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The Hope Flowers
Secondary School
& Al-Amal Child Care Centre
(Al-Amal = the hope)
Hope Flowers School and Al-Amal Child Care centre are situated in the Bethlehem suburb of al Khader. It is an independent school that survives on school fees ($200 per year) and grants and other support from other countries. It was founded in 1984 by Hussein Issa, and it is now run by his son Ibrahim Issa and widow Hind Issa, with a dedicated team of teachers and other staff. The school is committed to peace and democracy education and in this it has become a world leader.
The school currently serves 250-300 pupils, though its capacity is higher. During the intifada of 2000-2004 it lost many students, and the restriction of travel and the building of the Israeli security wall meant that its mixed-community and interfaith purpose has been stunted by the withdrawal of Israeli children and the decline in income of Palestinians during the intifada. Nevertheless its work is important and has carried on.
Hope Flowers teaches a normal school curriculum during the mornings and extra-curricular subjects in the afternoons and evenings. Peace and democracy studies and practices are woven into the overall education. This doesn't mean ideological indoctrination. Rather, it means teaching children how to deal with their feelings, how to manage tricky situations and how to stand up and speak their voice, as well as creative arts, agriculture and social activities.
The most notable activity at the school arose as a result of necessity - a psychological support programme for children and their families, helping them to progress through trauma, loss and disruption to a healthier frame of mind. This programme has made a lot of progress in the last two years, since it was started, and it is now extending into a new community support programme, more for the grown-ups.
Not one of the graduates of the school has participated in violence or suicide bombing. This is the primary proof of the value of the work of this school. It faced local opposition from some quarters in earlier days but, now, local people and authorities are paying more attention, and the teaching methods developed by the school are now gradually spreading to other schools in Palestine.
The school welcomes interest and support in several forms. It has guest accommodation, offering a place to stay in Bethlehem, with an opportunity to experience this special town, see the school and visit the many places of interest in the West Bank. Just staying with them helps, since local people enjoy mixing with visitors and letting them see into their lives - Bethlehem people are very welcoming and friendly.
The school welcomes volunteers to come to work there for 1-3 months in teaching, school improvement, admin and grant-seeking, agriculture and other projects. Naturally the school welcomes funding support too, large and small. Just imagine: a group of ten people joining together to contribute €/£/$10 per month each makes €/£/$1,200 per year - enough for several scholarships, or a meaningful contribution toward equipment or a school exchange.
For full information about Hope Flowers School, please visit www.hopeflowersschool.org
Or see: Listen to My Voice - trauma recovery programme