Farewell from the President
        December 2003
Dear Friends: 
This is the time of year when we want to share with you our news and encouraging stories.  On a personal level I want to thank every one of you for your support throughout my  long years of service  as President of Rawdat El-Zuhur.  The time has come for me  and some of the executive members to step down  and pass on the legacy to the younger generation.  Seventeen years were more than I had expected to stay as President.   It has become part of my life and as dear to me as my family. I did not realize how privileged I was to have been able to carry on the legacy of dear Aunt Lizzy, until it was time to say good bye.  Working with the children was the most rewarding part of  my long years of volunteer work.  The good relationship and cooperation  between board and staff have had a very positive impact on the organization.  The wisdom and compassion with  which Mrs. Zananiri,  the  school Principal,   leads the school creates a relaxed  atmosphere and makes the educational process an  enjoyable  one. 
Despite the Israeli Military Occupation which is disrupting evey aspect of our  life, it cannot crush the spirit  of those youngsters and the hope and determination for a brighter future. We have been  trying throughout those difficult years, to make the school a safe and pleasant  haven for children.  It is through your support that we have succeeded in achieving our goal and continuously  developing the school program with a special emphasis on music and art.
As I send you  my last message through this annual newsletter I hope that Rawdat El-Zuhur can always count on your support, especially for the  realization of its  strategic plan which is now published in  Arabic and English and will be  posted on our website.  Our work has been so valuable to the community that we hope we can reach out to  larger numbers.  That can  only be possible by moving to new premises with enough  grounds.    We continue to hope that you will be part of this plan. 
God bless you, and may you enjoy good health and peace throughout the coming year. 
Yours sincerely,
Samia Khoury
President 
http://www.thewitness.org/agw/khoury111203.html 

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The message of the school Principal
Dear Friends:
It is going to be very difficult for us to say good bye to Mrs. Khoury, our sincere, honest and dedicated President.  All of us, at Rawdat El-Zuhur cannot visualize the school without her almost daily presence.  With her buoyant step and warm and cheerful smile she always came ready to work,  to listen, and give wise advice.  Through   her vision we have come a long way, and her ready sense of humor has carried us across many a difficult situation. We know it is going to be just as difficult for her to part with us, as all of us, staff and children,  have been part of her life for many years now. 
The difficulties we face on a daily basis will not deter us from carrying on with this great legacy for the welfare of children.   With your support, both financially and morally,  we know we can continue to  bring happiness to those  children and to maintain that lovely smile on their faces as they sing their favorite song "We shall overcome."  And indeed we hope we all shall. 
I want to seize this opportunity to send to you on behalf of the staff and all the children our warmest greetings for  the holiday season.
Yours sincerely,
Salwa Zananiri
School Principal

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An honor well deserved
Graduation day on June 7, 2003  marked  the end of the anniversary activities which were unfortunately  interrupted because of the current political situation. On that occasion, Samia Khoury seized the opportunity to honor Salwa Zananiri, the school principal  for her long years of dedicated work in working with the children. Her ability to run the school with wisdom, and compassion is what makes Rawdat El-Zuhur special.
The outstanding alumnus Mazen Nofal  was also recognized on that occasion also for his dedication and honesty as procurement officer.  Mazen  graduated from Rawdat  El-Zuhur in 1980, but remained attached to  the school as he continued his studies, and later  after his graduation from high school.  He now  has a very good post at the French Cultural Centre with  a part time job  at Rawdat El-Zuhur. He is so committed to his school that he simply could not leave completely, and Salwa as well could not envisage the school without him. 

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The Character Tree
Gentleness, humility and  self control   are new sprigs growing  on the Character Tree. The tree reflects the moral values that Rawdat El-Zuhur promotes,  and the children are encouraged to add a few branches every year.  Some of the other sprigs already on the tree are: honesty, cooperation, patience, commitment, justice, love, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace and hope. 

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A surprise for Samia Khoury
At the end of the graduation ceremony and  after she had surprised Salwa and Mazen with the special honors, the school staff had a surprise for Mrs. Khoury as well when they presented her with a special anniversary ceramic plaque.   So it was an afternoon of pleasant surprises which was shared with the children and their parents.  And without their realizing it, the staff’s presentation was very well timed, as it turned out it was the last graduation at which Samia Khoury  would be officiating as President of Rawdat El-Zuhur.

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New Appointments:
As a result of recommendations coming out of the strategic plan, Maha Meo was appointed an administrative assistant beginning of the school year in September.  It certainly is not easy to squeeze another desk or chair in the office, but then Rawdat El-Zuhur has had long years of experience in coping with limited space.   So we are sure it will not take Maha long to start  feeling at home.
Because of the large number of students in the first grade, Samia Qattan was appointed as an assistant teacher for grade one.  Samia was working as a substitute teacher last year,  and will continue  to do so when the need arises.

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Elections of a new leadership
On  October 17, 2003 Rawdat El-Zuhur held its general assembly meeting.  Unfortunately members from Ramallah and Birzeit could not attend but they were able to participate by casting their votes by  proxy.  Voting took place for the amendment of the constitution, the approval of the budget and for new elections.  It was a very good  meeting with so many professional young  women and new members who engaged very positively in the discussion of issues. Avoiding to be emotional at the end of many years of service, and feeling very confident that Rawdat El-Zuhur will be in good hands,   Samia wished the new board all the best assuring them of her continued support whenever needed.
Seven members  of the new board had served on the previous board and four are serving for the first time.  The following is an alphabetical list of board members.
Ms. Safa’ Abu-Assab
Ms. Fifi Antar Secretary
Ms. Monica Awad
Ms. Ranya Baramki President
Ms. Alia El-Yassir Vice President
Ms. Dalia Habash Treasurer
Ms. Ghada Habesch
Dr. Hala Iqal Hallak
Ms. Dina Nasser
Ms. Maha Sader
Dr. Sana’ Kanaan Shadid
Three new young members joined Rawdat El-Zuhur 
Mona Nasir, Joan Assali and Leila Baker joined  Rawdat El-Zuhur in October and attended the general assembly  meeting. 

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More elections
Later in the month, the democratic process and elections included a mothers’ committee and class representatives.  It is never too early to train children in exercising their right to choose their representatives. Eight children  from  each class were elected to form the class family. And the mothers  elected a committee of seven to represent them on the Mothers-Teachers committee. This will be such an empowering process for the committee members and for all the mothers as well. Training workshops on the rights of the child for both mothers and children will start after the holidays.

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An unexpected fruitful visit 
Eighteen  years after his graduation from Rawdat El-Zuhur in 1985 , Issam Arnaout, now an engineer, stopped by to  visit the school. The second floor with its all purpose hall, library and  computer laboratory  did not exist when he was at the school.  He was so impressed with the changes and especially with the photo exhibit which   he thought  should be compiled in a book. When Mrs. Zananiri told him that there were efforts to raise funds for publishing  an anniversary book  to include the photo exhibit  he made a generous contribution to cover the cost. He went further to discuss the formation of  a planning committee to bring together other graduates to visit and support the school. The alumni club which  was established in 1994 has so far been attracting students who are still in high school only,  to stay in touch and plan  joint activities once a month.  Although he has not been in touch for a long time Issam  still considers Rawdat El-Zuhur as a second home. “It is not the teaching as much as the education in its broad sense,  that have remained with me from Rawdat El-Zuhur” said Issam.  Emphasis on moral and social values and the dignity of the human being is what makes a difference to the children and their families.

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The Edward Said Scholarship
Edward left us too soon.  Many of the things he intended to do were left undone, and so was  the promised  visit to Rawdat El-Zuhur which we had so much hoped for.   Although small in size the school has decided to pay a special tribute to this great pillar of education,  and establish a yearly scholarship in his memory. 
The first recipient of the Edward Said scholarship is nine-year-old  Yasmeen Dkeidek in grade four. 

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The Italian Connection
Juzoor: “ A Palestinian Foundation for Health and Social Development”
has various programs, part of which is networking with international organizations. 
The Peace Table in Perugia, Italy is one such organization 
with whom Juzoor is cooperating, and partly in a child sponsorship program.
Because of its long experience in sponsorship programs, Rawdat El-Zuhur has been chosen by Juzoor to coordinate this project. The project is based on individuals or families sponsoring Palestinian children directly on a regular basis  through an average of $50 monthly  per  child.  The program covers 110 children of needy families,  ten of whom  are from Rawdat El-Zuhur. 

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Rawdat El-Zuhur is proud of its young artists
In the art competitions for grades 1-3 and grades 4-6,  organized by the Palestinian Directorate of Education  for the twenty six schools in the East  Jerusalem governorate,  Nour from grade 2 won first prize,  and Shatha from grade 6 won second prize.  Aside from a certificate of recognition they will each receive a school bag.
“What I like about school” was the theme of the ANERA art competition in which the school  participated.  Dima won second prize and Reem third prize and they were awarded a certificate of recognition, and a nominal financial gift and some art materials. 

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Gifts through the bank may be sent to: 
The Arab Bank, 520 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y . 10022-4237 Account # 7001-600022-051 
The Arab Bank, 73 Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 4HX, Account # 00570060 sort code 40-50-44 
But when you send a gift through the bank, please drop us an e-mail at info@rawdat.org to let us know the date and amount. We apologize to our friends who have not received a confirmation for their gifts deposited through the New York Bank, because we do not always get their names from the bank. However unknown contributions appear in our audited accounts under one item as contributions through the Arab Bank from unknown sources. 

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Sewerage project supported by BibleLands
Maintenance of the  school sewerage system cannot  anymore solve  the clogging problem. A  new  system needs to be installed, and BibleLands once again   have come to our rescue by making a special  contribution in October towards the project.   Earlier in April they had also made a substantial  contribution over and above the sponsorship program,  which helped balance the school budget.  And we are ever so grateful as well for  the special grant for healthy food for the children which stretched beyond the period of the grant. 

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Child Rights Education Project
The staff  benefitd a lot from, and enjoyed a very  good workshop on the rights of the child before school started.  It was coordinated by Mona Nasir from  The Middle East Centre for Non-violence and Democracy (MEND) and who is now a member of Rawdat El-Zuhur.  It  will be followed by another workshop for the mothers, and the children.  This project was made possible by the special grant from Canada Fund which was approved in March 2002. Part of the workshop was through drama.

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“Fawanees” Musical 
Two young girls from grade six, Wa’ad El Wa’ari and Tamam Nofal  were among the sixty   children selected by the National Conservatory of Music from various schools in Jerusalem and Ramallah to  participate in a musical  “Fawanees” ( Lanterns).  Intensive training for the musical started at a special camp during the summer holidays, and continues once a week during the school term. The performance will take place in April. Wa’ad and Taman indeed feel privileged to be part of this special activity. 

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The YMCA/YWCA  Olive Tree Campaign
A committee of Rawdat El-Zuhur children made a visit to the YWCA to offer a contribution towards the Olive Tree Campaign. The YMCA and  YWCA had started the  campaign last year to urge people to help plant olive trees to make up for the  scores of trees that   have been uprooted by the Israeli Occupation Forces. The children were very pleased to receive   the special campaign certificate  which was put up on the school board. 

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Anwaar and her sisters
With a long and sad face the father of Anwaar and her three sisters informed the school principal at the end of the year that the girls will not be  returning to school. The man  had lost his job and could not possibly afford even the minimal school fees. He did not  have the  heart to keep Anwaar away from Rawdat El-Zuhur.  As it turned out the other three girls refused to go to any other school, and all four are back at the school with full scholarship. After all Rawdat El-Zuhur was established to serve the most needy, and our friends and sponsors have been very supportive in helping us meet those needs.
Entertaining the Elderly
As part of their training  in community service  the sixth graders participated in entertaining some elderly people on a special day held for them in October,  at the Martin Luther Centre in the Old City.  The children sang, danced and played the Oud  bringing joy to the hearts of the elderly.  In appreciation, the centre presented each child with a fancy ball point pen and the school received a ceramic scene of Jerusalem which was put up in the children’s classroom.
The Parking Lot
Where else but in this paradoxical land does a school have a parking lot at its entrance. Not only did the owners turn the open lot, which is the only entrance to the school into a parking area, but now they have raised a case against Rawdat El-Zuhur and its landlord. They are seeking to get a court order to prevent us the use of the car park as a passage to the school, so we had no choice but to appoint a lawyer to deal with the case. Ironically the parking lot was mainly built to serve the court house which is adjacent to the school. So both the owner of the car park and the court house share a vested interest. We rest our case and wait for justice to prevail.

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French classes  for mothers
A new group of mothers have started  taking French this year while those who completed the level of grade one  will be promoted to grade two. 

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Training to be a Kindergarten teacher
Raghda, the mother of Ala’a in grade three is doing her training as a kindergarten teacher at Rawdat El-Zuhur.
The New Curriculum
At the request of the Palestinian Ministry of Education Rawdat El-Zuhur was asked to be  part of a team to evaluate two new  books on civics and mathematics for the fourth grade.  The books were  introduced this year  within the new  Palestinian curriculum, and they are absolutely  void of any  hate material which Israel claims the Palestinian text books include. 

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A model lesson
At the request of the Union of Charitable Societies, the kindergarten teacher has been asked  to give  a model lesson to the teachers of the  kindergartens  that are run by the Union. 

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Dale Bishop
A long time friend of Rawdat El-Zuhur  and many Palestinian organizations,  Dale Bishop was in Jerusalem very briefly this summer to bid his friends farewell before he officially retires.  Because the school was closed for the holidays,  Samia Khoury  was able to meet Dale and Peter Makari at the reception that Sabeel had for their group.  It was a lovely encounter, and she seized the opportunity to present Dale  with the Jubilee souvenir. Peter took this photo of Samia with Dale on her right. Also in the photo are Rev. Dr. John Thomas, General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ, and Rev. Lydia Veliko, Ecumencial Officer of the United Church Of Christ. 

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The Rafah  Campaign
Digging into their pockets for whatever coins they had saved from their allowance, the school children gave generously for the devastated families in Rafah.  Their  collection  along with donations from  staff and members of Rawdat El-Zuhur  were sent through  the Union of Palestinian Women.  The  Union  had launched the campaign to share in the relief work going on in Rafah as a result of the Israeli indiscriminate and senseless destruction  which rendered hundreds of families homeless. 

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A wedding without a groom
It is only when you are living under occupation that a wedding can take place without the groom.  The  senior  Arabic teacher at the school invited all the staff to the wedding of her daughter ( Wafa   Abu Libdeh) who herself  is a graduate of Rawdat El-Zuhur.  But the groom was no where around; he was not given a permit to cross the bridge from Jordan. How unfortunate when young couples choose their  spouses from outside their neighborhood. In the Israeli Occupied Territories  this can pose a problem because  if one partner is from Jerusalem, then it would be a hopeless case to try to get a family reunification for the spouse, so that the couple can legally live  together in the City. 
On a brighter note Rana El –Khaldi, the computer teacher from Jerusalem, got married in July to Dr.  Ahmed El-Qutub  who teaches at Al-Quds University, and is also from Jerusalem.   A lovely reception attended by family and friends was held at the Seven Arches Hotel to celebrate the occasion.

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Special Gifts
Huda Khouri made a substantial contribution in honor of the retirement of Samia Khoury and “in honor of the dignity and good thoughts that she instilled in those young children.”

Huda’s gifts are always inspiring and contagious. On her 70th birthday in November, Samia asked family and friends to contribute to Rawdat El-Zuhur in lieu of gifts. 

Maha Sarraf Shehadeh who herself was honored last year by a contribution to Rawdat El-Zuhur from Huda Khouri upon the birth of her baby Laith, is running the Dubai Marathon (42.2 kms) on January 9 to raise money for Rawdat El-Zuhur. 

Hanna and Tania Nasir made a generous contribution to Rawdat El-Zuhur in memory of Mary Nasir Tarazi and her husband David Tarazi who passed away lately in Canada. Mary was Hanna’s aunt and the last of the seven sisters of Elizabeth Nasir, founder of Rawdat El-Zuhur.

Our heartiest congratulations and best wishes to Rev. Kenneth and Mrs. Bertha Brown  from Scotland celebrated their 50th wedding Anniversary in August.  They asked for donations towards Rawdat El-Zuhur instead of presents for this celebration which were sent through BibleLands. 

Rawdat El-Zuhur is ever so grateful for all those friends who find innovative ways of supporting our work with the children. 

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