The BeeHome Academy is a platform initiated by the Hope Foundation and The Open Studio in Khan Younis, with the aim of teaching children to use creativity and art in learning, self-expression and wellbeing.

War is a recurring phenomenon with devastating effects on people and their culture. BeeHome was founded in order to support the use of creativity and art in reducing the effects of war on children and contribute to the preservation of heritage and inclusion of the culture in the lives of the upcoming generations.

Arts is able to activate the imagination and sharpen the mind. This creates the conditions for an increased sense of self-respect and self-confidence and can contribute to a reduction of fear and a higher sense of security.

BeeHome started in 2017 as a digital art project which provides support and inspiration for older children and caregivers in refugee camps and connect children with each other through sharing artworks.
Today we aim to expand this vision to include all children under wars, challenging conditions and repressions.

In today’s world, all you need is a smartphone to access almost inexhaustible sources of knowledge and possibilities, and nearly everyone has one! Smartphones have become lifelines. For that reason, our platform is online and is designed to function even on a weak internet signal.

We believe in democratization of knowledge through providing as many children as possible with possibilities for development and opportunities to learn from each other and from art professionals from all over the world.

The BeeHome Academy offers videos developed in cooperation with artists and children in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and the Netherlands. The videos range from introducing techniques of creating art, to telling traditional stories in a new form to preserve the local culture.

The videos on BeeHome connect the children with the positive developments happening in the bigger world through art and games.

The material used in those videos are everyday materials recycled from one’s surroundings. For example, children get to create shadow theaters, learn to dance, and make music.

Lastly, the BeeHome is a place for children to have fun in learning and creating! We hope to bring smiles to many faces around the globe!

Our team is ready to give support wherever we can.
Netherlands Team: Ingrid Rollema, Suzanne Groothuis, Wim Rollema, Rosh Abdelfatah, Paul Robbert Bruijninckx, Allysha Laarhoven
Palestine Team: Amany Abu Mostpha, Elham Abu Hattab, Emad Zourob, Ghaleb Abu Khatir, Mahmoud Alhaj, Mumen Khalifa, Nawal Alzwaie, Nosiba Abu Khater, Khitam Alwaity, Maher Dawood, Tala Abdelhadi

Project BeeHome is an initiative of the Holland Office for Personal Encouragement in close collaboration with the PRCS (Palestinian Red Crescent Society), the Open Studio in Khan Younis Gaza and is generously supported by The Dutch Red Cross, Groenendijk-Clemensfonds and private donations.

The PRCS and the Red Cross help us make the BeeHome Academy accessible to the public.

To find out more about the Hope Foundation and the team behind the BeeHome Academy, click the button below .