TREATMENT FOR CHILDREN OF SDEROT

Aviad Cohen, a four year old boy from Sderot is hugging a hush puppy toy that he received today in his kindergarten on Tuesday evening February 5 2008. Children of Sderot received in thier kindergarten today, hush puppy toys given by the Israeli Education Minister which experts beleive will help them with anxiety and stress they feel when the warning alarm against Kassam rockets is sounded and they need to take cover. They will have something to look after and care for during this time. The town of Sderot and the western Negev as a whole have been subjected to barrages of rockets launched by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip for over seven years. In the last several months, more children have been in need of more extended care in order to prevent the development of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Since May, an additional 105 children, 70 percent of whom are now in need of extended psychological treatment, have been identified as suffering from trauma. Between 75 percent and 94 percent of Sderot children aged 4-18 exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress which includes problems sleeping and concentrating. Photo by Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye.