A project to offer trips to Palestinian youngsters fleeing violence is launching in Kentish Town.

Building Hope, will be launched at Café Palestina, in Fortess Road, on October 15 at 7pm, ahead of similar launches across the UK.

Human rights charity Camden Abu dis Friendship Association (CADFA) is working with partners all over the country to organise regular group visits from Palestine to all parts of England and Wales.

The next visits planned will be for university students in January, women in March and school students again in June or July – each to a different part of the country, to take the Palestinian voices and the energy of the visit to a different audience.

The Building Hope project was born following a visit by two Palestinian groups in the summer, the first after Covid restrictions were lifted.

Ham & High: A group of Palestinian youngsters visited La Sainte Union school on their first trip out of JerusalemA group of Palestinian youngsters visited La Sainte Union school on their first trip out of Jerusalem (Image: CADFA)

Palestinian youth workers visited and a group of children made a trip to La Sainte Union school, in Highgate Road, in July.

Cadfa said the Palestinian visitors, particularly young people, were excited to get out of the confined spaces they are allowed to live in under Israeli occupation, and "amazed to be away from checkpoints, settlements, military invasions into local towns".

The charity's director, Nandita Dowson, said: "They carried with them the terrible stories that young Palestinians always do, of tear gas and bullets in the streets, army around the school door, separated families with relatives on the other side of impassable military walls.

"People they met listened, were shocked, wanted to hear more and wanted to join them in working for human rights in Palestine.

"Everywhere that the visitors went, people asked for them to come back, wanted them to stay for longer, wanted them to visit different organisations, and had ideas for new activities."

She added: "Lots of fun had been had, lots of places visited, but more deeply this was a serious way of taking Palestinian voices round to many different groups and organisations – school classes and assemblies, youth clubs and community organisations – and, wherever the groups went, raising awareness of the current situation for young people in Palestine and encouraging people to work for human rights."

Following the two visits the UK team got together to review what had happened.

Building Hope was launched at Al Quds University in Palestine, in September.