Friday, May 1, 2015

Seraj at Burham and Aida

The Aida Refugee Camp (in partnership with the Alrowwad Cultural and Theatre Training Society) and the village of Burham (in partnership with the Burham Charitable Society) are the sites for the sixth and seventh Seraj Libraries. Alrowwad's opened in 2014; Burham, just this past month. As Seraj libraries grow in the space made available by our partners, they are all different. What is common among them is an organization and leaders with vision and a readiness to enhance their world on behalf of their children.  Pictured below are images from each of these libraries.

The newly created Burham Seraj Library


Ghadeer Abulmiriam
 

Supporting members


Ghadeer Abulmiriam is the President of the Burham Charitable Society. Her cohorts told us they volunteer time and energy at the library for many reasons – to improve their own reading skills, to teach, "just to be there". What has thrilled all of them is the collaboration already developing between this little library, the local school and the village council.  She told us, “Your support reminds us that we have the power to make change.” 


Burham and the Library are hopeful of transforming the small area across the street into a village park.

Seraj at Alrowwad has a very modern feel to it. It's bright, colorful, beautifully designed and, to everyone's delight, getting used heavily. Alrowwad's director, Abdelfatah Abusrour, has described its program as Beautiful Resistance. Instead of giving in to violence to express their opposition to oppression, Alrowwad teaches its young people to develop their talents, to shape their future, to become the beautiful human beings they are.

Abdulfattah Abusrour 

Seraj at Aida
Seraj at Aida

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hello, dearest friend! Enjoying your blog but will be glad to hear your voice when you return safely to us. I so enjoyed the words written by your friend's son, "I just keep losing the good people, 2011, 2014, 2015. Month after month, day after a day we just count our deaths and hold our breath, waiting for our turn. It might be a live bullet, rubber bullet, tear gas grenade or it just can be your bad luck. A bullet that costs 3 shekels will finish your live (sic), suddenly go away and never come back ....
The price of occupation is so expensive, and we as poor people, we have to pay all the expenses, not using money, but using our blood, souls, friends, houses, memories, families and land ....
However ... WE TEACH LIFE SIR, we sing in the funerals of our people, we call the funeral "the wedding", we sing, clap, cry and laugh ..... From our sadness we make happiness, from our tears we grow roses, from our blood we make miracles, for our past we make a brighter future ... we teach life sir."
BEIT OMMAR, APRIL 10, 2015

Would you mind - or better yet, would he mind if I shared this profound message? I'd like to re-post it with credit, of course. Stay safe and know you are in our prayers.
Angela