Welcome to AL-Shmoh Cultural Center!
The prosperity and development in the Palestinian society:-Education and technology are our tools Sharing culture and knowledge with other societies all over the world To have better access to positive modernizations
Where is Al-Shmoh Cultural Center and Why are We Here?
Al-Shmoh Cultural Center serves 10 villages on the southern outskirts of Bethlehem District. Al-Shmoh Center is located in a central village called Al-Mas'arah.
The region of the 10 villages has always lacked basic services. But the need for a modest local facility became more urgent in late 2000. It was then that frequent and extended closures prevented local students from reaching towns and cities for basic education.
Al-Shmoh's founding members responded by digging into their own savings. They bought 10 computers and, in May 2001, rented the floor of a house in a nearby village. When the doors opened, high-school and college students began to trickle in and word spread that young people no longer had to travel to Bethlehem to use a computer or access the Internet. The next month, 20 students signed up for courses in math, Arabic, English, and French. Today, 14 semesters later, Al-Shmoh students learn a range of subjects, their courses taught by university-educated volunteers. But the good will and enthusiasm the center has generated is not enough to sustain Al-Shmoh and its students.
The center needs more chairs, tables and books; the teachers need a photocopy machine, paper, pens and pencils. These resources are maddeningly hard for local people to get. The 10 villages Al-Shmoh serves lie on the periphery of both Bethlehem and Hebron, so few local politicians think of these villages first. In addition, Israeli occupation keep villagers from leaving the area. It was this situation that made Al-Shmoh necessary, but it continues to make our work hard and our resources scarce. Even the computers we have, we do not yet fully own and last year's rent remains unpaid. The will and skill are here, but we need basic materials.
The center welcomes cooperation from any movement that shares our orientation toward solidarity with Palestinian people.
In Arabic, Al-Shmoh means "The Candles," and we see each village we serve as one candle. Like one small candle, one village alone does not provide enough energy to light the way. But when all glow brightly, the path becomes clear.
The prosperity and development in the Palestinian society:-Education and technology are our tools Sharing culture and knowledge with other societies all over the world To have better access to positive modernizations
Where is Al-Shmoh Cultural Center and Why are We Here?
Al-Shmoh Cultural Center serves 10 villages on the southern outskirts of Bethlehem District. Al-Shmoh Center is located in a central village called Al-Mas'arah.
The region of the 10 villages has always lacked basic services. But the need for a modest local facility became more urgent in late 2000. It was then that frequent and extended closures prevented local students from reaching towns and cities for basic education.
Al-Shmoh's founding members responded by digging into their own savings. They bought 10 computers and, in May 2001, rented the floor of a house in a nearby village. When the doors opened, high-school and college students began to trickle in and word spread that young people no longer had to travel to Bethlehem to use a computer or access the Internet. The next month, 20 students signed up for courses in math, Arabic, English, and French. Today, 14 semesters later, Al-Shmoh students learn a range of subjects, their courses taught by university-educated volunteers. But the good will and enthusiasm the center has generated is not enough to sustain Al-Shmoh and its students.
The center needs more chairs, tables and books; the teachers need a photocopy machine, paper, pens and pencils. These resources are maddeningly hard for local people to get. The 10 villages Al-Shmoh serves lie on the periphery of both Bethlehem and Hebron, so few local politicians think of these villages first. In addition, Israeli occupation keep villagers from leaving the area. It was this situation that made Al-Shmoh necessary, but it continues to make our work hard and our resources scarce. Even the computers we have, we do not yet fully own and last year's rent remains unpaid. The will and skill are here, but we need basic materials.
The center welcomes cooperation from any movement that shares our orientation toward solidarity with Palestinian people.
In Arabic, Al-Shmoh means "The Candles," and we see each village we serve as one candle. Like one small candle, one village alone does not provide enough energy to light the way. But when all glow brightly, the path becomes clear.
