Al Aqaba Kindergarten: Haj Sami's Dreams Made Real

Back in 2002, when the Israeli Army promised to stop using Al Aqaba Village for live-fire training, establishing the Al Haq kindergarten was the first initiative of a village eager to come home. Rebuilding Alliance is so proud to have been a founding partner — we helped build the kindergarten building, providing a home for the heart of the village.

Principal Noha Dabak, a founding member of Al Haq KG. started out as a teacher there in 2002. Principal  Noha is very proud of how far the KG had come:  she has taught children who are are finishing their college degress to become doctors, engineers, designers, buisiness people and some are now parents who have their own children attending the same KG.

Al Haq kindergarten has two levels, one is for chidren aged five, and the other is for younger children in preschool. The kindergarten offers a state-of-the-art curriculum supported by extracurricular activities and active learning approaches. 

• The curriculum is supervised by the Ministry of Education. The kindergarten provides regular reports to the Ministry and updates its curriculum in light of the feedback.
• Three teachers in the kindergarten attend training sessions offered by the Open University of Jerusalem every Saturday and are also enrolled in a diploma program that is funded by the Ministry of Education and some foreign countries. 
• The kindergarten teaches Arabic, English, Math, Science, Art & music. 
• It also takes children on field trips and organizes entertainment activities too. 

Children in the village are deeply impacted by the sounds of live fire and military training nearby, across the valley.  Last fall,the Israeli Army resumed military training in the village — we're happy to say that when the village's lawyer filed appeals and Rebuilding Alliance asked Congress to intervene with the U.S. State Department, the Israeli Army stopped using the village for trainign.  Our Contact Congress intervention really helped -- as did sending Donna, our Executive Director. to live in Al Aqaba from April through June, inviting the U.S. Embassy to visit, and bringing two a Congressional Staff Delegation there too.  

Principal Noha shares that kindergarten helps children recover from their fears and anxieties. Children are encouraged to express their feelings through drawing, music, role-playing, and other creative projects.

Even though the KG attracts a great audience of children and their families because of the small fee it charges,  donations were a huge contributor to the income and funds for the KG. We fell short of our goals, though, and that meant the teachers were paid only half their salary as the school year came to a close.

A slump in donations has already forced the kindergarten to take some drastic measures. 

• The kindergarten cut down on its breakfast program. Ms. Jameela at the kindergarten tells us she sees a visible change in the energy level of children because children focus better when fed breakfast. For now, the kindergarten is offering a traditional breakfast only on Tursdays. 
• The number of teachers was also cut down, from five to three. 

This past year saw big changes in the village as a whole with the passing of Mayor Haj Sami.  The Governor of Tubas installed a new Village Council Head to help the village recover as the Rural Women's Association did their best to recover. Thankfully, the village council is guaranteeing that the bus will keep running, and so the kindergarten has opened its doors, now for its 26th year! 

We thank you for your support for Al Haq Kindergarten in the past and ask your help now as the school year begins, as the Kindergarten remains the beating heart of the village. 

Links:

• Doaa, a graduate of kindergarten sharing her experience