Palestine - Areas of Impact

Youth Organizing Program

Youth Organizing is the core program of Ruwwad, Palestine, with a focus on promoting the civic engagement of youths and on building supportive networks across the five villages served by Ruwwad.

Initially, 30 scholarships were awarded to students from Budrus, following which more scholars were recruited from the other four villages, raising the total number of scholarship to 89. The scholars, of course, commit to four hours of community service per week, while also benefitting from the Enrichment Program through the weekly Cultural Dardashat (Discussion) and the Business skills enhancement workshops that span communication, team building, presentation and time management. The culture of volunteering was new when Ruwwad stepped into Budrus amd very few youth  were motivated to finish high school and pursue higher education. Today, Ruwwad engages 65 youth scholars on a yearly basis through its educational scholarship fund.

Ruwwad introduced Tajwal Palestine as a monthly activity to enhance the youth's mobility and to serve new communities and villages. The word, tajwal, means "to wander". The youth travel to new places, meet the residents and conduct small cleaning, planting and oral history documentation activities. Ruwwad conducts this initiative in partnership with Safar, an informal mobility initiative that was founded in Palestine.

Ruwwad established partnerships with a number of educational support institutions to further support the work with the scholars, among them the Al Qattan Center for Educational Development, the Tamer Center for Civic Education, the Ministry of Education and Birzeit University.
 

Child Development Program

The Child Development Program started in a donated space in Budrus with the establishment of a library housing over 1000 books. Soon after, a second library was established in the village of Qibya. In addition to availing books to children, the libraries hold regular child literature, creative arts and academic support sessions. Ruwwad’s team and the scholars provide periodic psychosocial support to children suffering from the various effects of poverty, marginalization and the Israeli occupation.

During the summer, camps serving over 100 children take place, some in collaboration with other institutions. The camps offer diverse activities, including literature and sports.
 

Community Support Program

Ruwwad was able to establish a strong relationship with the communities of the five villages partly by forging positive and collaborative ties with the villages’ councils. The municipal councils share their spaces and coordinate community meetings to follow up on the scholars’ progress.

The Women Advancement components are in the early phases, with a focus on literacy and sports in Budrus.