Education Palestine Project #7684

Al Aqaba Kindergarten: Haj Sami's Dreams Made Real

by Rebuilding Alliance

Project Report | Apr 5, 2018
Al Aqaba kindergarten at risk -and there's a great way to help next week

By Donna Baranski-Walker | Founder & Executive Director, Rebuilding Alliance

The heartening spirit of the kindergarten

Dear Friend,

Al Aqaba's Kindergarten has always held a special place in our heart. Just last month, I stayed there for several days to respond to one existential crisis, and then remarkably, another. One was resolved with remarkable ease — the other is due to a bureaucratic mistake at the highest level -- and we ask your help to overcome it in the simplest of ways: kindergarten scholarships.

First existential crisis - RESOLVED:
Just after I visited Al Aqaba in February, an Israeli settler family moved into the oldest building within the fencing of the Tayasir Israeli military checkpoint nearby. The settler and his wife and children, along with their 10 cows, guns, and drone (used to surveil shepherds and scare the sheep), moved in on Wednesday, February 21, and for whatever reason, the Israeli Army did nothing to stop them.

On Sunday, the 25^th, 150 Palestinians and two Israelis walked to the checkpoint as Israeli soldiers fired tear gas at them. Mayor Haj Sami rolled forward in his wheelchair, asking to speak with the commanding officer:

“I am in a wheelchair for over 45 years but they shot the gas very near to me. I was coughing, eyes and nose hurting, but I kept going. There were many soldiers and about 10 jeeps. I told a soldier in Arabic, I want speak to the officer in charge – he told me no – but the officer saw me and said, “Let him come forward, this is the Mayor.” I went close to the officer, just one meter away, through their line and facing the crowd.

“I told him not to shoot and I spoke in Hebrew. I told them that we were not dangerous. We came to see the settler and ask what time he will be leaving.

“Do you have Tabo for the land?” said a guy from the Israeli Civil Administration. I answered the, ‘The Settler, he has Tabo? They put the settler in the soldier’s camp – it is forbidden.”

“The officer said we could not talk to the settler so I told them we would pray. First he said no and gave me 15 min to tell people to go or they will take them all to prison and shoot more gas. I told him, please don’t shoot. We just want to pray and we will go if you will go. He asked me how long, and I said 5 minutes for the prayer.

They stopped shooting, we prayed — even so four people were treated in Al Aqaba clinic.

When I told the soldiers that the settlers must leave, the commanding officer said that the settlers would leave soon, “Tomorrow, day after tomorrow or one month. The settler will go, just tell the people to go home. I told him one month is too long — we will be back next week.”

It is important to note that despite having been relegated to a wheelchair since 1971, the victim of an Israeli soldier’s bullet fired during a training exercise, Mayor Haj Sami deeply believes that no one — neither Palestinian, nor Israeli -- should experience what happened to him. He welcomes all who come in peace to Al Aqaba Village

On Thursday, March 1^st, the settler family moved out!

Now, the other existential crisis — and with your help, a way forward:

For whatever reason, the Palestinian Ministry of Local Governments built a brand new, kindergarten walking-distance away from Al Aqaba's kindergarten, the one we helped them build. Al Aqaba’s own kindergarten is the heart of the village, attracting children from all the neighboring towns. Unemployment is high and agriculture is seasonal... the nearby public kindergarten began to attract Al Aqaba's enrollment -- to the detriment of both schools.

The Ministry of Education offered to take over Al Aqaba's kindergarten - but they would hire their own replacement staff, and fire Al Aqaba's experienced teachers who gave heart and soul to build this remarkable place. That just won't due.

Instead we ask your help to make Al Aqaba's kindergarten free and keep it independent! Let's serve a nutritious breakfast too, to employ the mothers' baking brigade!

Help make this happen by giving $50 each month to provide a scholarship to send a child to Al Aqaba's kindergarten, including breakfast! Here's a great way to help: Next week, from Monday to Friday, GlobalGIving is launching their Little by Little Campaign.

GlobalGiving will match all donations up to $50, by 50%
Make it a Recurring Donation because GG will provide a 100% match for new recurring donations started during the Little by Little Campaign week!

Meanwhile, we're reaching out to the teachers colleges at American University in Jenin and Al Najah University in Nablus to accredit a student teacher training program in Al Aqaba. We look forward to inviting visiting teachers from near and far to come for a 3 month practicum. Their stay in Al Aqaba's guesthouse, as a 'protective presence', will also help keep the village safe too.

Thank you again for all that you are doing.

Sincerely,

The children's favorit dance game

The beauty of friendship and joy for learning

Due to the kindergarten Maysara knows some English

Mayor Haj Sami, Israeli Army - Settlers now GONE!

Setters moved-in with their cows - now all gone!

Links:

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Jul 12, 2017
This matters: children at Al Aqaba's Kindergarten

By Rasha Mahmoud | Program and Philanthropy Manager, RA-Palestine

This is me, Rasha, visiting just outside Al Aqaba

Hello All,

I am the new Program and Philanthropy Manager, part of Rebuilding Alliance's new branch office (soon to open). This past Sunday, July 9th, my colleague and I met with Noha, the Director of Al-Haq Kindergarten in al-Aqaba Village. She has been the director for 5 years, while the scholarship project has been underway for 3 years.

During the last year, 35 youngsters were given scholarships to attend Kindergarten, based on financial need. Typically, at the beginning of the year, many parents register their children but some are not able to pay, and later drop out. Since the scholarship program started, Director Noha says that she makes an assessment of which families need the scholarships most and awards them to ease the parents situation. In early September, Director Noha will provide a list of students who will be awarded this year's scholarships in the amount of 1350 NIS. The cost of the kindergarten is 150 NIS per month (just under $40/month) for 9 months, and most families find this very reasonable.

There are now about 150 students enrolled in al-Aqaba Kindergarten. About 90 come from Tubas because al-Aqaba is known for being a beautiful village with a beautiful wide-open children's play area which is child-friendly and disability-friendly. Many are from families who came from this village and are looking forward to returning home.

Director Noha notices that Kindergarten has had profound developmental benefits on the children, which means that the ones who don’t attend Kindergarten are somehow a bit behind. She says that the children come to Kindergarten and at first they just like to play, but by the end of the year, they also like reading, art, and other educational activities. They also develop socially.

The Director told us about one little girl who received a scholarship in 2016, Yateema. In the beginning, Yateema was shy and reclusive; she would draw pictures of her mom and brothers but not her father. Noha took time to get to know Yateema, and she found out that her father had passed away and her mother was a widow. She used a technique which she calls “active learning” - games which are educational, teaching through doing to involve the children in activities. With time, Yateema became more active and social with the other children.

Today, Wednesday, July 12th, GlobalGiving will match all donations by 50% beginning at 9:00am Eastern, 8:00am Central, 7:00am Mountain, 6:00am Pacific, 2:00pm London, and 4:00pm Jerusalem time! If you're a British taxpayer, your donation will qualify for another 25% through GiftAid.

Thank you again for making this scholarship program possible and holding this school and these children in your heart!

Here's part of the 2016 graduating class!

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Nov 28, 2016
A kindergarten, the heart of Al Aqaba Village

By Donna Baranski-Walker | Founder & Executive Director, Rebuilding Alliance

This scholarship means a lot to Gina

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your support for this important program! This year, there are 140 students at the Al Aqaba Kindergarten and 20 children have been invited to attend on scholarship. Each scholarship covers their fee of 100NIS ($26) per month and gives them full access to the wonderful environment of the Al Haq (Truth) Kindergarten including a nourishing breakfast.

I am happy to tell you that tonight, Global Giving will be matching all donations to this project starting at 12:01am Eastern Time Tuesday until the funds last. Please click Give Now any time after 12:01am Eastern / 9:01pm Pacific time and your donation will be matched 50% to the dollar!

Mayor Haj Sami Sadeq worked with the Director of the Al Haq (Truth) Kindergarten to provide this report and sends the following message:

"This year, we chose 20 children for scholarship. They are in need of grant assistance because they are poor, orphans, handicapped, or those with chronic disease. Here are the first names of each child who was awarded a scholarship this year: Toliyn, Jod, Alkarim, Yousef, Madea, Qais, Oagdi, Mahmood, Asil, Zad, Mny, Anwar, Hussein, Aaman, Sidera, Agd, Abdllah, Farah, Saud, and Gina. We would especially like to tell you about Gina. She and her family face big challenges because her mother and sister are riddled with cancer. Her father does not have work other than in the fields and therefore can not pay the kindergarten fees.

At our kindergarten, Gina has encouragement and attention, a healthy meal, and a safe place to play. Please tell Rebuilding Alliance's donors how very much your support means to these children and the whole Al Aqaba community."

I am also delighted to report that Al Aqaba's new park opened last spring, right next to the kindergarten. Also, through grants from the Welfare Association and Anera, the kindergarten itself was renovated and a new playground installed at last! Yet I must write too about the very real challenges Al Aqaba Village faced in the past few months. A young couple's new, makeshift home was demolished just next to the village in September. Especially sad was that diplomats chose not to intervene. What that means for Rebuilding Alliance is that we will become more public now in our advocacy, using social media to engage the help of diplomats and legislators as we work to prevent demolitions.

Thankfully, the next crisis in Al Aqaba did receive U.S. diplomatic response. Just after the demolition, the Israeli Army entered Al Aqaba Village and began training exercises, shooting from between the homes. This was in violation of an agreement that the Israeli Army signed with Al Aqaba Village in 2001. I reached the lawyer who negotiated that agreement and she immediately called the Israeli Army - the shooting stopped that day, but the next day they were there again, guns blazing, people terrified and some close calls. I called Atty. Netta and I also reached the U.S. Ambassador's office who immediately intervened. The shooting stopped, the soldiers left and this time they did not come back. Since that time Atty. Netta has been meeting with all the villagers, local government representatives, and land-holders (even the office of the Latin Patriarchate is asked to join, as they are major land holders in this area) to assure the safety of families throughout the area.

Al Aqaba's Kindergarten provides a safe, wonderful place for the children to play, learn and grow. It is the heart of the village. Your support for this scholarship program makes that possible.

Just $234 will provide a kindergarten scholarship to cover one child's entire year of schooling. Our goal is to raise $4680 on Tuesday to cover the costs for all 20 children.

If you can, please give as early as you can in GlobalGIving's Bonus Day competition so that you donation will be matched. Thank you again.

Sincerely,

Donna

A busy day at Kindergarten

Learning to count and draw and write with beads

A good start for this scholarship student

The kindergarten percussion orchestra begins

Balloons, teamwork, motor skills, and exercise!

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