How it all started
The Star Mountain Centre lies on a small wooded hill, next to Abu Qash village. Not far away is the city of Ramallah. Founded in 1867 by the Moravian Church as a centre to support leper patients, it began to provide services focussing on people with mental disability in 1980. The work has always been carried out in the Palestinian tradition of Christian-Muslim partnership open to everybody.

Current activities
There are 35 children at the Centre, ten of whom are boarders. The Centres' activities include a school for mentally disabled children, a boarding section for mentally disabled girls, and the much needed Community Based Rehabilitation programme. The main objectives of the Centre are to integrate children and young people into their own environment. They are especially keen to assist youngsters with severe or multiple disabilities to achieve their potential and receive the equal opportunities they deserve. Village schools, clubs and local employers are encouraged to integrate socially disadvantaged people into their community.

Besides cognitive skills and handicrafts, the Centre emphasises increasing independence in the activities of daily living — in the bathroom, in the kitchen, doing housework or gardening. Star Mountain is situated in gardens and olive groves, and chickens, sheep and even a donkey are integrated into the rehabilitation work. Young people have the opportunity of an education in agriculture, tailored according to their abilities and the needs of their community.

All the school teachers, many of them trained in social work, and the community based rehabilitation workers regularly visit the children's homes. During home visits, they work with the child and have a constant exchange of knowledge and ideas with the mothers. Mothers, and some fathers, visit the centre to follow the class work and participate in periodic events, such as lectures and parties. Star Mountain tries to strengthen the self-confidence of women in their different roles.