New school to be built with renovations to others

(MissionNewswire) Since the beginning of the war which has claimed thousands of lives and displaced over 1.9 million people in Gaza, the Salesian International Volunteer Service for Development (VIS) has continued its work in Palestine* without interruption. Now, it plans to expand its support and educational initiatives by renovating existing buildings and launching the construction of a new school facility.

In Gaza and the West Bank, attacks on schools have impacted the lives of children. In Gaza, 84% of schools require complete or major reconstruction. In the West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Education reports a high number of incidents affecting both students and teachers.

“This past year and a half has been emotionally exhausting. People continue to suffer, and humanity continues to be trampled. But we’re not giving up. In fact, we’ve realized that the only way to keep hope alive is to double down on what we do,” explained Luigi Bisceglia, VIS regional coordinator for the Middle East.

VIS plans to work with four public schools in the West Bank, providing renovations and psycho-social support for both students and teachers to help them cope with the trauma. There is also a plan to build a new primary school in the village of Khallet Taha, south of Hebron in the West Bank. The new school will serve 40 children who currently walk five kilometers each day to reach the nearest school..

The school will include four classrooms, one pre-school room, a staff room and bathrooms. There will also be an outdoor courtyard for physical activities.

The project was launched through the support of several associations from the Piedmont region of Italy — including the Toni Lucci Peace School of Bra, the Youth Council of Bra, and the Cuneo Network for Palestine — with the patronage of the Municipality of Bra.

“We’ve named this project ‘Juzoor’, which means ‘roots’ in Arabic, because we believe that school and education are the roots from which a future of hope can grow,” added Bisceglia.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Palestine – The “Juzoor” Project: Educational “Roots” to Build a Future of Hope

Salesian Missions

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.