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Through the pages of books they delve into a land of witches and talking ants to a place where boys and girls live with justice.

In the Shufa bookclub, where the ramshackle streets of their impoverished village seem far away, life transforms.

Children read and then interpret, through painting, drawing, sculpting and drama, four books carefully chosen by Tamer, a Palestinian non-government organization.

Ya’ya, an 11 year old boy who was selected to read at the book club’s pageant, says one of the stories, I’m Not Naughty, is “a lot like my life”“Sometimes my father gets upset with me and threatens to beat me. I say to him: ‘Please don’t beat me, I’m not naughty and I’m not stupid’,” says Ya’ya reading from the book.

“I like to climb, I like to swing like a monkey … and I like to fly and then the neighbours shout: ‘He’s like a monkey and he’s not polite and he should be beaten’,” Ya’ya continues reading.

It’s a familiar tale in this village where the residents are imprisoned by checkpoints.

Except for the recently refurbished castle, which serves as a community hall, there is nowhere for children or parents to escape the Israeli occupation or the grinding stress.

In this recreational wasteland mischief and danger beckon. After school boys often wind up in the streets or in the local rubbish dump searching for scrap metal to sell. Many have been injured and property is often damaged.

When the teachers protested against the cash-strapped Hamas government, which stopped paying salaries to public servants, last year, the children were left with even less to do.

To help fill the educational and recreational void in their lives, UNICEF in conjunction with Tamer, an organization dedicated to promoting reading and writing, assisted students in studying maths and science. They also provided other recreational activities following consultation with students and parents.

The program was so popular that many more children participated than was originally expected. From this grew the idea of the book club in which four stories were selected for reading.

But while the strike eventually ended, enthusiasm for the book club continued and the program began after the teachers went back to school.

The mothers of Shufa say that the book club, which ran for two hours each day after school over two months, was a welcome distraction for them and their children.

Their sons’ behaviour improved as they were no longer lingering, unsupervised in the streets.

The boys also welcomed the change. Ya’ya says his favourite story was Whinney the Witch which teaches children to assess their own behaviour and take responsibility for their actions.

“It’s a colourful story. When you change your life and do different things your life will be beautiful,” Ya’ya says.

The mothers also say their daughters have benefited because the boys are separated from the girls. “Here the girls can express themselves unlike school where they are in front of the boys,” says Mariam Odeh, the director of the Shufa kindergarten.

UNICEF is on the ground in 155 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.