Khamis, 9, was orphaned when his parents were shot and killed by Israeli soldiers during a raid on their neighborhood in the city of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, in 2005.  Since then, Khamis, his brother, and their two sisters have been living in the SOS Children’s Village in Bethlehem, an orphanage run by the Austrian SOS Kinderdorf International organization, which opened in 1966.

There are 94 children at SOS now, aged 3-14, living in communal houses under the supervision and care of “alternative mothers”, who are responsible for cooking, caring for, and planning activities for the children.  The house mothers know that the children in their care need activities that will help them academically and socially, and that will help them to discover and develop their talents.