COVID19: Education & Food for Palestinian Children

An old African proverb states: If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation. Despite the clear unequal conditions in which women have always lived, it’s easy to say that they are the point of reference for their families. As a matter of fact, women are in charge of the emotional and educational support of all family members. Despite this, a lot of cultures still emphasize the importance of girls becoming wives and mothers, keeping them out of the classroom and not allowing them to make an impact on the society they live in. What these societies do not consider is that an educated woman is better able to educate her own children who, in turn, will be more likely to become educated themselves. Therefore, investing in women and girls, who will be the mothers of tomorrow, means generating benefits not only to them, but everyone around them. Sadly, the reverse is also true: if you deny girls and women education, the whole community suffers, not just them as individuals. 

In this context, Tomorrow’s Youth Organization stands up for the right of women and girls to receive a proper education in Palestine. The choice of promoting educational programs for people in need has to be considered as part of a cycle that produces benefits for all of Palestinian society. Therefore, every week, women of Nablus come to Tomorrow’s Youth Organization to learn English with foreigner teachers and claim their rights as individuals. Classes are full and students are truly willing to learn and challenge themselves. Learning English nowadays is a key resource for living as modern citizens in a global community. Speaking English opens up access to different sources of information. Also, when mothers feel confident about their English level, they can be part of their children’s educational path, making sure that they learn the language correctly while providing them a quality education and numerous opportunities in life. Reducing the educational gap between men and women means to ensure a great empowerment for women’s lives, enabling them to live as educated people and generate a positive impact on tomorrow’s generation. 

Through the circle of sisterhood, teachers across the world stand together to remove barriers to education for women in Palestine. During English classes, students have the chance to escape from an oppressive reality, do something for themselves and meet other women who can understand how they feel. Thanks to the TYO programs, women are finally involved in a great process of freedom and empowerment that involves the entire society.