GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — In the densely populated neighborhood of Shajaiya in eastern Gaza City, several children gathered in front of the Gaza Circus School as they watched trainers teach circus arts to children. Only a few recreational areas exist in the Gaza Strip, and the school, which is the second of its kind in Gaza, is struggling to get a local license and develop its activities.
Ever since he was a child, Ahmed Mushtaha, 29, has been passionate about circus arts, and since his graduation from the department of physical education at Al-Aqsa University in Gaza in 2008, he has been seeking to create a local team that teaches circus arts to children. In 2011, the Belgian Al-Jabal Foundation offered circus arts training to 15 young amateurs, including Mushtaha, to promote the establishment of a circus school in Gaza.
In 2014, Mushtaha established the Gaza Circus School in a garage of roughly 180 square meters (1,937 square feet). Locally trained staff teach circus arts to groups of children between the ages of 8 and 15 using modest tools; a long piece of cloth is hung in the middle of the garage, where children are taught gymnastics and acrobatics with the use of limited sports equipment.
Mushtaha explained that trainees only pay a nominal fee to cover the garage rent. In 2015, the rent was fully covered through donations by several institutions and individuals.
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