Sole kindergarten in Bethlehem village offers hope for children
In the small village of Wadi Rahhal near the town of Bethlehem in the West Bank, the happy shouts and laughter of children drift around a small kindergarten. Outside, children listen to their principal reading to them from a story book. Even though the day is cold and it’s drizzling slightly, the children seem to be happy to be outside. Happy to be here."Before, the children would cry and not want to go to school. Now, they have changed- they are happier!" said Fatima Ziyadeh, Wadi Rahhal Kindergarten Principal.
This kindergarten is the nicest one because the last one didn’t have anything at all; it was very sick. This one is nice and beautiful!It started with a desire to address the lack of education in this West Bank village of about 1,500 people and became a reality after more than three years of work by World Vision and the community of Wadi Rahhal. Made possible by funds gathered by the Wadi Rahhal community, as well as by World Vision and the help of other organisations, such as USAID, this seemingly simple project that began in 2008 has continued to grow and impact the community.
"This kindergarten is the nicest one because the last one didn’t have anything at all; it was very sick. This one is nice and beautiful!" said a five-year-old kindergartener called Ziyad.
In Wadi Rahhal, there are two public schools with 403 students and no private schools. The Wadi Rahhal Kindergarten is the only kindergarten in the village and has 52 students. World Vision has contributed more than US$73,000 to the kindergarten, helping to build and renovate the facility, as well as equipping it with furniture, toys, educational tools, and a jungle gym for the children.
"I love the kindergarten because they brought us toys and a play house”, exclaimed four-year-old Doha. “I like the playhouse and toys and everything! I asked my mamma to call the Miss (teacher) during the holidays to say that I want to come to the kindergarten and play!”
According to the results of the Population, Housing and Establishment Census (PCBS) of 2007, the illiteracy rate among Wadi Rahhal residents is about 8.5%, 65.3% of which are female. About 34% have had elementary education, 33% preparatory education, 11.6% secondary education, and just 4.5% have completed higher education.
World Vision’s aim in this project is to further the education in the village, meeting the needs of the Wadi Rahhal community while helping to empower its civil society. It is a spark of joy sorely needed by its residents.
To be honest, I feel like the project started with something small and then continued and grew to something that really impacted children’s livesAbout 40.5% of the total 4,132 dunums (approximately 1,021 acres) of the village land here is classified as Area B, or mainly populated rural areas under Palestinian civil and Israeli security control, and the other 59.5% is in Area C, which falls under full Israeli control consisting of Israeli settlement, military area, and state lands, which also holds 63% of the West Bank’s agricultural land. Since agriculture as an industry is so critical for the income generation of Wadi Rahhal residents, this appropriation of agricultural land has had a significant impact, with the unemployment rate in Wadi Rahhal at about 30%.
In order to enter the village of Wadi Rahhal, one must enter through the settlement of Ofrat. The population of Israeli settlers living in settlements, illegal according to international law, make up 20.9% of the West Bank population (30.8% of whom live in Bethlehem) and control some 42% of West Bank land, even through the settlements’ built up-area is just 1% of the territory.
The villagers of Wadi Rahhal are subjected to settler violence and are often unable to enter the village through the Ofrat road when there are closures of the settlement during Jewish holidays, times of conflict, etc. The other option available to the Wadi Rahhal villagers to access their homes is through the narrow, rough, and dangerous dirt roads in the mountains.
“For the almost 280 households in Wadi Rahhal, the kindergarten is a significant step in the right direction,” explained Wadi Rahhal Kindergarten Principal Fatima Ziyadeh. "The community met together and wrote down all our needs. One of the most important needs to be met was a kindergarten for the children of Wadi Rahhal. This kindergarten has helped connect communities within Wadi Rahhal."
This is not only the sole kindergarten for Wadi Rahhal, but has drawn children from all over its surrounding villages. The mother of one student and a teacher at the Wadi Rahhal School travels 45 minutes from the town of Beit Sahour every day to enable her son to attend the Wadi Rahhal kindergarten. His mother, Intisar, says, “This kindergarten has more opportunities for children than the ones we now have in the area.”
This kindergarten is not only about education, but even more so, about community empowermentAsked what the best part of the kindergarten is, five-year-old Ibtisam sums it up in one word, “Legos! The school is big and nice, and I love it!”
“To be honest, I feel like the project started with something small and then continued and grew to something that really impacted children’s lives,” says World Vision’s Bethlehem Area Development Programme Officer, Lubna Matar.
“This kindergarten is not only about education, but even more so, about community empowerment.”
-Ends-
Additional information:
Ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice, as it involves destruction/confiscation of Palestinian property and imposes severe restrictions on Palestinian movement, Israel has nonetheless continued construction of the Separation Barrier. The Barrier’s total length is twice that of the Green 1949 Armistice Line, or “Green Line” between the West Bank and Israel. Once complete, a mere 15% of the Barrier will be on the Green Line, or in Israel, and the remaining 85% will be inside the West Bank. In Wadi Rahhal, the Separation Barrier will extend 1.2 kilometers (about .75 miles) on Wadi Rahhal lands, isolating 144 dunums (around 36 acres) of village territory constituting 3.5% of the total area of the village.
Sources:
1) Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, Jerusalem (PASSIA) 2011, “Land and Settlements”, pages 333 through 339.
2) The Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) Society, “Wadi Rahhal Village Profile” (2010), http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/VP/Wadi%20Rahhal_vp_en.pdf, last accessed on 31Mar11.
3) The Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) Society, “Wadi Rahhal Village Factsheet” (2010), http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/EN/Wadi%20Rahhal%20%20Village_fs_en.pdf, last accessed on 31Mar11.
This kindergarten is the nicest one because the last one didn’t have anything at all; it was very sick. This one is nice and beautiful!It started with a desire to address the lack of education in this West Bank village of about 1,500 people and became a reality after more than three years of work by World Vision and the community of Wadi Rahhal. Made possible by funds gathered by the Wadi Rahhal community, as well as by World Vision and the help of other organisations, such as USAID, this seemingly simple project that began in 2008 has continued to grow and impact the community.
"This kindergarten is the nicest one because the last one didn’t have anything at all; it was very sick. This one is nice and beautiful!" said a five-year-old kindergartener called Ziyad.
In Wadi Rahhal, there are two public schools with 403 students and no private schools. The Wadi Rahhal Kindergarten is the only kindergarten in the village and has 52 students. World Vision has contributed more than US$73,000 to the kindergarten, helping to build and renovate the facility, as well as equipping it with furniture, toys, educational tools, and a jungle gym for the children.
"I love the kindergarten because they brought us toys and a play house”, exclaimed four-year-old Doha. “I like the playhouse and toys and everything! I asked my mamma to call the Miss (teacher) during the holidays to say that I want to come to the kindergarten and play!”
According to the results of the Population, Housing and Establishment Census (PCBS) of 2007, the illiteracy rate among Wadi Rahhal residents is about 8.5%, 65.3% of which are female. About 34% have had elementary education, 33% preparatory education, 11.6% secondary education, and just 4.5% have completed higher education.
World Vision’s aim in this project is to further the education in the village, meeting the needs of the Wadi Rahhal community while helping to empower its civil society. It is a spark of joy sorely needed by its residents.
To be honest, I feel like the project started with something small and then continued and grew to something that really impacted children’s livesAbout 40.5% of the total 4,132 dunums (approximately 1,021 acres) of the village land here is classified as Area B, or mainly populated rural areas under Palestinian civil and Israeli security control, and the other 59.5% is in Area C, which falls under full Israeli control consisting of Israeli settlement, military area, and state lands, which also holds 63% of the West Bank’s agricultural land. Since agriculture as an industry is so critical for the income generation of Wadi Rahhal residents, this appropriation of agricultural land has had a significant impact, with the unemployment rate in Wadi Rahhal at about 30%.
In order to enter the village of Wadi Rahhal, one must enter through the settlement of Ofrat. The population of Israeli settlers living in settlements, illegal according to international law, make up 20.9% of the West Bank population (30.8% of whom live in Bethlehem) and control some 42% of West Bank land, even through the settlements’ built up-area is just 1% of the territory.
The villagers of Wadi Rahhal are subjected to settler violence and are often unable to enter the village through the Ofrat road when there are closures of the settlement during Jewish holidays, times of conflict, etc. The other option available to the Wadi Rahhal villagers to access their homes is through the narrow, rough, and dangerous dirt roads in the mountains.
“For the almost 280 households in Wadi Rahhal, the kindergarten is a significant step in the right direction,” explained Wadi Rahhal Kindergarten Principal Fatima Ziyadeh. "The community met together and wrote down all our needs. One of the most important needs to be met was a kindergarten for the children of Wadi Rahhal. This kindergarten has helped connect communities within Wadi Rahhal."
This is not only the sole kindergarten for Wadi Rahhal, but has drawn children from all over its surrounding villages. The mother of one student and a teacher at the Wadi Rahhal School travels 45 minutes from the town of Beit Sahour every day to enable her son to attend the Wadi Rahhal kindergarten. His mother, Intisar, says, “This kindergarten has more opportunities for children than the ones we now have in the area.”
This kindergarten is not only about education, but even more so, about community empowermentAsked what the best part of the kindergarten is, five-year-old Ibtisam sums it up in one word, “Legos! The school is big and nice, and I love it!”
“To be honest, I feel like the project started with something small and then continued and grew to something that really impacted children’s lives,” says World Vision’s Bethlehem Area Development Programme Officer, Lubna Matar.
“This kindergarten is not only about education, but even more so, about community empowerment.”
-Ends-
Additional information:
Ruled illegal by the International Court of Justice, as it involves destruction/confiscation of Palestinian property and imposes severe restrictions on Palestinian movement, Israel has nonetheless continued construction of the Separation Barrier. The Barrier’s total length is twice that of the Green 1949 Armistice Line, or “Green Line” between the West Bank and Israel. Once complete, a mere 15% of the Barrier will be on the Green Line, or in Israel, and the remaining 85% will be inside the West Bank. In Wadi Rahhal, the Separation Barrier will extend 1.2 kilometers (about .75 miles) on Wadi Rahhal lands, isolating 144 dunums (around 36 acres) of village territory constituting 3.5% of the total area of the village.
Sources:
1) Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs, Jerusalem (PASSIA) 2011, “Land and Settlements”, pages 333 through 339.
2) The Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) Society, “Wadi Rahhal Village Profile” (2010), http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/VP/Wadi%20Rahhal_vp_en.pdf, last accessed on 31Mar11.
3) The Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ) Society, “Wadi Rahhal Village Factsheet” (2010), http://vprofile.arij.org/bethlehem/pdfs/EN/Wadi%20Rahhal%20%20Village_fs_en.pdf, last accessed on 31Mar11.
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