About Layan
For children on all sides of the conflict
A charity for children in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel who are affected by the conflict through no fault of their own.
The story behind our logo
Two flowers, interwoven
We wanted the foundation’s symbol to be something free of any political associations. Something beautiful and fragile that represented hope. The two flowers you see in our logo are not random. The purple flower is a Faqqua iris, the national flower of Palestine, and the red flower is an Anemone coronaria, the national flower of Israel.
The flowers in our logo are interwoven to symbolise the connection between the children of two nations.
Our mission
Strengthening children on all sides
Layan Foundation strengthens children and young people in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, but also beyond, by giving them the means to build more open, inclusive and resilient communities together. Children growing up need more inclusive and empathetic societies to counter a lack of trust and intolerance. Better educational opportunities are an effective way to open up new prospects for our young people.
For decades, the long-running conflict has affected children in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, and beyond, through no fault of their own. The consequences are devastating, especially for children, who will one day have to build a new future.
Our vision
Alternative stories to counter polarisation
We need alternative stories to counter further polarisation and radicalisation. That is why the Layan Foundation supports children and young people in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel by giving them the means to build more open, inclusive and resilient communities together.
Support for better educational opportunities and local economic initiatives contributes to this above all. New stories, empathy and inclusion determine the strength of dialogue. Layan Foundation contributes to a culture of dialogue and exchange, in which children and young people are brought together and inspired.
Our stance
Radically nuanced
The Layan Foundation supports children who are victims of violence through no fault of their own, in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel. We take no sides in the conflict, but stand up for all children, with universal human rights as our guide. We do not compare suffering: it is us and them, not us or them.
In this conflict, positions have often hardened so much that dialogue has disappeared. Yet that dialogue is exactly what we need. Layan takes no sides. We keep talking with everyone, bring out the positive on all sides, and at the same time keep careful watch over where our support ends up.
Our objectives
What our articles of association say
The objectives of Stichting Layan Foundation are:
- to improve the living conditions, health and future prospects of children and young adults affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;
- to promote dialogue about the impact of growing up in conflict areas for children and young adults, in particular those in Israel and Gaza;
- to carry out all further acts that are related to the above in the broadest sense or that may be conducive to it.
The foundation seeks to achieve its objectives by, among other things, organising or supporting emergency relief efforts, raising donations and funds for existing and new projects, and setting up and maintaining a volunteer organisation.
The board
The Layan Foundation’s board is unpaid. You can read who is on the board and how it is authorised to act on the Board page.
Support our mission
Help give children on all sides of the conflict prospects for the future.
For all children in the conflict, Palestinian and Israeli. Our stance
Us and them, not us or them.
