More details about the school

What we are, what we do and why

Other pages in this introductory section:

History, organisation & funding

Interview with Ibrahim Issa, director

Interview with Ghada Issa, administrator

Introductory Basics

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SUMMARY

On this page the school is fully introduced:

- how it all started;

- what peace and democracy education actually involves;

- the full range of educational and community development work done at the school, and...

- the realities of living under occupation.

The Hope Flowers School offers a special education to over 250 children, aged 4-13. It is located in Al Khader, a western suburb of the historic city of Bethlehem in the West Bank, Palestine.

It was founded in 1984 by Hussein Issa, who had grown up in a refugee camp in Bethlehem after his family had lost everything in the 1948 war and the creation of the state of Israel.

Hussein's dream was to give children what he himself had lacked and needed as he grew up. With his social work and education background, he was convinced of the benefits that pre-school education could provide to young children.

Starting from 'below zero' he opened a kindergarten in 1984, the Al-Amal Child Care Centre, evolving educational methods by which growing children could have a fair chance under difficult circumstances, learning how to contribute to creating a peaceful and democratic future.

Al Amal is Arabic for 'hope'. Hussein's vision indeed was one of hope: back in 1984, neither Palestinians nor Israelis were talking of peace and coexistence. The region was experiencing spiralling violence in the wake of the 1980s Lebanon war and the controversial massacres of Sabra and Shatila, Beirut.

The Hope Flowers School grew from a kindergarten to an elementary school by 1989, and became a secondary school in 1994.

Hussein Issa died in 2000, just before the outbreak of the second intifada, which drew to an inconclusive end in 2004. The Issa family kept the school running through these difficult times and today things are slowly improving again.

What we do

In the mornings the school teaches the nine mandatory subjects required by the Palestinian Ministry of Education. Its special character shines out in the afternoons, evenings and holidays with extra-curricular teaching in peace, democracy and community-building.

Our peace and democracy education seeks to teach children how to handle confronting and difficult situations, how to stand up and make their contribution in public, how to find and develop creative solutions, how to work with others to resolve interpersonal and social issues and the communication skills necessary for build bridges between opposing points of view. It includes psychological counselling for the children and their families.

It's not only in conflict-ridden areas where such an education is needed - most countries suffer their own forms of violence and social abuses. Yet in the context of the decades-long conflict we have lived through in Palestine, necessity has given birth to cutting-edge methods which are now becoming increasingly important for the wider world. The Hope Flowers School doesn't just seek support: as a kind of educational prototype model it has a lot to offer the world.

Not a single graduate of the school has contributed to violence or been involved in suicide bombing. Our graduates emerge into adulthood with tools to make the best out of life and to do the best for all people.

Hope Flowers seeks funding support, educational contacts and volunteers to help in teaching and project development at the school. You're also welcome to stay with us as a guest - Bethlehem is well worth a visit.

A pioneering school

The school is a leader in the West Bank in:

Progressive educational methods (Montessori-based, with mixed-gender classes);
Interfaith and intercultural understanding;
War-trauma psychological support for children and families;
Peace activities (peace curriculum, networking, community projects);
Implementation of our main objective, to help to raise a new generation believing in peace, democracy, freedom and respect for the rights and needs of others.

Educational and community development

The Hope Flowers Centre for Educational and Community Development was established in 2004 to spread the school's philosophy to the broader community. The vision of the centre is the establishment of a culture of peace. It aims to facilitate this process through five major departments:

The Centre for Educational Development trains teachers from other schools in integrating concepts of peace education into their curriculum and acting as role models for students.
The Centre for Youth Development aims to empower young people and stimulate their active involvement in society.
The Centre for Psychological Support provides psycho-social counselling for war-traumatised children by training teachers and school counsellors in recognising students' psychological needs.
The Centre for the Empowerment of Women encourages women to engage in society, providing them with skills needed to become more proactive citizens.
The Centre for Interfaith Activities promotes peace in the Holy Land by engaging Muslims, Christians and Jews in sincere interfaith dialogue.

At present we are seeking to set up a pilot project and develop a body of knowledge, trainers and support-systems to spread these methods to other schools in Bethlehem and Hebron in the West Bank. Our eventual hope is for these methods to be extended to the whole Palestinian educational system, with state support.

Peace education

Hope Flowers School has three levels of Peace Education, for teachers, parents and students. The basic rule of all these levels is 'peace starts with you'.

All our teachers subscribe to the school's philosophy. We provide teacher training in empowerment and compassionate listening as well as joint Palestinian-Israeli teacher workshops.
We involve parents in workshops and trainings, as well as providing counselling for children and their families.
We create a safe space for students in which they can explore their creativity and innate potential. To promote reconciliation and understanding, we provide:

¤ Hebrew language classes to minimise fear of 'the enemy', prevent stereotyping and build a foundation for positive social change.

¤ Interfaith education to show children how religion can be used as a channel to bring people together rather than divide them.

¤ Student exchanges with Israeli and international schools.

¤ Extra-curricular activities such as dance, theatre, drama, agriculture, sport, computers, summer camps, etc.
An international volunteers' program to promote intercultural understanding.

You'll find more details throughout this website.

The Realities of Living under Occupation

In September 2000, the second Palestinian intifada or uprising began, and the Israeli army reoccupied the Palestinian Territories. This brought major destruction of infrastructure and public services in and around Bethlehem. Ever since, there has been huge suffering - the main victims have been civilians.

Since then, Hope Flowers School has faced several specific challenges:

Israeli road closures and the new separation wall have cut off Palestinian towns and villages from one another and from their environs. In 2002 the Israeli army closed the main road leading to Hope Flowers, meaning that many children, especially from Israel and Israeli-controlled areas couldn't access the school. Regrettably, all exchange programs with Israeli schools had to be put on hold or transferred to a third country.
In November 2000 an Israeli tank targeted the main school building, damaging the third and fourth floors. Then in 2002, an Israeli sniper tower and military base were built close by. This gave some parents the impression that the school was unsafe. Attendance dropped sharply from 500 students in 1999 to only 120 a year later (by 2006 it has risen again over 250).
In 2003, the school was once again issued with a demolition order by the Israeli army, threatening the school's cafeteria, next to which the separation wall is to be built. This also affected 15 neighbouring homes.
Hope Flowers relied on student tuition fees to cover running expenses. During the occupation many parents lost their income sources and could no longer afford tuition fees. Since 2000 Hope Flowers has thus been unable to offer secondary-level education and the school has depended on donations from friends abroad, simply to keep its doors open.

The Tools of Reconciliation

80% of the students at Hope Flowers School come from Palestinian refugee camps and rural areas, where home invasions by the Israeli army have been commonplace. According to international relief organisations, 48% of Palestinians are traumatised and 56% of Palestinian children are malnourished.

Hope Flowers has been quick to adapt to changing circumstances. The school now provides warm meals and, in 2003, we launched our War Trauma Counselling program, to train teachers from Hope Flowers and nearby schools in supporting traumatised and under-achieving children. We believe that every act of violence is a result of an unhealed wound.

Despite physical and structural violence under the occupation, it is essential to keep peace education alive. In view of the sharply divergent and strongly-held opinions that abound in a conflict zone, we believe in developing people's communication tools to help them reconcile differences peacefully. Separation causes fear and fear causes yet more violence.

Hope for the Future

The Hope Flowers School and Al-Amal Childcare Centre are like bright blossoms rising out of a desert in the Palestinian Territories. In the face of the sense of social futility that has arisen since the Israeli re-occupation, we provide a safe environment for children to grow and develop in. These seeds are watered by our vision of a new Palestinian generation, living in democratic freedom and in peace with their neighbours.

Wherever you live, whether you're a teacher, educationalist or parent or if you're simply interested in social issues, we hope this website will bring you new insights into what education can become.

NEXT: History, organisation & funding

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HOPE FLOWERS SCHOOL

EDUCATION FOR PEACE & DEMOCRACY

PO Box 732, Bethlehem, Palestine

Tel: +972 2 274 0693 / 4975 Fax: +972 2 274 747084

E-mail:

www.hopeflowersschool.org