APN | Amman

29 May 2025

In a unique initiative that combined literature and community awareness, Al Salwa Publishers, specializing in children’s and youth literature, organized a joint activity with APN for fifth-grade students at Amman National School, centered around the novel “Sitt al-Kul” by author Taghreed Al Najjar.

The activity focused on the novel “Sitt al-Kul”, published in 2014 and inspired by a true story. It highlights the life of Madeleine Kalab, the first woman in Gaza to work as a fisherwoman, portraying the reality of life under siege and aggression. The novel showcases Madeline’s courage in supporting her family despite all challenges. The book was widely appreciated by students and teachers and has been adopted as part of extracurricular reading in several schools.

This activity provided an opportunity to connect literature with reality and helped simplify complex concepts such as the siege and food sovereignty through an inspiring story close to the hearts of children. During the session, Al Najjar pointed out Madeleine’s need for a new fishing boat after the occupation destroyed most of the boats in Gaza.

Building on the importance of the topic of food sovereignty, an interactive awareness lecture was held in cooperation with APN. It addressed the concept of food sovereignty in the Palestinian and Arab contexts, linking it to Madeleine’s heroic story. APN General Manager, Mariam Al Jaajaa, explained the organization’s efforts to support food security in Gaza, particularly through the Revive Gaza’s Farmland project and initiatives supporting fisherfolks affected by the war.

More than 160 students participated in the event, showing remarkable engagement as they learned about food security and sovereignty concepts and the reality faced by fisherfolks in Gaza.

The students also took the initiative to donate money to help purchase a new fishing net for Madeleine and her family.

This lecture is part of APN’s “If Only You Knew” programme, which aims to raise environmental and food awareness among students and instill a deep connection to local and regional causes from an early age.