All of us have made excuses when we were late for school. “The bridge was open…” “I had a flat tire…” “The bus was late…”

But the children from al-Khas and al-Nu’man (small villages close to Bethlehem), don’t need to make an excuse. They have to walk five kilometers to reach their school, and pass through a checkpoint on their way. Here they have to show their birth certificate while crossing through an electronic gate to prove that they really are from the village.

In cooperation with Ghirass Cultural Center and the Ministry of Education, we gave music workshops to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade of the al-Khas and al-Nu’man school and the local kindergarten, with the hope to reduce the psychological stress that the children are facing. Although their village lies between some beautiful hills, the view from their school is a checkpoint and the separation wall, guarded by army jeeps and soldiers.