Education for all : a school in Jubbet Adh Dhib!

THE CHALLENGE

For decades, the Palestinian inhabitants of Jubbet Adh Dhib (located in Area C, which is under Israeli military occupation) have suffered social, structural and economic isolation. The village is difficult to access owing to the poor state of its roads and, despite numerous requests over the past 30 years to be connected to the Israeli electricity grid, Jubbet Adh Dhib lacks electricity. Villagers have to deal on a daily basis with the consequences of military restrictions, including restrictions on their freedom of movement. The unemployment rate in the village is very high because the local job market is heavily dependent on Israeli demand, villagers have difficulties circulating freely, and the surrounding farmlands are being taken over by Israeli settlers.

Children are the primary victims of this situation. Since their village has no school of its own, children must walk to school several kilometers away, sometimes along muddy, virtually impassable tracks. The children report that they feel looked down upon by the surrounding communities and suffer discrimination and humiliation at school. Moreover, it is not uncommon for them to encounter Israeli soldiers and settlers on their walk to school, which also deters them from attending school.

According to the Jubbet Adh Dhib’s Women’s Committee, children from the village miss out on more than 3 months of schooling per year because of such problems, and the dropout rate is worryingly high. When not in school, the children spend their days wandering the streets or olive groves before returning home at night.

For more information on the difficulties the people of Jubbet Adh Dhib face daily, please reference this article by the Washington Post.

Watch the video below to learn more about the situation. For English subtitles, press the bottom righthand button.

The solutions we're proposing

The problems in Jubbet Adh Dib, which have been highlighted in reports by the Applied Research Institute in Jerusalem (ARIJ) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) and assessments conducted by Citoyen des Rues, have prompted global efforts to help the community in Jubbet Adh Dib.

Over the past few months, Comet-Me, an Israeli-Palestinian NGO providing sustainable energy and clean water services to off-grid communities in Palestinian territories, has been working to provide the community with a sustainable energy supply to provide the community with electricity. And, thanks to the support of international NGOs and the local Women’s Committee, a kindergarten has been built.

Citoyen des Rues is working, along with our partner, the Hebron International Resources Network, to contribute to this collective effort to help the community in Jubbet Adh Dib by building a new school, for boys and girls from grades 1 to 9. The building of the school will be a major step forward in terms of promoting the community’s empowerment.

The school will be able to host 225 children, mostly from Jubbet Adh Dhib and neighboring villages, and provide the children with quality schooling. Children will no longer have to walk long distances to attend classes, which will help reduce the school dropout rate, while the problem of overcrowding in surrounding schools will also be mitigated.

The school will be built on land provided by the local community, which will be fully involved in the design and implementation of the project.

Citoyen des Rues will also provide capacity-building support for the Jubbet Adh Dhib's Women's Committee -- which initiated the project and which will be responsible for managing it – by providing training workshops on project management, monitoring and financial reporting.

THE IMPACT OF YOUR GIVING

Your donation can have a life-changing impact on the children and families of Jubbet Adh Dhib. 100% of your donation will go towards funding the construction of the school and providing training courses for the Jubbet Adh Dhib Women's Committee.

The school’s operating costs will be funded by the Palestinian Ministry of Education and will include the salaries of teaching staff and maintenance costs. This is a key part of Citoyen des Rues International’s approach to development: bringing together stakeholders, such as families, the local community and the local authorities, in order to build capacities and empower local communities.

WHY FUND US?

Citoyen des Rues International has almost 10 years of experience in implementing local initiatives to help children in need. Thanks to our previous project in South Hebron, where we built a school for girls, over a hundred girls are now able to enjoy their right to education and benefit from quality schooling.

With this new project, we aim to continue our work to help vulnerable communities in the Palestinian territories, adopting a participatory approach to development that is based on the needs of the local community.

Furthermore, we are committed to transparency and trust. We rigorously monitor our projects and, as a donor, you will be regularly updated on progress and the impact of your giving.

We hope we can count on your support!