Directors: Gregg and Rawda Doolittle
Founded 1954
The Arab Evangelical School and Home was founded in 1954, by twin sisters Ada and Ida Stoltzfus, who were American missionaries. They were working with economic refugees – people who had lost their land as the new nation of Israel was being carved out of Palestine. Through this work they came across many needy children and from this grew the establishment of a boarding school, originally named the Mennonite Orphanage for Boys.
The School aims to provide the highest standard of academic and moral training to all its students. Priority admission is given to boarding students and those from poor families. The School teaches its pupils according to its motto, which is taken from Proverbs 22 verse 6: Teach a child to choose the right path and when he is older he will remain upon it. The Directors and most of the staff are Christian, whilst the majority of the pupils are from Muslim families.
The city of Hebron is about 20 miles south of Jerusalem. Hebron was once the seat of Israel, and King David ruled from this town before moving the capital to Jerusalem. It is a very ancient city, with the tombs of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Rebecca and Leah in its great mosque. The city is sacred both to Muslims and Jews and unfortunately there is often unrest there, followed by arrests and curfews. During the current Intifada, the tensions have become worse and basic supplies, such as electricity and water, have been affected. Some of the teachers and pupils have found it difficult and at times impossible to get to the School. All of this has affected their families too – with unemployment as high as 70%, many of the families are unable to pay their children’s school fees, which obviously has an effect on the School’s budget.
Current activities
The School: This is a primary school, with about 350 students aged between 4 and 12 years. The children follow the government curriculum, with a special emphasis on music and literature, and they learn English from an early age. Most of the students come from very poor homes and from families broken by sickness, bereavement or conflict. Here, they can receive a good education – the key to future employment.
The School is very popular, with a long waiting list of potential pupils. Most of the pupils are boys, but a growing number of girls are accepted at the School. Each year, parents ask for their children to be enrolled at the School, but many of them have to be turned down, as there is simply not enough room for any more children. There are Christian assemblies every day and each Christmas the pupils take part in a Nativity play, which many visitors come to see.
The Home: There are about 35 boarders at the School, who are all boys. They help out with chores such as washing up, laying the tables or helping to carry fruit and vegetables back from the market to the School. At weekends the boys go to Sunday School or church and find time for a visit to their families. They also return home for the holidays at Christmas and Easter and in the summer.
The effectiveness of a school can be seen through its pupils and many students from this School do well at their secondary school and then continue to study at university. Three former pupils are even teachers at the School. Many parents also say that the Arab Evangelical School is the best in Hebron. Sponsorship enables each youngster to have a secure childhood, Christian education and hope for the future.
A music lesson in progress
At Easter, the children celebrate by painting hard-boiled eggs
