Children's Artwork
Balata refugee camp
The Balata Refugee Camp is one of the hardest hit communities in the West Bank. More than 30,000 refugees from the 1948 expulsion are crammed into a single suffocating square kilometer. Unemployment is the norm, and most families rely on UNWRA handouts for survival. It is rare to meet a resident who hasn't tasted tear gas, every other boy seems to have been shot at some stage, and there isn't a single house soldiers haven't entered at some point. Despite being the largest refugee camp in the West Bank, Balata receives very limited outside support. Visitors are rare and links abroad are almost non-existent.
The following are drawings from some of the children of the camp, depicting their everyday realities as well as their hopes for a better tomorrow. These drawings were graciously donated by the Balata Film Collective.
