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A sports day with races and a tug-of-war was a highlight for all the pupils as was the school trip to a
local swimming pool.
In Jalazone camp Andy, Chris, Nell and Saba took classes at the Children’s Centre, where the usual
lively bunch of children aged 7-15 attended. An exuberant graduation was held, well attended by parents and friends. Around 60 children from Jalazone went on the swimming trip, where they played for hours in the
pools and in the playground. It was a wonderfully relaxed day and a rare opportunity for many of them to leave the camp.
Birzeit University was again a focus for volunteer activity. Saba taught English to the security guards
on site, and this year three English language classes were held in town for graduate job-seekers. Despite having degrees, many young graduates struggle to find work in the current economic situation.
Chris enjoyed these classes noting, “It was a treat to have a class made up purely of women. As a man,
it is rare to hear the female point of view in Arab society.” Chris tackled subjects such as women’s rights, love and relationships, Iran’s right to nuclear weapons and, of course, the politics of the Middle East.
Chris and Caroline worked with the Teachers’ Creativity Council (set up to promote new ideas and
teaching methods within Palestinian schools) and were invited to attend a conference in Jenin, which they found to be very encouraging.
Saba spent time with a group of young lads in Jalazone camp who were no longer enrolled in school and
had been labelled as difficult. However, she found this ‘rebel’ group to be mis-understood. “They were polite and self-disciplined – the hidden gems of the camp. They told me that the solution to the Israeli/
Palestinian conflict is respect and love for one another’s differences.”
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