Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) is establishing an educational enhancement centre in the Aida Refugee Camp in partnership with the Al Rowwad Cultural Centre.

This centre will enhance the skills of children, including those with disabilities, living Aida and Azza refugee camps.

The Aida and Azza refugee camps are two of the three camps in the Bethlehem area.

There is probably no place in the world with a greater concentration of children displaced by civil strife, whose displacement is permanent, than in today's Palestine. The camps suffer from unique problems as a result of physical, economic and social isolation from the rest of the world.

Children are becoming more violent because of the lack of proper educational and recreational facilities. Sixty percent of children in the Palestinian refugee camps attend school in a three shift system because of the lack of resources and the high demand.

The schools lack computers and other modern teaching aids, and most teachers have had minimal training and are poorly paid. There are no libraries or laboratories, and there are insufficient textbooks to serve the overcrowded schools. Classes frequently have 50 or more students.

The shift system means that many children don't attend school for half of the day and instead hang around the streets where there is little to do. Many children in the Aida and Azza Camps are also traumatized by the effects of the Intifada and long periods of unrest.

The centre offers social and recreational activities including handicrafts and art, cultural seminars and educational trips. Summer camps are organized in cooperation with the Palestinian National Committee for Summer Camps.

The centre will also provide a social worker capable of treating psychological problems experienced by children who have been physically injured or traumatised by the current crisis.

Training will also be held for families to help them assist the psychological recovery of traumatised children.

The centre will help disabled children integrate into society by encouraging them to participate with other children in the activities. The social worker will provide support for the disabled children, which will be backed up with home visits if necessary.

Project Objectives

·       To provide disadvantaged children and disabled children with skills and opportunities by establishing an educational centre in the Aida Refugee Camp, Bethlehem, Palestine;

·       Reducing poverty through improved educational opportunities;

·       To provide computer training courses through computer programs, games, CDs and access to the Internet;

·       To help integrate of the disabled children into the community;

·       To strengthen capacity of the local partner NGO.

Project Activities

·        Purchase computers, books and toys;

·        Organise activities at the Educational Enhancement Centre (in the computer labs, library, supplementary classes, and the playroom);

·        Supplementary classes will be held in English, Arabic and Mathematics to improve the quality of education;

·        Provide a psychologist capable of treating psychological problems resulting from trauma such as hyperactivity, aggressive behaviour and fear.

·        Training for families on how to assist in the psychological recovery of traumatised children.

"Islamic Relief is striving for a fairer world. Our mission is to help the poor and needy to live sustainable, self-reliant lives within safe and caring communities. Our work is guided and shaped by the core values of accountability, humanitarianism, neutrality and impartiality, inclusiveness, integrity and co-operation, all of which are also integral to the Islamic faith."
Dr Hany El Banna - Founder of Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief was established in 1984 and our unique approach is the result of these many years of hands-on experience.

1. Where possible we adopt a community partnership-based approach; encouraging community involvement, understanding and ownership of projects.
2. We run the majority of our field projects ourselves, giving us direct insight into the problems faced and how best to solve them.
3. We aim to empower those we help in order to achieve sustainable results.
4. Though our emergency response teams are quick to respond to emergencies around the world, we continue to support communities long after the initial media interest has died down.
5. We recruit staff locally to benefit from their local knowledge. This ensures that we are culturally sensitive and allows us to reach communities and areas other organisations cannot.
6. Where necessary we coordinate our work with other reputable aid agencies, local organisations and governments.

Millennium Development Goals

Islamic Relief is committed to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which have been agreed by the world’s leading development institutions in an effort to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by the year 2015. 

The goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

For more information about the MDGs, please visit: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/