Anera Kindergartens Bridge the Gap in Early Education in Palestine

September 1, 2022 | Ramallah — This week Anera handed over responsibility for a brand new public kindergarten to the Ministry of Education in Palestine. The Leila Tarazi Kindergarten in the village of Deir Qaddis west of Ramallah opened its doors to 75 preschoolers eager to benefit from the high quality care and education the school will offer.

The Leila Tarazi Kindergarten brings the total of new kindergartens built by Anera in recent years to 16. This is part of our drive to help education providers in the West Bank and Gaza meet their obligations of quality pre-primary care and education for Palestinian children (as articulated in the UN’s sustainable development goal 4.2).

“Like the many kindergartens we have recently built, we expect the kindergarten in Deir Qaddis to be a huge success,” says Sulieman Mleahat, Anera’s education program director. “Our unique approach and partnerships with municipalities and village councils, communities and parents, are critical in securing cash and in-kind support as well as engendering a greater sense of ownership.”

In spite of Palestine’s high literacy rate and strong academic achievements, the preschool sector remains neglected with a dire need for investment. As children across Palestine head back to school this week, many of the youngest learners are still at home. Nearly 40% of Palestinian preschool-aged children do not attend kindergarten or benefit from early childhood development programs.

That is why Anera has embarked on an ambitious plan to build dozens of new kindergartens for the public education system in the areas with the greatest need in Palestine. Later this month, Anera will kick start three more kindergartens in the villages of Duma and Beit Liqia in the West Bank and Shati Refugee Camp in Gaza.

Our staff are working hard to assess more suitable locations in the West Bank and Gaza in order to build new schools, with many communities on our waiting list for these vital care and education centers. In the coming year, Anera plans to expand its construction of kindergartens across Palestine further by leveraging social impact investments.

SULIEMAN MLEAHAT IS AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS

For more information:

Steven Fake
Media Relations Officer
202.266.9719
[email protected]

About Anera
Since 1968, Anera has helped refugees and others hurt by conflicts in the Middle East live with dignity and purpose. Anera, which has no political or religious affiliation, works on the ground with partners in the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Lebanon, and Jordan. We mobilize resources for immediate humanitarian relief and for sustainable health, education, and economic development efforts. Our staff are from the communities they serve, navigating the politics that constrict progress to get help where it’s needed most. We will keep building better lives until hope finds its way in the Middle East.