Knowledge bank: A library opens in a West Bank Town
The library is a treasure trove for Abdallah. “I thought that the library would only offer educational material, but I was excited to find stories,” he says. Abdallah is reading around nine stories a day and enjoys adding new words to his lexicon, especially in English. Incidentally, that is his favourite subject in school and he has a 98% grade in it, reported his camp counsellor Rana Al Khodour.
Abdallah predicts that his grades and that of his classmates will improve further due to the fact that Bani Naim has a library now, but what is more important to him is learning new things that are not available in the school curricula.
A library isn’t just a place where you read books, but it is a place where you can change the way you think, where children will learn how to learn Abdallah’s grandfather, his namesake, was pleased to hear that a library opened in the village and boasted with pride about his grandson’s intelligence.
“I’m embarrassed to say that he sometimes asks me questions I don’t even know the answers to, so I’m happy and relieved that he can turn to the library to find answers to his constant queries.”
The library is a major achievement in the village, says Abdallah’s mother, Iman. “I am glad that my son has an outlet for his energy. He loves books and has a very inquisitive nature and the library is certainly a place where he has found himself,” she says. Iman is a working mother with little time to spare; nonetheless, she has visited the library a few times and looked at books on parenting, in particular.
The library was built with the support of World Vision and inaugurated in July. Charles Clayton, National Director for World Vision – Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza attended the inauguration.
“Here we find schools and a library, which are establishments that speak well of the whole society. A library isn’t just a place where you read books, but it is a place where you can change the way you think, where children will learn how to learn, how to make logical deductions and how to construct an argument,” says Clayton.
The library is one of its kind in the area and there are community plans to improve it by securing more books by purchasing them with locally sourced funds or through donations. The library will follow the Dewey Decimal Classification System and librarians be receive proper training from Bethlehem University’s library staff. The library caters to all ages, but especially to children from six to 16 years of age. In addition to the children’s section, there are books on history, social sciences, and natural sciences among other topics.
Many families believe in the value of education in order that their children seize better opportunities in the future Aysha Al Khodour, a member on the village council, said that a library is essential in every town. “It’s a basic right of children to have better educational facilities, especially a library that can provide knowledge on various areas of interest and supplement what children learn in school,” she explains.
The mayor, Radwan Manasrah, echoed her words saying this library will be a model for other libraries to be established across the West Bank.
Education in the West Bank has continued to thrive despite overwhelming political conditions on the ground. Indeed, most Palestinian communities that World Vision works with prioritise improved educational facilities for their children at the top of their list. Many families believe in the value of education in order that their children seize better opportunities in the future.
The building that houses the library also has a computer lab to introduce children and youth to the Internet and to online research. An electronics vocational training lab for high school students is adjacent to the computer lab. The electronics lab is a necessity since electronics was recently introduced into the school curriculum and additional training is required after school hours.
Opened during the summer vacation, news of the library is only just spreading in town. The head librarian, Imad Amro, thinks that that gives him and his team a chance to put the systems in place to prepare for increased activity when the school year starts in the fall.
The library, along with World Vision, is sponsoring a two-week summer camp for children; Abdallah is one of them. The purpose of this summer camp is to help introduce the library among the children’s parents and publicise it among the wider community.
Abdallah predicts that his grades and that of his classmates will improve further due to the fact that Bani Naim has a library now, but what is more important to him is learning new things that are not available in the school curricula.
A library isn’t just a place where you read books, but it is a place where you can change the way you think, where children will learn how to learn Abdallah’s grandfather, his namesake, was pleased to hear that a library opened in the village and boasted with pride about his grandson’s intelligence.
“I’m embarrassed to say that he sometimes asks me questions I don’t even know the answers to, so I’m happy and relieved that he can turn to the library to find answers to his constant queries.”
The library is a major achievement in the village, says Abdallah’s mother, Iman. “I am glad that my son has an outlet for his energy. He loves books and has a very inquisitive nature and the library is certainly a place where he has found himself,” she says. Iman is a working mother with little time to spare; nonetheless, she has visited the library a few times and looked at books on parenting, in particular.
The library was built with the support of World Vision and inaugurated in July. Charles Clayton, National Director for World Vision – Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza attended the inauguration.
“Here we find schools and a library, which are establishments that speak well of the whole society. A library isn’t just a place where you read books, but it is a place where you can change the way you think, where children will learn how to learn, how to make logical deductions and how to construct an argument,” says Clayton.
The library is one of its kind in the area and there are community plans to improve it by securing more books by purchasing them with locally sourced funds or through donations. The library will follow the Dewey Decimal Classification System and librarians be receive proper training from Bethlehem University’s library staff. The library caters to all ages, but especially to children from six to 16 years of age. In addition to the children’s section, there are books on history, social sciences, and natural sciences among other topics.
Many families believe in the value of education in order that their children seize better opportunities in the future Aysha Al Khodour, a member on the village council, said that a library is essential in every town. “It’s a basic right of children to have better educational facilities, especially a library that can provide knowledge on various areas of interest and supplement what children learn in school,” she explains.
The mayor, Radwan Manasrah, echoed her words saying this library will be a model for other libraries to be established across the West Bank.
Education in the West Bank has continued to thrive despite overwhelming political conditions on the ground. Indeed, most Palestinian communities that World Vision works with prioritise improved educational facilities for their children at the top of their list. Many families believe in the value of education in order that their children seize better opportunities in the future.
The building that houses the library also has a computer lab to introduce children and youth to the Internet and to online research. An electronics vocational training lab for high school students is adjacent to the computer lab. The electronics lab is a necessity since electronics was recently introduced into the school curriculum and additional training is required after school hours.
Opened during the summer vacation, news of the library is only just spreading in town. The head librarian, Imad Amro, thinks that that gives him and his team a chance to put the systems in place to prepare for increased activity when the school year starts in the fall.
The library, along with World Vision, is sponsoring a two-week summer camp for children; Abdallah is one of them. The purpose of this summer camp is to help introduce the library among the children’s parents and publicise it among the wider community.
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