“Child labor is denying the rights of so many children in Palestine,” says the team behind the empowering initiative For a Noble Life. Addressing the basic right of every child to life, Bessan Maher, Bessan Kareem, and Ghada Sawalha are taking a stand and working to put an end to child labor in Palestine. “Children are denied their basic rights because of poverty and are forced to miss out on school to work all day. It’s sad because they end up missing out on their childhood,” says Bessan.
MENACatalyst’s Palestine Codes: Coding for Children’s Rights was the perfect opportunity for these aspiring coders to combine their love for all things tech, with their dedication making a change for the better. Learning the basics of coding including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the team developed For a Noble Life, an online donation platform that allows people to directly reach out to poverty stricken families and give back anyway they can. “We want people to come together as a community and donate, they can donate anything toys, clothes, food, and of course money.” Families are also able to directly share what they need on the platform.
The coders behind For a Noble Life made sure that interested individuals and organizations alike give back, the platform includes a secure payment form that accepts various payment methods including Visa and MasterCard. The role of local organizations cannot be stressed enough; donations can also be carried out by NGOs that are working to support families in need.
However, For a Noble Life is not only about donations, but about raising awareness about the growing number of children working long hours and under hazardous conditions. “When families have support and know that there are alternatives to making their kids work, then kids can spend more time at school and live their lives and just be a kid,” Ghada says.
The coders behind For a Noble Life, are creating a platform that is full of potential, with additional features that put a spotlight on organizations and the work they do in local communities. A section of the platform is dedicated to potential volunteers, allowing committed individuals to directly donate their time and know-how to help anyway they can. Individuals can offer to tutor children falling behind in school because they are forced to work, helping out with sick families, organize charity drives, and even preparing cooked meals for struggling families. “Volunteering is so important, because people don’t always have money or things to donate, but just giving your time to help others can transform lives,” the team says.
For a Noble Life has the potential to change the lives of countless Palestinian children. Although only an afterschool coding project, Bessan Maher, Bessan Kareem, and Ghada Sawalha share their newfound passion for coding and how they hope every Palestinian child will have the opportunity to learn to code and change their future.
