MoSD Discusses Strengthening Cooperation on Early Childhood Services with Rawan Association for Child Development
Ramallah – Minister of Social Development and Minister of State for Relief Affairs, Dr. Samah Hamad, received today a delegation from the Rawan Association for Child Development to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation in early childhood development, learning difficulties, speech and language disorders, and the development of referral pathways and therapeutic and rehabilitation interventions for children and families most in need.
The Association’s delegation included Dr. Salam Asia, Executive Director; Nabil Damra, Chairman of the Board; and Iman Al-Kafri, Board Member. Representing the Ministry were Akram Al-Hafi, Assistant Undersecretary for Family Care and Protection; Mohammad Al-Qarm, Director General of the General Directorate for Childhood; and Mohammad Saleem, Director General of the General Directorate for Associations.
Dr. Salam Asia presented the nature of the Association’s work and the services it provides in early childhood development, learning difficulties, speech and language disorders, and therapeutic and rehabilitation interventions. She emphasized the Association’s commitment to strengthening cooperation with the Ministry of Social Development and expanding access to specialized services for children who need them.
She noted that the Association has provided services to more than 5,000 children over the past years, while approximately 50 children are currently receiving its services. She explained that the Association’s expertise focuses on early intervention and therapeutic and rehabilitation services related to learning difficulties, speech disorders, and other developmental needs among children.
Dr. Asia stressed the importance of integrating the roles of all entities working in the childhood sector, with each institution operating within its area of competence while ensuring that services provided to children and families are coordinated through a clear pathway that begins with early identification of needs and leads to the appropriate intervention or service.
For her part, Dr. Samah Hamad reviewed the services and programmes provided by the Ministry of Social Development in the areas of childhood, care, and protection, as well as the Ministry’s role in regulating and monitoring these services. She emphasized the importance of building partnerships with specialized organizations to enhance service quality and ensure access for children and families most in need.
Dr. Hamad explained that the Ministry is working to develop the regulatory frameworks governing the early childhood sector, including the new nursery regulation, alongside efforts to regulate and professionalize a number of related social professions in partnership with unions and relevant professional and specialized bodies, each within its respective mandate.
During the meeting, the Ministry also reviewed its service-purchasing programme as one of the mechanisms through which specialized services can be provided to cases requiring them when such services are not directly available within government services. The Ministry currently has approximately 45 service-purchasing agreements benefiting between 1,100 and 1,200 people from different groups, including children, persons with disabilities, and individuals requiring specialized care and rehabilitation services.
It was also noted that qualified institutions that meet the approved requirements and procedures may provide services through this mechanism, with referrals and follow-up conducted through the Ministry’s directorates according to individual needs and the nature of the required service.
The meeting discussed the possibility of benefiting from the Rawan Association’s expertise in providing therapeutic and rehabilitation services to children from poor and highly vulnerable families who are identified by the relevant specialists as requiring interventions related to learning difficulties, speech disorders, or other specialized services, and linking these cases with appropriate services through referral and service-purchasing pathways.
The two sides also discussed developing cooperation in early screening and assessment in nurseries, helping identify indicators that require specialized follow-up at an early age. They also discussed organizing awareness workshops for parents, educators, and nursery counsellors on indicators of learning and speech difficulties, the importance of early intervention, and the role of families and caregivers in follow-up.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides agreed on a number of practical steps, most notably preparing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on early screening and assessment in nurseries and the implementation of awareness programmes, alongside exploring cooperation under the service-purchasing programme in accordance with approved regulations and procedures.
Latest News
On the International Day for the Elimination of Child Marriage, MoSD Affirms: Protecting Girls Begins with Education, Protection, & Family Empowerment
Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that child marriage cannot be addressed in isolation from the broader social protection system, as it is linked to multiple factors, including poverty, school dropout, domestic violence, loss of parental care, displacement, and weakened protection networks. The Ministry explained that its role includes protecting children and girls at risk, providing case management, family interventions, psychosocial support, and referral services, and connecting families with assistance, essential services, and economic empowerment programmes. It also coordinates with relevant authorities when the safety of a child or girl is at risk. The Ministry places the best interests of the child and protection from exploitation and abuse at the heart of its child protection services. The Ministry stressed that preventing early marriage also requires protecting families from poverty and economic shocks, supporting girls' continued access to education, raising awareness of their rights, and strengthening families' ability to cope with pressures without resorting to practices that may expose girls to long-term physical, psychological, and social risks. The issue is particularly concerning in the Gaza Strip, where the Ministry warned that the loss of parental care, displacement, extreme poverty, and the declining capacity of extended families to provide care and protection increase children's vulnerability to various forms of exploitation, including early marriage. In this context, the Ministry continues to work with local and international organizations involved in child and women's protection to strengthen early intervention, referral pathways, alternative care, and psychosocial support, alongside assistance to the most vulnerable families to reduce the risk factors that may contribute to early marriage. The Ministry called for child marriage to be addressed as a child protection and human rights issue requiring coordinated action among families and social, educational, health, and legal institutions. It also called for increased investment in girls' education, protection, and empowerment to safeguard their right to grow, learn, and make decisions about their future freely and safely.
On World Children's Day, MoSD: Palestinian Children Face Harsh Realities of Loss, Displacement, Violence, & Deprivation
Ramallah – On the occasion of World Children's Day, observed annually on 20 November, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that Palestinian children are facing extremely harsh conditions amid the continuing consequences of the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip and escalating attacks, displacement, home demolitions, and movement restrictions in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. These conditions have deprived children of their lives, families, shelter, education, care, and safety. According to available United Nations data, at least 21,700 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip, while approximately 45,000 have been injured, including more than 11,000 children who have sustained life-altering injuries. Meanwhile, thousands of families continue to experience repeated displacement and deprivation of essential services. In the West Bank, including Jerusalem, children continue to face attacks, forced displacement of families, and damage to schools, homes, and infrastructure. More than 1,700 children have been displaced since the beginning of 2026 as a result of settler violence, movement restrictions, and demolitions. The Ministry stressed that the consequences of war and occupation extend beyond immediate casualties to include bereavement, family separation, hunger, school dropout, child labour, violence, exploitation, acquired disabilities, and psychological and social distress. These risks require a comprehensive and long-term child protection response. The Ministry explained that child protection is a central pillar of its work, implemented through Child Protection Departments in its directorates. These departments receive reports, assess levels of risk, provide case management and family follow-up, facilitate referrals to specialized services, and intervene in cases of violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Their responsibilities also include protecting children engaged in labour or begging, children who have dropped out of school, and children in conflict with the law, in coordination with relevant government authorities and partner organizations. In the Gaza Strip, children's protection and care needs have intensified significantly, particularly among orphans, children deprived of parental care, separated and unaccompanied children, and those requiring psychosocial support. In cooperation with its partners, the Ministry is working to provide alternative care, social follow-up, sponsorship programmes, psychological support, and food, health, and in-kind assistance, while strengthening and restoring child protection services across the Gaza Strip. The Ministry emphasized that protecting children is inseparable from protecting their families. Accordingly, child protection services form part of a broader social protection system encompassing food, cash, and non-food assistance, health insurance, education, school bags and stationery, psychosocial support, services for persons with disabilities, and family economic empowerment. These interventions aim to reduce the risks associated with poverty, displacement, loss of income, and family instability. The Ministry of Social Development called on the international community, United Nations agencies, humanitarian organizations, and donors to provide sustainable support for the Palestinian child protection system. It urged continued funding for alternative care programmes, orphan sponsorship, psychosocial support, education, nutrition, and rehabilitation, alongside support for Palestinian national institutions capable of reaching children and families and ensuring sustained follow-up. The Ministry concluded by emphasizing that World Children's Day cannot be merely an occasion for celebration while Palestinian children are deprived of their most fundamental rights. It stressed that protecting children begins with safeguarding their right to life and extends to ensuring their rights to family care, shelter, food, education, healthcare, protection, and social support.
