“Education is a human right just as much as food and shelter. It’s about the future. This is about the day after – there is always a day after.”
- Nayla Fahed
The latest webinar in our “Mobilizing for Gaza” series convened four advocates dedicated to innovating in the field of education in Palestine and beyond: Riyam Kafri AbuLaban – Educational Lead at AlNayzak Organization, Nayla Fahed – Co-founder and President at Lebanese Alternative Learning, and Reem Abu Jaber – Founder & Executive Director at Nawa for Culture and Arts Association. This conversation was moderated by Suha Abdul Rahim – Country Director at Alfanar Venture Philanthropy.
We encourage you to catch up with the discussion here.
Some key takeaways:
💡Palestinians have a history of persevering to find solutions and education has always been a pillar of Palestinian society. We have produced many thinkers, scientists, poets, and innovators. In times of previous intifadas, education was disrupted in Palestine. Neighborhoods would rally together to provide innovative schooling through skill-sharing and informal congregating to provide education to one another.
💡Innovation is not just about technology – it’s about providing access in creative ways.
💡 The people of Gaza are hungry for education even under genocide, which means that there is still hope even in the darkest of moments.
💡 Education and schooling provides emotional and cognitive routine – its absence compounds trauma for children in times of great loss. Education should be prioritized as a vehicle for healing and recovery when the genocide ends. We must humanize the learner and cater to their wants and needs.
💡 Education and psychosocial support must be integrated to maximize impact to help children and youth rebuild their resilience and social fabric. Education must be thought of as not just academic but a skills-based endeavor that rebuilds and heals humans.
💡 The West Bank has also had a very disruptive educational year – there has been difficulty in school access due to a rise in Israeli incursions. Education must be reimagined across all of Palestine.
💡Digital solutions like Tabshoura developed in Lebanon offers flexibility and agility to deliver education in challenging conditions.
Resources:
- Tabshoura, A Digital Learning Platform
- EENET: Documenting and amplifying the voices of Gaza’s educators and learners
- Nawa for Culture and Arts Association
- AlNayzak Organization
- Lebanese Alternative Learning
We hope you learned as much from attending this webinar as we did by organizing it. We invite you to join BuildPalestine’s interactive membership network, Under the Olive Tree, to plug into an active community of Palestinians and allies all working towards a better future for Palestine.