Press Release

New Preschool Bolsters Public Education in Qibya, Ramallah

April 8, 2019 | Ramallah With generous support from the Tarazi family, Anera is pleased to have completed the construction of a new preschool in Qibya in Ramallah Governorate. The custom-designed facility includes a number of classrooms and can provide 100 children with preschool education each year. The public kindergarten will be owned and maintained by the village council and the Ministry of Education, ensuring a sustainable operating model that bolsters the public education system in Palestine.

Anera’s Education Program Manager, Sulieman Mleahat, says,

“Our new 50 for 50 campaign seeks to make access to preschool education a reality for young children in some of Palestine’s most remote and disadvantaged communities. This year, we hope to complete the construction of the first 11 kindergartens in the campaign but we have a long way to go to ensure that the remaining 55 percent of children are able to attend preschool.”

A ceremony inaugurating the Antoine Tarazi Kindergarten in Qibya took place on Thurs., April 4. The event was attended by the Qibya village council, the Minister of Education, and the governor of Ramallah, and featured a scouts presentation and a children’s dance performance.

In his remarks, the Minister emphasized the importance of expanding the number of kindergartens in Palestine, stressing that preschool education is a high priority and the adoption of mandatory preschool education being phased in this year. Anera’s country director thanked the Tarazi family for their support, stressing the importance of ensuring education in remote and marginalized areas. The head of the Qibya village council, Mohammed Al Asmar, said the school will benefit “future generations and the future of the country.”

Anera is the leading organization working to advance early childhood development in Palestine. Anera is building 10 schools this year, and plans to construct a total of 50 new kindergartens in Palestine over the coming five years. As the leader in the field of early childhood education and development, in the past eight years Anera has built, rehabilitated and/or equipped more than 180 kindergartens and trained 700 teachers. Anera’s early childhood development programs reach over 30,000 children annually through teacher training, and renovation and equipping of kindergartens. Anera, in partnership with other NGOs, developed the national kindergarten curriculum launched by the Ministry in October 2017.

For more information, please contact:

Steven Fake
Media Relations Officer, Anera
202.266.9719
[email protected]

About Anera

For over 50 years, 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. In this way, Anera has grown to deliver more than $65 million in programming annually. We will keep building better lives until hope finds its way in the Middle East.