On Tuesday 18th January, the AVSI (Association of International Service Volunteers), represented by Mr. Alberto Repossi, project manager, officially presented his educational project to help “support the education emergency in the Autonomous Palestinian territories, Jericho and East Jerusalem.“
About sixty people, including several heads of the schools which are beneficiaries of the project, went to Jerusalem to discover a project that they themselves have helped to develop.
Supported by the AVSI and the NGO of the Custody ATS – pro Terra Sancta and co-financed by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Italian cooperation, as well as by the Custody itself, the programme is spread over three years and has a budget of euro 2.5 million (of which more than 1.5 million financed by the Italian government).
It covers training activities for teachers and social workers, the supply of scholastic material, educational support for primary and secondary school pupils, university scholarships, the promotion of out-of-school activities and work to renovate the structures.
This project will involve five schools, i.e. more than 3000 pupils, 300 teachers and social workers and about 1000 families, thanks mainly to about 550 scholarships.
The Custos of the Holy Land, brother Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was present to support the project, as five schools of the Custody will be able to benefit from it. In his opinion, “it is fundamental that not only the structures but all the more so educational methods evolve in a society which is also in evolution. We have to get ready and prepare the pupils that attend our schools in a changing society.”
This conviction is shared and repeated by brother Abdel Massih Fahim, coordinator for the Custody’s Schools, according to whom “the effort must be made, in particular for the teachers and the educational tools.”
The Italian Consul -General, Mr. Luciano Pezzotti, said he was an “almost daily” witness of the work done in the Christian schools and confided to the public that the Palestinian Authority often remembers and congratulates the efforts done in the Christian schools to educate its citizens. “It is essential,” the Consul- General insisted, “to give children opportunities for the future, so that they can build up a future of their own. Education is a duty, it is one of the priorities.”
The support of the Palestinian Authority was confirmed by the presence and words of Mrs. Basima Abu Khair, representing the director of the Palestinian Ministry of Education. “Education,” she forcefully stated, “is fundamental in building up a nation but also lasting peace.”
Mr. Alberto Reposi then took the floor to present the spirit in which his organization works and the data of the project. The assembly then attended a concert by an emblematic pupil of the Magnificat, the Custody’s school of music. The pupil, Jiries Boullata was one of the first in the school, where he learned to play the piano. This semester, after ten years of study, he came to Italy once again to take his last Master’s degree examinations. Jiries Boullata, a brilliant concert artist, then became a teacher to transmit in turn his knowledge.
Conversation and above all congratulations then continued around a small buffet.
To contribute to this project, you can make a donation online on the site of the NGO ATS – pro Terra Sancta: www.proterrasancta.org
Mab
About sixty people, including several heads of the schools which are beneficiaries of the project, went to Jerusalem to discover a project that they themselves have helped to develop.
Supported by the AVSI and the NGO of the Custody ATS – pro Terra Sancta and co-financed by the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Italian cooperation, as well as by the Custody itself, the programme is spread over three years and has a budget of euro 2.5 million (of which more than 1.5 million financed by the Italian government).
It covers training activities for teachers and social workers, the supply of scholastic material, educational support for primary and secondary school pupils, university scholarships, the promotion of out-of-school activities and work to renovate the structures.
This project will involve five schools, i.e. more than 3000 pupils, 300 teachers and social workers and about 1000 families, thanks mainly to about 550 scholarships.
The Custos of the Holy Land, brother Pierbattista Pizzaballa, was present to support the project, as five schools of the Custody will be able to benefit from it. In his opinion, “it is fundamental that not only the structures but all the more so educational methods evolve in a society which is also in evolution. We have to get ready and prepare the pupils that attend our schools in a changing society.”
This conviction is shared and repeated by brother Abdel Massih Fahim, coordinator for the Custody’s Schools, according to whom “the effort must be made, in particular for the teachers and the educational tools.”
The Italian Consul -General, Mr. Luciano Pezzotti, said he was an “almost daily” witness of the work done in the Christian schools and confided to the public that the Palestinian Authority often remembers and congratulates the efforts done in the Christian schools to educate its citizens. “It is essential,” the Consul- General insisted, “to give children opportunities for the future, so that they can build up a future of their own. Education is a duty, it is one of the priorities.”
The support of the Palestinian Authority was confirmed by the presence and words of Mrs. Basima Abu Khair, representing the director of the Palestinian Ministry of Education. “Education,” she forcefully stated, “is fundamental in building up a nation but also lasting peace.”
Mr. Alberto Reposi then took the floor to present the spirit in which his organization works and the data of the project. The assembly then attended a concert by an emblematic pupil of the Magnificat, the Custody’s school of music. The pupil, Jiries Boullata was one of the first in the school, where he learned to play the piano. This semester, after ten years of study, he came to Italy once again to take his last Master’s degree examinations. Jiries Boullata, a brilliant concert artist, then became a teacher to transmit in turn his knowledge.
Conversation and above all congratulations then continued around a small buffet.
To contribute to this project, you can make a donation online on the site of the NGO ATS – pro Terra Sancta: www.proterrasancta.org
Mab