Dr. Nasir's words are prophetic. Palestine's future success as an independent nation is based on a highly educated and capable population. Future leaders must be educated and prepared now! United Palestinian Appeal has supported educating Palestinians for many years under its core mission of "building independence." However, students are facing increasingly more difficult challenges in pursuit of their education.

On a daily basis, Palestinian students face the physical barriers of roadblocks and checkpoints on their way to and from school. They face the physical challenges of deteriorating school buildings and under-supplied and under-equipped classrooms. Students in Palestine face the physical barriers of school buildings which have their water and electricity cut off on a regular basis. Students in the occupied territories live with the daily threat of curfews and school closings. Even under these extremely challenging conditions, Palestinian students have performed exceptionally well on all performance standards.

Read the full article here >>

Download UPA Education Information >>

Read the composition "What I Learned in Palestine" >>

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, I will be spending four weeks in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel. I will be leaving this Friday, September 25 and returning Saturday, October 24. While there I will be teaching a class on nonviolent leadership in Ramallah, meeting with UPA’s university, project and child sponsorship partners in Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and hopefully, Gaza. I will observe firsthand the impact of our programs there and interview some of our scholarship recipients. In this way, I will learn how UPA can improve and expand its humanitarian and educational efforts.

You can follow me electronically on lifelinepalestine.org. I’ll be posting weekly blogs, pictures, and videos. You can also go to our website helpupa.com for information about all our programs and a link to my blog.

Learning about and sharing with you the situation in the West Bank and Gaza is very important. We often don’t get the complete story through our popular media. Please pass this information on to your family members, friends, and colleagues. Thank you for your support. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Warmest regards,

Ghassan (G.J.) Tarazi
Executive Director
www.helpupa.com
GJ@helpupa.com
202.659.5007