Holy Land: Rawdat El Zuhur

Location: Jerusalem, Holy Land
Principal: Salwa Zananiri
Founded: 1952

How it all started
Rawdat El Zuhur was founded by Elizabeth Nasir, a Christian social worker and daughter of a Palestinian clergyman, who was shocked to see so many homeless and unwanted girls wandering the streets of Jerusalem. She began a home for destitute girls in her own house, where they were able to learn such things as housekeeping, literacy, embroidery, religious education and music. There were 25 girls in the first home.

Slowly the situation of the country changed, and 15 years later, having felt that she had helped to alleviate the destitution, Elizabeth Nasir responded to the request of the girls’ families, who felt the need for formal education. Not only was there an urgent need for Palestinian education for girls, but for boys also, especially the under-privileged. As a result, the School of Rawdat El Zuhur was founded.

Elizabeth Nasir called the School Rawdat El Zuhur, meaning ‘Garden of Flowers’, since she wanted it to be a happy place where children could grow and learn in safety.

Current activities
The School has an enrolment of up to 250 children, mainly from the lower income community. Teachers emphasise learning as an enjoyable process and extra curricular activities that help develop their skills and talents in this way are encouraged. The School follows the government curriculum and languages include not only Arabic, but also English and French.

Rawdat El-Zuhur has always focussed particularly on music. The first piece of equipment that Elizabeth Nasir bought in 1952 was a manual record player, to help the girls overcome the misery of their destitution through music and dance. This focus on music and singing continues today, and many of the children learn to play an instrument. The children enjoy performing on special occasions, such as Mothers’ Day and at the end of year celebrations.

Many of the children participate in an annual summer camp run by the Helen Keller Centre for the Visually Impaired (another of BibleLands’ Project Partners) during the summer holidays. This is a unique experience, providing an opportunity for visually impaired and sighted children to enjoy a variety of activities together.

Over the years, the focus of the School’s work has extended to include the whole family. A strong relationship between the school and home is encouraged, providing an educational process that benefits the children, their parents and the local community. Staff and parents meet regularly and frequent home visits enable the School to provide the right level of support to each student and their family. Much of this relational work is with the mothers, but the effect of this holistic approach reaches to the whole family and the community in which the children live.

It was through the monthly mothers’ meeting, which has been running for several years, that the School saw the need to test children for dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Now each new child takes tests before they are due to start at the School in September, so that any remedial work with them can begin during the summer holidays. The School also uses the services of the Spafford Children’s Centre (another of BibleLands’ Project Partners) for children who need this treatment.

Rawdat El Zuhur School describes itself as “a haven for Palestinian children”. In spite of the pain and devastation in the Middle East, the School continues to make every effort to rekindle the hope for justice and peace in the hearts of the young children and their families, through its distinct methods of education.

Location: Jerusalem, Holy Land Principal: Salwa Zananiri Founded: 1952 How it all started Rawdat El Zuhur was founded by Elizabeth Nasir, a Christian social worker and daughter of a Palestinian clergyman, who was shocked to see so many homeless and unwanted girls wandering the streets of Jerusalem. She began a home for destitute girls in her own house, where they were able to learn such things as housekeeping, literacy, embroidery, religious education and music. There were 25 girls in the first home. Slowly the situation of the country changed, and 15 years later, having felt that she had helped to alleviate the destitution, Elizabeth Nasir responded to the request of the girls’ families, who felt the need for formal education. Not only was there an urgent need for Palestinian education for girls, but for boys also, especially the under-privileged. As a result, the School of Rawdat El Zuhur was founded. Elizabeth Nasir called the School Rawdat El Zuhur, meaning ‘Garden of Flowers’, since she wanted it to be a happy place where children could grow and learn in safety. Current activities The School has an enrolment of up to 250 children, mainly from the lower income community. Teachers emphasise learning as an enjoyable process and extra curricular activities that help develop their skills and talents in this way are encouraged. The School follows the government curriculum and languages include not only Arabic, but also English and French. Rawdat El-Zuhur has always focussed particularly on music. The first piece of equipment that Elizabeth Nasir bought in 1952 was a manual record player, to help the girls overcome the misery of their destitution through music and dance. This focus on music and singing continues today, and many of the children learn to play an instrument. The children enjoy performing on special occasions, such as Mothers’ Day and at the end of year celebrations. Many of the children participate in an annual summer camp run by the Helen Keller Centre for the Visually Impaired (another of BibleLands’ Project Partners) during the summer holidays. This is a unique experience, providing an opportunity for visually impaired and sighted children to enjoy a variety of activities together. Over the years, the focus of the School’s work has extended to include the whole family. A strong relationship between the school and home is encouraged, providing an educational process that benefits the children, their parents and the local community. Staff and parents meet regularly and frequent home visits enable the School to provide the right level of support to each student and their family. Much of this relational work is with the mothers, but the effect of this holistic approach reaches to the whole family and the community in which the children live. It was through the monthly mothers’ meeting, which has been running for several years, that the School saw the need to test children for dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Now each new child takes tests before they are due to start at the School in September, so that any remedial work with them can begin during the summer holidays. The School also uses the services of the Spafford Children’s Centre (another of BibleLands’ Project Partners) for children who need this treatment. Rawdat El Zuhur School describes itself as “a haven for Palestinian children”. In spite of the pain and devastation in the Middle East, the School continues to make every effort to rekindle the hope for justice and peace in the hearts of the young children and their families, through its distinct methods of education.		Principal Salwa Zananiri




		Mural painted by students. Click to Enlarge.