Subhi is 9 years old. He lives with his parents and his 6-year-old brother in a small apartment with a few plastic chairs, some mattresses and some cupboards. His father once worked as a minibus driver, but now he has been out of a job for quite a long time. The family’s savings are almost gone, and every day Subhi’s father goes out looking for work.
Subhi is Palestinian, but you won’t hear him speak Arabic out loud. Subhi uses his hands to speak instead. Can you guess how? He uses sign language, because he is deaf. His father has just signed up to take a sign language course. Then he will be able to “speak” to Subhi and understand what his son signs to him. Subhi’s little brother has some disabilites. He can’t move much, so he has to stay in bed.
Subhi’s family lives in Gaza City on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Though most of the people of Gaza City are Palestinian Muslims, there are three thousand Christian Palestinians living there. Many families with children live in Jabalia Refugee Camp. Often there is not enough food for everyone, and getting enough clean water is a problem. Many sources of water are controlled by Israel. The water the people in Gaza can get is not very good to drink. The water for farming is salty, so citrus crops — things like oranges, lemons or limes don’t grow as well as they should.
Subhi loves to go to school at the Atfaluna School, a special school for deaf children. He likes to play with his friends, and he enjoys learning. The kids at Subhi’s school like school time better than vacation. At school they can learn, but they can have fun with other kids, too. Best of all, at school they feel safer.
Children in Gaza can hear the loud sound of gunfire. In the past, homes in the villages in Gaza were destroyed by tanks. But Subhi and his friends at Atfaluna School have a special problem that other kids don’t have. They know that people are shooting guns. They can see the damage to buildings. But they can’t hear the loud popping of gunfire or other frightening sounds. Twelve-year-old Fadwa lives just north of Gaza City. The school bus can’t get near her home to pick her up. So she walks more than a mile to the main road. She worries that she will not hear a warning gunshot and that the people who are shooting won’t know she is deaf.
— adapted from Children of Biblical Lands, 2005 Mission Study for Children, by Martha Bettis Gee. General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church.
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