By Jenny Nyman | Project Leader
Children and teachers at Hewar are now well into the new academic year, which started at the beginning of September. The first day began with a Hewar tradition: the gathering of all children and parents in the schoolyard, and welcoming everyone back to kindergarten and school with a balloon release! This year the balloons were sent off in memory of those who died during the war in Gaza this past summer.
At the end of the previous academic year, 10 of our students graduated from 8th grade and they have now moved on to study at the Arab Orthodox High School in Haifa. This group is the third class to complete their 8th grade at Hewar, and all previous graduates have managed the transition very well, demonstrating not only good academic results, but also achievements in extracurricular activities. They have taken on leadership position within the schools student council or class committees, excelled in sporting events, and taken part in international exchanges. We hope our latest graduates will also continue their journey with much success!
In the meantime, we have welcomed a new group of 16 kindergarteners aged 3, who have just completed their first month with us at Hewar. In total there are currently 48 students in our three kindergarten groups, and 105 students in our school classes.
Since the rejection of our recent Supreme Court petition regarding state funding for the school, we have however been more worried than ever about the future financial sustainability of the project. In the last couple of months, we have therefore focused on developing alternative income-generating activities, in an attempt to increase our long-term sustainability of our work, as well as to relieve the pressure on the Hewar families. In the first of these initiatives we organised the first Bazaar@Hewar, opening up our schoolyard for a public second-hand market on a Saturday afternoon. Students and parents donated items and volunteered their time to organise the bazaar.
While more new initiatives are being developed and due to be launched soon, we are still in need of support. We will be happy for you to spread the word about our work or perhaps consider signing up for a recurring, monthly donation through Global Giving. Every small donation helps.
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