Can You Help the Hope Flowers School? What we are, What we do, and Why

Al Amal (The Hope) child care center and the Hope Flowers Secondary school are bright blossoms rising out of the desert of the Palestinian territories. Their goal was to create a safe environment where Palestinian children could develop. Their vision is of a new Palestinian generation, living in democratic freedom at peace with our neighbors. The people behing Al Amal have worked for more than 11 yearsfor the school to become a unique example of education of Peace and Democracy.

The idea and much of the work behind the school come from its founder and director, Hussein Ibrahim Issa. A Palestinian Muslim whose family was uprooted by the 1948 war, he grew up in very limited circumstances in the Deheishe refugee camp south of Bethlehem. So from early on, he has been sensitized to the deprivation faced by Palestinian children and their families. Yet he is not embittered by his experience and he is motivated to work toward the future in every way possible to build conditions for peace with the Israeli people, while concentrating on providing a solid education to the Palestinian children.

Al Amal opened in 1984 as a response to those aspirations. At the time, there was a critical need in the West Bank area west of Bethlehem and south of Bet Jala for good child care. Disturbances in the normal social patterns - the effects of the Intifada - had left many homes without working men and with mothers needing to work. The economic hardships and the atmosphere of violence were raising household stresses to levels that were very hard on the children.

Al Amal opened its doors with little than good intentions and hard work - from "below zero", without chairs at first as a kindergarden. The philosophy of expansion here has always been "one brick at a time", and not to wit to lay the first brick, even if the next brick is not yet at hand. n this manner, Al Amal grew from an one rented room with 22 pupils into a small primary school in its own building, where for several years the grades grew with the children. In its 10th year, it expanded into a new school building, in the village of Al Khader, housing the primary, junior high and secondary school together, with a library and laboratories.

The most oustanding expression of Al Amal's educational philosophy is building bridges with the Jewish people, which is an integral part of the school's activities since beginning 11 years ago. Field trips for the children and their mothers take them into safe, open contact situations at places in Israel that support such attempts to increase knowledge and reduce fear betwen the peoples - places such as the school for Peace at Neve Shalom/ Wahat as Salaam and the open house in Ramle. In 1995 a sister school relation was formed with a school in Israel, the democratic school of Hadera, on the basis of mutual visits by the staff.

The Hope Flowers School, with its unique philosophy for peace and democracy education, has played an important role in bringing about a dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian educators and students.

Due to the difficulties with the Peace process, the Hope Flowers school in AL Khader is faced with severe difficulties in paying its running costs. Most of the parents of the school children have lost their jobs in Israel (due to the closure) and can not pay the tuition.

The teachers have not been paid for several months, the school has been cut off from running water and may lose its telephone line. Despite everything, the school managed to organize a series of meetings between their pupils and schools in the Jerusalem area on MArch 30 and April 1(which appeared on television CNN, Israel channel 1 and BBC) and will be organizing a Palestinian Israeli workshop for educators on April 7 at BEit Hahinnuch, in Jerusalem.

Any contribution to the school will be deeply appreciated:

The Hope Flowers School
Bank Account 118451
Mercantile Discout Bank
Bethlehem, West BAnk
via Israel

The school is also interested in donations of used (486 or better) computers and peripherials. Please contact the school directly.

Sincerely yours,

Hussein Ibrahim Issa
Headmaster
Tel: 972-2-740693
FAX: 972-2-747084

Nov 11 1998 So dear cousins, after ten years there together, you know about staying with a cause. You know the dark times and the better ones, when the hope is high and the goal seems close. We have come close many times, and I believe that no effort has been lost, while very clearly, we still have far to go, just looking at the terrible news from Jerusalem yesterday. I am saying this to encourage you to keep patience and dedication together, because the movement forward requires both. You have already demonstrated that you have them, just to keep going.

Of course, this is how we work also. Let me tell you a few things about my day today, to let you know how we are working, how it is like your work, and how your support helps us to continue. My day began officially, as has been so in this school year, with my acting as a driver for 7 children from the neighboring village of Artas. This is to save the money for other transportation. When we arrive to the school, I repair the leaking water in the kitchen sink. I take two calls from suppliers of building materials who need money. Then we are receiving the first of our Israeli volunteers who come each Saturday to teach our children special classes - the arts, computers, Hebrew and English. One is new this year, and arrives with our friend, the American Consul in Tel-Aviv, who also volunteers to teach in our English program. Shortly a group of Catholic priests from Jerusalem arrive, one to say good-bye after 3 years of association with us, because he is going back to Africa. After this come our volunteers from the American International School from Tel Aviv area, for teaching small classes of English as a second language. Despite the advice from their superintendent against coming, due to yesterday's violence in Jerusalem, they entered, and all safely. We reflect together on the fact that while they can enter, few of us Palestinians can exit.

With the Tel Aviv group was supposed to arrive also a special visitor from the Peres Peace Center. The Center has invited 20 of our children to join in a 3-day program at the center in Tel Aviv, and we were to work out the details, and discuss the possibility for more cooperation, and much needed financial assistance. She has not come nor called, probably assuming we would not expect her due to warnings against entering the West Bank. She does not know yet our persistence.

We make some planning for providing food for our senior students' families when they host visiting students next week from the Semester- at-Sea program; and for the week after when a group of American volunteers come to help us with painting maintenance. I take more calls from people we are owing.

You see here the mixture of our lives. We are making and helping to happen the new things in building the peace. There is nowhere else on the West Bank this kind of progress, this kind of life of real cooperation between the peoples for the just peace. And because we take this stand, because it is, in the way we do it, the only one, it is not for all the people to love. So our enrollment is small, our financial struggles great, and our ambition to serve the people and the peace is very high, against the obstacles like closures and fears.

We want to continue to give life to this way that we have found to bring together what has been split apart. It is not too much to say that we desperately need your help to be able to continue. We are appreciating anything that you can do for us to keep our way alive, and we need for you to know that the challenge is on that level.

May Allah's blessings be with all of these efforts for the peace - yours and ours, and all. We offer you our sincere congratulations on your continuing your own cooperative work for 10 years, and we hope to be with you for at least the next 10. With respect and gratitude, Allah ma'akum, Hussein Issa, Director, the Hope Flowers School and Al Amal Child Care Center.