 and because young people saw such little hope for the future. 

Before 7th October 2023, DSPR had four technical and vocational training centres in carpentry, metalwork, electrical engineering, solar power and refrigeration, alongside courses in advanced dressmaking, secretarial studies, office management and Gaza’s first women-only graphic design course. English language teaching, specialist mentoring into employment and psychological support was provided to all students. 

Following the 2008/9 war on Gaza, Operation Cast Lead, DSPR started providing psychosocial trauma support to children, parents and young people for the post-traumatic stress that was evident among so much of the population.

Ongoing trauma
Initially set up as a temporary response, they soon realised that the living conditions in Gaza and frequent attacks meant that they had to provide this as a continuous specialised service to address ongoing trauma. They set up play therapy programmes for children and groups, including 1:1 support programmes for parents (and families). 

At the start of the war in October 2023, DSPR had to close all their health, psychosocial support and training centres as they were in areas targeted by the Israeli assault. They opened a health and trauma support unit for women and children in Rafah that treated 28,000 people and provided psychosocial support to 15,000 children, their families and bereaved mothers. 

Following the Israeli assault on Rafah, DSPR opened a mobile health clinic, providing treatment to 260 people a day. Later, they converted a wedding hall in central Gaza into a new medical centre, which also provides a base for their trauma support work with women and children. 

In Gaza City, staff dug out equipment from their bombed-out health centres and used it to create temporary medical centres from which they also offer trauma support to children.