Al-Shurooq Newsletter

AUTUMN 2005

Dear Friends,

It is not unusual that at the beginning of the school year, matters are rather chaotic affecting all members of staff. There is the hustle and bustle of children returning with all their belongings, the arrival of new ones needing to settle down, and assisting those who are ready for integration to be well accepted in the various regular schools. It takes almost a whole month until things become normal again.

At Al-Shurooq, a new teacher has been recruited to allow a larger teacher/student ratio, therefore giving our children better opportunities for rehabilitation and mainstreaming. This brings the number of staff to 13.

Al-Shurooq School

School started August 29^th. It was delightful having the building full of children again, as it seemed so dull during their six weeks of absence. Those six weeks were badly needed, as we had to have a good clean up of classrooms, dormitories, kitchen and everything else. Work in the office never ceases; different matters usually come up that have to be attended to and a lot of inquiries made. This means that we are never closed, and the staff take their annual leave in turn so that there is always someone to cover up.

New additions to the family

This year three new children have been admitted to Al-Shurooq and a forth is expected later on in the year, as he still has to recover from a recent eye surgery. Nisreen A’bayat (7) and her cousin Khaleel A’bayat (7); both partially sighted and were transferred from a regular school in Bethlehem. Both their families live in Bethlehem. Also, Adham Karram (5) partially sighted and lives in Beit Jala, he is a day student. All three are settling in quite nicely.

Nisreen A;bayat

Khaleel A'bayat

Adham Karram

Mainstreaming

It is a rather strenuous task to have the children settle down in various regular schools in their local community and attend to their essential needs.

You may recall that Haneen, Intisar and Ehsan had to have their stay in the school prolonged, as they were part of our joint project with the European Blind Union, Blind Children for Peace. Now that the project is over, Intisar and Ehsan are back in their own homes attending the local regular school closest to where they live. Both are doing very well.

Haneen unfortunately, and after four months in plaster, her broken leg did not heal. In the first week of September, she had to undergo an internal fixation of the fracture. It is yet too early to decide whether the operation was a success, and whether she will be able to walk again in the near future.

Meanwhile, arrangements had to be made with the local school and the Ministry of Education to find the best way for her to resume her studies. She is a bright girl and too keen on going back to school.

As a transitory move, it was decided that another four of our children, be integrated in the local schools of Beit Jala. That way they are followed up more closely and on a daily basis. They get full lodge at Al-Shurooq; they come back every day after school. Dunia (10) and Aseel (11) go to the girls’ school, while Muhannad (10) and Izzideen (10) go to the boys’ school.

Dunia
in grade four

Aseel
in grade five

Muhannad & Izzideen
in grade fou

We have encountered some problems with one of the teachers at the boys’ school, who refused the idea of having a blind student in his class. I think it was more of a problem of not knowing how to deal with a student with special needs. Sadly, the teacher was ignoring Izzideen’s presence in class and was treating him rather unkindly.

Immediate action was needed. We complained to the headmaster, and explained to the teacher himself that Izzideen is just like the other boys in class, just because he cannot see does not make him any different. The teacher's attitude started to change. It always takes time for the children to feel comfortable with their new surroundings.

Library and Book Production

In the Braille Production Unit, the staff in both Jerusalem and Beit Jala are being kept quite busy. New titles are continually on the increase, and hundreds of copies are being made, in order to meet the demands of our clients old and new. We have had to import two hundred and fifty packets of Braille paper from the United States in the last six months, costing approximately eight thousand US Dollars.

Fundraising

Indeed no words can express how deeply grateful we are, first to God, and then to all our friends and supporters; for without their genuine interest and loving care, our children will have never had the opportunity of the good education they are receiving with us. One of the many examples showing the dedication and love we are blessed with through our friends is the work of Joan Musgrave, the wife of the Minister of St. Andrew's Church in Jerusalem. She is an artist. She did two different paintings of an old Olive Tree, printed cards out of them and donated the cards to us to sell in aid of Al-Shurooq School. The olive tree on the cards is similar to the ones we have in our purchased plot of land, old and beautiful. To us Palestinians, the roots of an olive tree signify our strong attachment to our land. Our sense of belonging and heritage is connected to the olive tree.

The cards are either of a mono-coloured Olive Tree, done with an olive green colour on a creamy background, or a full-coloured Olive Tree. All cards are with blank inside, and can be used for any occasion. She also did coloured posters of the Olive Tree, 13.5” x 9.5”. They look wonderful on the wall.

If you are interested in buying some cards or a poster in aid of Al Shurooq, you can place an order through our e-mail and we will post them on to you. They make wonderful Christmas presents.

A pack of five mono-coloured Olive Tree cards and envelopes costs £4. A pack of five full-coloured Olive Tree cards and envelopes costs £8. Each poster costs £12. All prices include P&P. You can view images of the cards and the poster on our website. Click for details...

We are still hoping and praying a miracle might take place and we may soon find funding for a new building. This appears to be far more difficult than we anticipated. Our biggest problem lies in the building we are currently occupying, that has become totally unsuitable. May be the Lord is just teaching us how to be patient, for we are quite certain that in His time and will, the problem will be solved.

Stay well, and God bless you all.