Phone: 972-2-626-6800 FAX: 972-2-628.5764 ADDRESS: Muristan Rd. P.O. Box 14076 Jerusalem 91140 via Israel
There are a number of ways you can support the work of the ELCJHL Schools and educational programs. One important and timely way is by contributing toward the tuition fees of ELCJHL students. Because of the continuing economic deterioration of Palestinian communities during the second Intifada, which began in 2000, many families who once could pay for or contribute to their children’s education can no longer give even a minimal amount. During prosperous times tuition fees paid by students’ families provided approximately 45 percent of total school costs; today fees collected from students amount to less than 25 percent in the ELCJHL Schools. Contributions designated to compensate for this loss of funds are very important to local needy families and to the continued functioning of the ELCJHL Schools today.
The best way to support an ELCJHL student is to contribute directly to the ELCJHL Schools scholarship fund, a pool from which scholarship committees in each ELCJHL School can draw. Through an established application process within each school, families of students receive tuition fee exemptions in varying amounts based on their financial situation and expected tuition contribution. Your contribution to the scholarship fund allows the ELCJHL Schools to grant exemptions to a greater number of families in need; in many cases, these exemptions enable a family to continue sending their child to an ELCJHL School.
The Rev. Twila Schock Director for Global Mission Support (Missionary Sponsorship / Global Gifts) Global Mission and Development Services Units 8765 West Higgins Road Chicago, IL 60631 Telephone: 773.380.2641 FAX: 773.380.2410 Twila.Schock@elca.org www.elca.org
Contact Dr. Charlie D. Haddad, ELCJHL Schools' Director
Dr. Charlie D. Haddad ELCJHL Schools and Educational Programs P.O. Box 14076 – Old City Jerusalem 91140 Phone: +972-2-626-6865 Fax: +972-2-626-6857
Despite the challenges of working under the present situation, the ELCJHL Schools and Educational Programs continue to develop educational programs and facilities to meet the needs of our students. Some of the projects/programs and initiatives planned or currently underway in the ELCJHL Schools which could use your support are very briefly described below:
Continuing Education Courses for those who have a basic education and wish to improve their job opportunities. Such skills are crucial especially with the closure of the West Bank by the Israeli Separation Wall.
Training Workshops open to community groups on topics dealing with social, economic, and political topics, such as human rights and women's issues in Jerusalem as a divided city.
The MLCDC has started its sports and recreation programs in order to offer to the youth of the Old City of Jerusalem a refuge and alternative to the streets. The MLCDC wishes to add more group sports activities to the existing ones, to add equipment to the sports hall, and to repair the playground. Your contribution would help offer youth a safe haven from aggression, drugs and other street related violence.
The MLCDC is starting a daycare center for children between 2-6 years of age at the request of mothers who are participating in activities offered by the MLCDC. The daycare center will offer educational activities as well as entertainment for the children attending it. Your contribution will help in the MLCDC’s efforts to empower women in the Palestinian community.
The goal of this project to create public awareness for the preservation of the limited water sources in the Palestinian Territories. Involving approximately 500,000 people in the three West Bank Districts of Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Hebron, it will encourage local residents to use more effective conservation techniques to preserve safe water sources, now limited even more by the confiscation of previously available resources.
Garbage not only contributes to the spread of disease; its disposal also requires landfills that increase potential environmental hazards. Burning and dumping methods used during the present political conflict cause environmental problems and waste reusable natural resources. In this project, glass and paper, which make up nearly 20% of hard waste, will be sent to recycling centers. The ELCJHL's Schools plan to participate in the paper recycling project.
Palestinians have few recreational outlets from the physical and mental hardships of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This project, an enriched educational experience for Palestinian youth, will address the recreational and emotional rehabilitative needs of Palestinian youth affected by the violence of their daily lives. The goal of this project is not only to provide Palestinian youth with a mental and physical pause from stress but also to promote environmental awareness via early intervention.
The EEC is always in need of volunteers for the implementation of its environmental programs and projects. Anyone interested in these areas is encouraged to apply.
The ELS needs special funds for the annual salary of a librarian. Library skills are vital in a society where reading is not encouraged or promoted. Students also need professional training in using library resources for research and projects. A librarian will help organize and update the library resources and schedule its effective use by students, staff and community.
The ELS recently started a special project for eleventh grade students that involves special practical applications and experimentation in Chemistry, Biology and Physics courses. This project, now an integral part of the science curriculum, is congruent with the ELCJHL Schools' objective to develop creative students through innovative programs. Your contribution will help in the continuous updating and upgrading of the equipment, tools and materials needed for the success of this project.
Sports are an integral part of the school program and are crucial to pupils’ holistic development. These structured programs are especially therapeutic for children traumatized by the prevailing violence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, the existing outdoor playground at ELS is too small, and there are no sports facilities for indoor sports or winter activities.
One of the main goals of our schools is to provide high standards of instruction for all students and to develop the students’ ability to think creatively and analytically. However, the science laboratories at the Lutheran School of Hope have not been upgraded for 25 years. The current condition of the laboratories, which serve all the students in grades 1-12, does not support the school’s philosophy and goals or accommodate the rapidly changing developments in science education.
The Lutheran School of Hope is planning to establish a Technology Laboratory to meet the rapid development in ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Among the subjects taught will be communication, electronics, electricity, data analysis and interpretation.
The Lutheran School of Hope is planning to start a commerce stream of program offerings in addition to the existing science and arts streams. Commercial courses, unavailable at any of the private schools in Ramallah, will provide students with additional job skills and opportunities in an area where such demand is rising. The construction of two new classrooms will be necessary to offer this stream.
The Al-Mahaba KG needs a multipurpose outdoor playground with facilities for children to exercise, play games, and experiment with nature. This facility is especially important to children with limited and ill-equipped playgrounds and public gardens in East Jerusalem. Your contribution to a special fund for this purpose will help an East Jerusalem child’s dream come true.
Please contact Dr. Charlie D. Haddad for more details and information on how you can support any of these projects or for additional opportunities to assist in the educational work of the ELCJHL.