Canadian UNICEF Committee
Canadian UNICEF Committee
01/22/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/22/2026 13:50
Recreational supplies get into Gaza after two years – UNICEF
Publication Date:2026/01/22
GAZA, 22 January 2026 - After more than two years of restrictions, UNICEF has been allowed to bring recreational kits to the Gaza Strip to support children's learning, wellbeing, and resilience. Since Thursday 15 January, 5,168 recreational kits have entered the Strip, supporting more than 375,000 children - including 1,000 children with disabilities.
"For young children around the world, including in Gaza, playing is not a luxury, but how they develop language, motor skills, problem-solving, and social-emotional skills," said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, who visited Gaza this week. "These recreational supplies will help create safer, structured spaces where children can return to routines, express emotions, and continue learning even in crisis conditions. Now we must be permitted to bring all other education and Early Childhood Development (ECD) supplies into Gaza soon to benefit 336,000 children with the most basic materials they need to be able to learn."
These materials - which include notebooks, pencils, erasers and crayons - will also support caregivers and educators with practical tools to engage children in age-appropriate activities that promote development, reduce stress, and strengthen protective environments. Children in Gaza must keep learning and growing, despite the disruption and ongoing despair around them.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF is the world's leading humanitarian organization focused on children. We work in the most challenging areas to provide protection, healthcare and immunizations, education, safe water and sanitation and nutrition. As part of the United Nations, our unrivaled reach spans more than 190 countries and territories, ensuring we are on the ground to help the most disadvantaged children. While part of the UN system, UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations to finance our life-saving work. Please visit unicef.caand follow us on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram.
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Canadian UNICEF Committee published this content on January 22, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on January 22, 2026 at 19:50 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]