"The Corona virus has a strong effect on life in Palestine, leaving many families without income," writes Ranya Francis Karam, director of the Sternberg Rehabilitation Center. To be sure, the number of Covid 19 cases are rather small compared to other countries. However, the government-imposed lockdown has left many families without livelihoods: "About 50,000 additional Palestinian families are now on the emergency social assistance list, including families and students from the Rehabilitation Center," continues Ranya Francis Karam.
Online course offerings
The government health measures also affect schools and other educational institutions, which have had to temporarily suspend their offerings and classes. Many institutions have switched to online course offerings, including the Sternberg Center.
The online offering includes instructions to help children and young people develop their skills at home and support them with targeted training sessions. The videos have also been shared on Facebook so that they can be easily found and accessed (â–ºFacebook page of the Center Sternberg). In addition, the families were asked to make their commitment visible via social networks so that others would be animated to really perform the exercises regularly and in a disciplined manner. Sternberg's professionals also offer consultation and advice sessions via video telephony.
Set a sign of hope
The teachers and therapists who were temporarily unable to work got together as soon as the measures were relaxed a little and started cleaning up the center and planting the gardens. "This boosted group morale considerably, and the greener and more colorful the Sternberg center became, the happier the mood was," says Ranya Francis Karam, describing the situation.
"The Sternberg Center should always be a symbol that our life is a life full of faith, love and hope. Sternberg would not be Sternberg without our partners in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark and Austria, as well as the numerous donors, for which we sincerely thank everyone," Ranya Francis Karam concludes her letter.
