These contactbrief is a publication of the Foundation Friends of English edition

www.friends-nazareth.nl

Number 65 - December 2019

our students thank you for your donation!

Noor then and now

The scholarship project

Update SANA Foundation

The students

picture: Lake of

Rim and frankly to share their full vision Third year student nursing for the current and the future state I am 21 years old, from the town of of the SANA and expressed their Sakhnin, an Arab town in the Galilee. conviction that young Israeli- Since last year, I receive a scholarship Palestinian women who are from the SANA foundation. granted access to means of higher As for now I volunteer (a condition of education will provide back to the the scholarship) in the ‘Dar AL Tiffel’ community and help it thrive while (House for Children) in Sakhnin, a also forge their own careers ahead. place where children are welcome As a young Arab female hoping to THE after school time. I also volunteer at break-through the field of design, to the ‘Magen David Adom’ 's be under the wings of a foundation national emergency Medical disaster that sees eye-to-eye with me and SCHOLAR ambulance. I learn a lot and I am very truly believes in the greater good that happy that it helps me in fulfilling my will come about from supporting dream to become a nurse. other young Arab females, is both SHIP reassuring and elating. I am Turkia excited to see what’s to come from PROJECT Second-year student Academy of SANA and what the new students will bring to the table. “Enabling young Palestinian women Arts and Design in Jerusalem Majoring in Visual Communications is to study in their own country in

my main subject. I have been order to become worthy supported by SANA Foundation since interlocutors for their Israeli peers”. last year. Friday November 15th, I had We are more motivated than ever the pleasure of meeting the SANA objective. All the more reason then, board-members and a couple other for us, to give full financial and students who are also supported by mental support to SANA Foundation, SANA. I was pleasantly surprised the our partner in Israel. board members spoke transparently

We are slimming down; they are gradually taking over.

Foundation

ANA

This is possible to

SANA Foundation

Bank Leumi, branche 879

IL870108790000020622391 DONATE Thanks a lot ! Standing from left to right: Turkia, Trees, Kareen and Rim. Behand them: Ruud and Linda S of students

Nada English in Orogot This year was my third year in Achva College. I consider myself lucky to have made it this far. I have a baby girl at home, Besan, and lots of homework and exams. I felt like I was juggling fireballs. However, as hard as it was it was achievable with hard work and hope.

Importance of volunteering work Volunteering acts strengthen my personality more. It made me love doing good deeds without asking for return and I appreciate that I have had this opportunity happen to me. You were my hope. This scholarship was difficulties. It taught me nothing comes mean it offers me a deeper the peak of hope waiting in the end of easily and watching with a smile on your understanding of how cultures differ and the long dark tunnel filled with face you get a lot done for someone else. so it gives me a theoretical background hardships, hate, and problems. This where I can intellectually innovate scholarship was the sunlight I needed The future through my own culture. most, at the time when I felt burdened And I hope when it becomes my own and on the verge of giving up, the peak business to go to poor countries and help Noor in 2019 of hope that saved me from the unemployed people in finding a suitable Graduated student shadows. work for them meet their needs. I wish to I’m really doing well, now after set an example in helping people. I really 6 years I become a music Personally hope so I will succeed. All thanks will teacher, I’m teaching pupils in I have faced lots of racism and prejudice come back to you because you who elementary school I’m very because of my religion and ethnicity this made me think that way. happy and satisfied. I’m doing year. I have had little kids throw rocks my second year Master in at me, I even had an older man spit at Ala’a Ethnomusicology at the my hijab and call a terrorist. It was hard Sociology and Fine Arts in university of Haifa. I can say on me. However, I pulled myself The coming year is the last year of my that everything is very good, I together and said to myself that its study. I have already finished my studies can’t forget that I’m here now junta distorted mentality and that I as a Sociology, now I will be doing the rest of because of your supporting. future teacher have the power to what I should do regarding my studies at Ready to support others❤ change that. Moreover, here I am at the the Fine Arts Department, which mainly last few ladder steps looking behind on includes a graduation project. During the all the steps that I have took and feeling past year I have participated in two proud and that way I am conforming events whereby I had the chance to the will to continue. exhibit my artworks. One of them was at I would like to thank you sincerely for Bet HaGefen in Haifa. These events your kind and generous funding, you helped me to get introduced to a lot of helped change the course of my life, people, also to the professional art world. own Our students and me as a person. Thank you very Studying Arts have taught me how much I really appreciate it. creation can be an act of generosity, it is as if you initially dwell on an idea, and Sukina then you ‘translate’ this emotional and Mathematics and statistics in Nablus intellectual process into an object that Since my childhood my favorite subject in other people can relate to and even find school math and statistic. It is a very their redemption in; the artwork tells you difficult subject and because I love it, it something although it is not coming from has become more easier for me. I got you but still finds its way to the depth of good grades. I am proud to take this your heart and being. What can be more responsibility. And because my future humane than this? career requires patience, I am very happy that I have become patient enough to In addition, finishing my Sociology studies education. This is what my volunteer also helped me in adding another Ala’a taught me to teach children with learning dimension to my artworks. By that I

Noor in 2013 ‘Music is very important to me. Playing my special instrument, the al-oed, is the most beautiful and interesting experience. I love the oed's voice so much it

sounds very affectionate and close to the heart. Whenever

I hear the oud's sound, I am at one with my Palestinian roots and the people, as it is a traditional instrument. When I sing, my voice blends with the sounds

of the al-oed, as if we were one and the same. I perform solo, but also play with other musicians. I love doing both. I will never stop practising because I believe that someday

I will make my dreams come true and become a

professional Palestinian female musician. Diptych: Gerdien Wolthaus Paauw 2013

Update SANA foundation by Trees Kosterman

A lot of work has been done since the Rachid, our new beginning of this year. It is not easy to auditor, has start and run an NGO in Israel, as it has already given us to meet many requirements. Yet now much useful the board consists of three persons with advice. the experience and motivation needed to do this, Sanaa Khalily, Ruud Kronen- Scholarship burg and myself. project On 15 November last we organized a “Enabling young meeting with the General Assembly. Palestinian Eight persons have been found willing to women to study in become members of this Assembly and their own country take responsibility for the various tasks. in order to become worthy SANA students interlocutors for Foreground from left to right: Bouke, Ruud, Sanaa, Heba, and Ali. SANA Foundation is currently funding their Israeli peers” Standing from left to right: Linda, Wasam, Iman and Youssef. five students. Some of them were present in Akko at the meeting of seven We are more motivated than ever by members of the General Assembly and this crucial and long-term objective. the board. Discussions were about the All the more reason then, for us, to give board’s intentions for the future and the full financial and mental support to hopes of the students and assembly SANA Foundation, our partner in Israel. members. The students spoke about their studies and themselves at this pleasant and valuable gathering.

Organisation Professionals are needed for the organisation as such, an administrative assistant for instance. Raghida is willing Stichting Vrienden van Nazareth FRIENDS, the contactbrief, appears twice to take on this job. She is fluent in P.O. Box 2256, 5001 CG Tilburg a year. Our Foundation has an ANBI status. Hebrew, the official language in Israel. [email protected] ISSN: 2452-1183. An excellent command of this language www.friends-nazareth.nl was a prerequisite here, as none of the ING Bank NL42 INGB 00014439 82 Design Metastudio Eindhoven board members is good at it. Raghida’s Print Gianotten Printed Media main duties are managing banking, SANA Foundation Cover picture Els Schots PO Box 14 administration and bookkeeping in Board Amin Ghazal, Els Schots Sakhnin 3081000 accordance with Israeli requirements. Hanneke Heisterkamp