"THE project is about sharing different aspects of our communities to develop greater understanding … We have only used the children’s voices as we wanted it to be about them, about their lives.”

This is how Edukid CEO Chris Turner describes their current joint project with the National Union of Teachers and the General Union of Palestinian Teachers.

Edukid describes itself as a Christian charity that works towards “a vision of a world free from the effects of war and poverty, where each child has an education and opportunities to fulfil their dreams.”

Most of their work is in conflict zones where they work with young people to ensure their voices are heard.

The Beyond the Wall project is based around creating a series of four short films, the first of which will be launched at the NUT annual conference today, exploring the reality of living under occupation through the eyes of Palestinian children and young people.

The film itself is shocking. In just five minutes spent following the daily routine of a 10-year-old boy living in Hebron, I am immediately struck both by the similarity of this boy to the many 10-year-old children I have taught and the contrast between their lives and his.

At first this simply seems odd. For example, the opening scene sees him getting out of bed in the morning fully clothed.

This seems a little incongruous until the film-makers explain that Saleh sleeps in his clothes because Israeli soldiers regularly burst into his home in the night to drag people from their beds.

It is better to be fully clothed than to undergo the additional humiliation of dressing in front of them.

Similarly, as he leaves his home, the camera zooms out to reveal a watchtower on the roof of his building and security fencing and razor wire all around his home.

He then describes his daily journey to school, past settlers who throw stones and attack Palestinian children while Israeli soldiers look on.

As Beth Davis, past president of the NUT says: “It is not until you see a film of this nature that you begin to understand the starkness of what these children have to go through.”

This is why Davis and her colleagues at the NUT became involved in the project and visited Palestine on three occasions over the period of a year to establish partnerships and shoot footage.

Partnerships are at the root of this project, as the Edukid website makes clear, stating that “in territories we support, Edukid avoids imposing ‘Western ideals’ by partnering with local people and organisations.”

Outgoing NUT president Max Hyde agrees, emphasising the importance of involving Palestinian teachers at every stage in the project.

Beyond the Wall is clearly much more than just the four films that are being produced.

Each comes with a dedicated resource pack with teaching suggestions and everything needed to use the films with young people in settings from early years to sixth form.

The first is centred around the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and involves no prior knowledge of Palestine.

There is also an ongoing partnership with the schools involved. Each has been provided with iPads in order to enable them to build links with schools in Britain and elsewhere.

Edukid also offers opportunities via its website for schools to sign up to structured partnership programmes, including teacher to teacher and school council to school council links via Skype, as well as shared learning opportunities built around themes like culture, beliefs and children’s rights.

All in all, this is a very different and very concrete solidarity project and at the heart of it are the children and their daily struggle against occupation.

As incoming NUT president Philipa Harvey says: “These children are part of the resistance and that’s what they do — they resist the occupation.”

•  Gawain Little is a member of the NUT national executive.

8 For more information visit www.edukid.org.uk or www.teachers.org.uk.