Family Literacy Program in Palestinian Refugee Camps
A family literacy program is one in which the mother or caregiver is given literacy skills while in a simultaneous program their pre-school children are given basic knowledge of letters and numbers to help them enter school on an even footing with children of literate parents. Literate women are known to have healthier and more academically successful children than illiterate women. If we bring these women into the literate world, we bring their children with them.
The Need
A feasibility study done in Am'ari and Kalandia camps in 2004 revealed a need for basic literacy instruction. The women described the circumstances under which they left school as young children. Some told wrenching stories of dislocation and violence caused by the current situation in the region while others told of the influence of uneducated parents who did not understand the need for education.
Palestine is poised on the brink of statehood. Literacy is essential for the citizenry of a fledgling state if it is to have any hope of succeeding and establishing a participatory system of government. The children living in the refugee camps today will be the voters of tomorrow.
The Benefits
The women would gain skills to:
*Read the name and instructions on medicine she administers.
*Become a role model for her school-aged children.
*Read simple stories to her small children.
The children would gain:
*A basic knowledge of letters and numbers.
*The understanding that print is communication.
*Access to age-suitable books.
The community would gain:
*Women who are more self-assured and independent.
*Library materials for children and low literate adults.
*Employment for a few women within the camps.
The Cost
A two year program in one refugee camp has already been funded and is planned to begin operation in spring 2009. Using the same infrastructure and equipment, the program can be extended to the other eighteen refugee camps in the West Bank for only $30,000 each.
About OPAL
OPAL is a non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) incorporated in 2003 in Virginia. Its mission is to support adult literacy among the peoples of the world by providing aid to literacy programs through operational, monetary, and/or technical support.
Executive Director, Dixiane Hallaj, PhD
Dr. Hallaj lived and worked in the West Bank for six years and is fluent in Arabic. She earned her PhD in Literacy and Adult Learning and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from George Mason University. Her award-winning dissertation, Caught by Culture and Conflict: Palestinian Refugee Women's Perceptions of Illiteracy and Education, grew out of the feasibility study that she conducted for family literacy centers in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
A successful businesswoman, Dr. Hallaj started an accounting firm in 1984 and sold it in 2001 to pursue a career in helping women succeed. Non-profit accounting was a major element of her business. She has also served on the board of the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and was one of the founders of Mason Links, a literacy program for service employees of George Mason University.
Tax-Deductible Donations may be sent to:
OPAL
15773 Woodgrove Road
Purcellville, VA 20132
For more information contact dixie@opaliteracy.org
Organization to Promote Adult Literacy
