Introductory basics
About the Hope Flowers School
This page and the next two pages summarise all the basics about the school, peace and democracy education, and how the school is run
Other pages in this introductory section:
What We Are, What We Do and Why
History, organisation & funding
Interview with Ibrahim Issa, director
Interview with Ghada Issa, administrator
• The school was founded in Bethlehem in 1984 by the late Hussein Issa, a former Palestinian refugee, social visionary and educationalist.
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• Hope Flowers is now run by members of his family and a dedicated team of teachers, staff and volunteers.
• It has over 250 students aged 4-13. This has reduced since 1999, when it had 500 students aged 4-16, mainly due to difficult economic conditions during the intifada and Israeli re-occupation, and it is now increasing again annually.
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• Hope Flowers is an independent school with no state or institutional backing, supported by modest school fees, local initiatives such as sales from the school mini-farm, and the generosity of people, trusts and institutions worldwide. It runs a scholarships fund for poorer students in need.
• The school's guiding principles, its high educational standards and our response to the pressures arising from the acute situation in Palestine make Hope Flowers a leader in the field of peace-building and democratic education worldwide.
• Children are given a progressive education based on Montessori methods and the Palestinian Authority curriculum, with an added intercultural, interfaith, conflict-resolution and democratic emphasis and extra-curricular programs too.
• The school runs trauma-recovery programs for children and their families ('Listen to My Voice') and community programs. This is a key element in Hope Flowers' approach to peace and democracy education, and as far as we know it is unique worldwide.
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• The official Palestinian curriculum covers English, Arabic, religious education, mathematics, science, arts, history and current national issues, computers and citizenship. Extracurricular activities added by Hope Flowers School include agriculture, environmental care, drama, dance, folklore dancing, handicrafts, music and performing arts.
Watch an 11-minute video introducing the Hope Flowers School:
• We train teachers from other schools in the West Bank, acting as a growing 'centre of excellence' in peace-and-democracy education and war-trauma support.
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• The school relies on donations big and small from people, trusts and institutions in other countries worldwide. You are welcome to come to visit Bethlehem and stay as a guest at the school, or you can apply to work as a volunteer at the school.
