Putting a Smile on the Faces of Palestine Refugee Children with Magic

Last month, 140 young UNRWA students from the UNRWA Caesaria School in Tyre, Lebanon, were astonished and amazed as they watched Jamie Jibberish, a humanitarian magician, perform a wide range of magic tricks. The ‘Magic for Smiles’ show is part of the UNRWA education programme’s psychosocial support activities for Palestine refugee children. Through individual support and recreational activities, UNRWA schools strive to respond to their students’ psychological needs, allowing them to play and participate in learning and behavioural group activities. This show is the second of its kind following the one that took place at the Agency’s Tantoura school in Tyre.

During the 45-minute show, Jamie demonstrated increasingly difficult magic tricks, stimulating the excitement and enthusiasm of the children in attendance, including several Palestine refugee children from Syria. Following the show, Jamie sat with the children and discussed the tricks with them. Jamie then met with the teachers, who asserted that such activities improve the children’s performance and boost their morale.

 “It was a wonderful privilege to perform for and with the Palestinian children of Caesaria School from both Lebanon and Syria,” said Jamie. “As always, their smiles and laughter motivate me to further expand this humanitarian project, as the impact of magic can go beyond entertainment alone. I give my sincere thanks to UNRWA and all the school staff for making this opportunity happen, with such deserving Palestinian children.”

If you have a group of children who need to smile, Jaime can be contacted at: [email protected]