The milieu that surrounds the citizens of Bethlehem area, including the towns of Bethlehem, Beit-Jala and Beit-Sahour, is rife with the effects of prolonged conflict and its subsequent physical, economic, and psychological effects.

Children were not exempt from experiencing the acts of violence- killings, gun shooting, bombings, raids and house demolitions- prevalent during the intifadas of 1987 and 2000 as well as the first Gulf war. Additionally, the enclosure of the separation wall places additional psychological pressure and strain on the child's development growth. As participants in, or witnesses of such events, children build up inner defenses in order to compensate for the lack of external security. These defenses often serve to impair the child's capacity to succeed in school.

More basically, these defenses impair the child's ability to develop beyond their current level of development and in many cases can initiate regression. As young children a traumatic event or events common in this region impaired their development; these youth are not otherwise mentally handicapped and have the capacity to learn and function in society.