Sojood’s Story: A Model of Youth Initiatives inspiring change with Small Acts and Big Impact

Occupied Palestinian Territory – Sojood, a young Palestinian activist from Tulkarm Governorate in the northern West Bank, is striving to plant hope among displaced children through her educational initiatives supported by ActionAid Palestine, with the aim of strengthening the leadership roles of Palestinian youth. These children were displaced from Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camps to the village of Kafr al-Labad due to the Israeli military escalation, which led to ongoing violations including widespread demolition and destruction of homes and infrastructure in the camps and neighborhoods. This forced hundreds of families to flee their homes under very harsh and sudden conditions.

In the corners of the old castle in Kafr al-Labad, the laughter of dozens of displaced children aged 9 to 15 from Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps breaks the silence of suffering caused by forced displacement. Here stands Sojood, the young woman who chose to be a bridge of hope, coordinating a psychosocial support initiative for displaced children. She organizes diverse activities ranging from origami, planting and recycling to promote environmental awareness, along with recreational games like musical chairs. The initiative also includes listening sessions that give children the space to express their struggles and share ideas for solutions that meet their needs.

With a calm smile, Sojood says: “We carry out various psychosocial activities such as origami, musical chairs, planting and recycling to raise their environmental awareness. We also dedicated listening sessions for them to express their suffering and to participate in shaping solutions that suit their needs.”

Since displacement has left deep scars on the children, cutting many of them off from education and forcing them to cope with loss and trauma, the initiative has opened for them a small window of hope amid the difficult circumstances. Sojood highlights the importance of her initiative: “This initiative was launched in response to the psychological needs of displaced children, who suffered sudden forced displacement and disruption of their education. These activities help them break away from the difficult atmosphere and ease their suffering.”

A graduate in e-commerce and currently pursuing her master’s degree in the same field, Sojood has always balanced her academic ambitions with her volunteering spirit. She has participated in various humanitarian initiatives and dialogue forums, but she admits that this particular experience has transformed her personally.

“This initiative changed me a lot; it made me more aware of the struggles of many groups in my community, deepened my sense of belonging, and brought me closer to children,” she says with confidence. “We have become active contributors in society. By listening to children and their needs, new ideas for initiatives emerged that we hope to implement soon. We were inspired by Mahmoud Darwish’s words: ‘The butterfly’s effect never fades.’ This strengthened our belief that our impact remains, and it boosted our confidence. The initiative affirms that youth efforts can create tangible change, even if small.”

In the eyes of the children, the impact of this initiative shines as a faint ray of hope that illuminates a dark space in their lives. Sojood understands that every activity, every word of listening, and every moment of play is not just a temporary relief, but a building block in restoring the children’s trust in themselves and in their community.

Thus, a simple initiative turns into a vital and necessary action that contributes—even modestly—to strengthening community resilience, and Sojood becomes a living example that “the butterfly’s effect never fades.”

ActionAid Palestine’s approach is centered on supporting the leadership roles and initiatives of youth, especially in times of crises and emergencies, when the role of young people as an active and vital force in strengthening community response becomes most evident. Youth initiatives are a key driver of resilience and of building a more sustainable future, particularly amid challenges and crises. Young people possess creative energy and new perspectives that allow them to innovate practical solutions suited to their realities and the needs of their communities.

This approach reinforces youth empowerment. Hence, the importance of supporting such initiatives lies in providing them with knowledge, skills, training, funding, networking platforms, and resources necessary to engage in relief, rescue, and awareness efforts—ensuring their continuity and expanding their impact. Supporting youth leadership roles not only strengthens their readiness but also builds their leadership capacities, engages them in shaping innovative solutions, and fosters values of solidarity and social responsibility.

Investing in youth capacities during emergencies is an investment in the resilience of communities and their ability to recover quickly and effectively. Moreover, enabling young people to turn their ideas into tangible projects enhances their role as genuine partners in positive change and contributes to creating an environment that supports innovation, teamwork, and strengthens their spirit of leadership and responsibility.

About ActionAid International
ActionAid International is a global federation working with more than 41 million people in over 72 of the world’s poorest countries. We strive to build a just and sustainable world where every person enjoys the right to a life of dignity, freedom, and a future free from poverty and oppression. We work to achieve social justice, gender equality, and the eradication of poverty.

ActionAid Palestine began its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, affirming their right to freedom, justice, and self-determination. ActionAid Palestine implements several programs in collaboration with Palestinian communities, youth groups, and women, seeking to empower women and youth and enhance their active civic and political participation. The organization works to strengthen their understanding of rights, support collective action to address rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation and improve their leadership capacities to exercise citizenship and hold authorities and other duty-bearers accountable.

For more information, please contact:
Riham Jafari
Communications and Advocacy Officer, ActionAid Palestine
Email: Riham.Jafari@actionaid.org