Al Aqaba Kindergarten: Haj Sami's Dreams Made Real

Dear Friends, 

First, let me introduce myself.  My name is Feras Alnabulsi and I am the Country Representative for Rebuilding Alliance in the West Bank.  I attend the various UN Cluster meetings and the Association for International Development Agencies (AIDA) meetings, and best of all, I visit the project sites.  I am proud to send you this report.

Al Aqaba village-Tubas Governorate, West Bank, Palestine:

Al Haq Kindergarten offers very important care and relief for the children of Al Aqaba village and the surrounding area.  Located in a marginalized community at the north eastern part of the West Bank's Area C, 150 child from Al Aqaba and from two nearby towns and villages attend the Al Haq Kindergarten. Al Haq means truth in Arabic.  This wonderful place offers boys and girls the opportunity to discover, learn, and play -- all great ways to build communication skills and learn how to get along with peers and adults.

Together, the teachers, bus drivers, and the Director and even the cleaning crew of the kindergarten  do more than simply bring kids to the classrooms. In every aspect of this job, they ensure the children's  safety and provide a nurturing environment that helps them release their fears.  You remember, this is Area C and Al Aqaba village is very near one of two Israeli military training centers.  The rat-ta-tat sound of machine guns is audible, and sometimes the army launches missiles too. That's really scary for kids. What's more, the Israeli Army has redoubled efforts to demolish homes nearly, though outside the periphery of the village.   Whenever anyone's home is demolished, everyone is impacted. 

‘’We give love, care, safe spaces and playing areas for children, helping them enjoy their time here as they develop their skills,’’ said Mrs. Noha - the Kindergarten's Director.  “The children spend around six hours everyday in kindergarten, looking to live their childhood as other children in the world.  We take this responsibility very seriously.  With the help of the donations we receive, we are all determined to assure them a wonderful kindergarten experience — the best start for their life ahead."  

Mrs. Noha continued, "The kindergarten is equipped with early reading tools, there's a great library upstairs, and we also have a playroom filled with tools and constumes to help them explore life skills and even career paths.  Our aim is to prepare these children to look forward for education, to have hope for a better future, to grow into adults with ambition, ready to care for others and have a voice in their community."

The Al Aqaba families I met with are very grateful to have this kindergarten.  One mom, Mrs. Haya, said “ I wake up everyday, prepare my kids to go the kindergarten, feeling happy, comfortable, and grateful for having such a place in or village.  We didn’t have kindergarten when we were kids, and we can see the smile on our children’s faces.”  She has twins in the kindergarten!

“Many thanks to anyone who gave even a small help in keeping this place running, it is a symbol of happiness and children rights “ added Mrs. Haya.

Mayor Haj Sami, talked about the hard times that the kindergarten is facing, and how they are able to get through it.   “Sometimes we don’t pay salaries for months because of lack of funds, but teachers keep working because of their belief in the value that this kindergarten holds.” 

“The support from donors was a major, major support for us until now.   Many thanks to everyone who donates for our children.  It is a support for the simplest rights of humanity, the right to education.”  said Mayor Haj Sami.

Al Aqaba's decision to build this kindergarten and Rebuilding Alliance's help to make that happen have made all the difference in the world for these children and this village. 

Thank you again for your incredible support for this wonderful project.  Please mark your calendar for Giving Tuesday Nov. 29th when GlobalGiving will be matching all donations all day starting at midnight until 11:50pm Eastern time!  

Sincerely,

Feras

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,

Links:

• Amira Hass - The Handsome Jew Riding Through the West Bank
• Amira Hass - Israeli Settlers Leave Illegal Outpost