Lajee Center would like to thank all donors, partners, volunteers and friends of Lajee Center. Without your support Lajee Center wouldn’t be able to continue serving the community and doing all these activities.
Library Activities
Time and Prison Life:
There was a meeting with a group of children from the younger generation discussing the issue of time and prison life. It explored how prisoners utilize their time for education and reading, how they organize their time, and compared it to our own lives and how we spend our time. Examples were given of prisoners from inside the camp who achieved many things during their prison period, such as Nasser Abu Srour, who wrote two books while in captivity and completed his education. Khalil Musalam was also mentioned, having started his education recently. The discussion ended with focusing on Walid Daka, his life inside the prison, how time has taken a toll on him, especially when he fell ill, and how the occupation punishes prisoners when they achieve something significant. It was mentioned that Walid Daka wrote novels and many articles while in captivity. In the end, the participants created a panel with expressions for Walid Daka and his daughter Milad, as well as quotes from his writings and articles.
Central Day of Reading Week:
The boys and girls from the library attendees participated in the central day of Reading Week. They took a trip to explore new places in Palestine, specifically in the village of Artas, and engaged in activities on Mount Artas behind the monastery. The first station of the trip involved planting seed balls made by the children at the library. After that, there were interactive activities for all the children with storytelling groups, heart-warming stories from the heart of Palestine, a commemoration of the eternal Palestine, and the unification of Palestine.
Al-Nakba Activities
Kite Competition:
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, Lajee Center in cooperation with the Global Network of Palestinian Refugees and Displaced Persons, organized the annual Kite Competition for the fourteenth consecutive year. The event was part of Nakba activities and involved the participation of more than 70 children. The competition included a series of events aimed at reinforcing the principles of the right of return, promoting the resilience of Palestinian refugees, and highlighting the ongoing Nakba. It included a lecture about the prisoner Walid Daka, an educational lecture about Palestine and the Nakba of 1948, and writing messages to prisoners and martyrs of Palestine, including their names and the villages from which they were displaced. The competition was officially announced after these activities.
Winners of the competition:
First place: Taysir Quneis / 14 years old / Ein Karim village.
Second place: Ali Mohammad Issa Abu Sarour / 12 years old / Beit Nattif village.
Third place: Ahmed Al-Araj / 9 years old / Al-Walaja village.
Repeated third place: Tim Mustafa Jado / 13 years old / Al-Malha village.
From fourth to twentieth place:
Ahmed Abu Akkar / 16 years old / Ras Abu Ammar village.
Eid Rami Jawarish / 13 years old / Al-Malha village.
Yasser Arafat Qawar / 12 years old / Al-Malha village.
Adnan Mohammad Abu Sarour / 10 years old / Beit Nattif.
Samer Faraj / 13 years old / Zakariya village.
Hazem Abd Rabbo / 16 years old / Al-Walaja village.
Ameer Walid Sharara / 11 years old / Al-Malha village.
Madathar Saleh Latifi / 8 years old / Al-Malha village.
Omar Azia / 13 years old / Ras Abu Ammar village.
Musab Alian / 15 years old / Ras Abu Ammar village.
Mansour Droush / 13 years old / Al-Malha village.
Mohammad Jamal Hammad / 11 years old / Alar village.
Ibrahim Amer / 12 years old / Al-Malha village.
Abdul Rahman Latifi / 12 years old / Al-Malha village.
Murad Mohammad Abu Sarour / 10 years old / Beit Nattif village.
Mohammad Raed Sharara / 16 years old / Al-Malha village.
Honouring Ceremony
At the end of Al-Nakba activities, Lajee Center organized a ceremony to honour the winners of the football and kite competitions for the displaced villages. The first place went to the team from Al-Malha village, the second place to the team from Beit Jibrin, the third place to the team from Beit Nattif, and the repeated third place to Al-Walaja. The best goalkeeper in the youth league was Nahad Jawarish, and the top scorer was Mu’tasim Jawarish. The children who won the kite competition were also honoured, as well as the referees of the matches.
Lighting the Flame of Return in Aida Camp on the occasion of the 75th commemoration of the Nakba
On 14 May 2023, Lajee Center, the Global Network of Palestinian Refugee, Fateh Movement and the Popular Committee in Aida refugee camp lit the Flame of Return in Aida refugee camp in front of the Key of Return at 8 pm on the occasion of the 75th commemoration of the Nakba. The flame was lit in over 51 locations across all of Palestine and the diaspora including Nazareth, Beirut, Bethlehem, Gaza, Jenin, Nablus, Jericho, Hebron, Majd Al-Krum, Ramallah and Jerusalem. Lighting the flame represents the Palestinian people’s right to resist ongoing Nakba and their commitment to their right of return and the Palestinian identity.
Health and Environment Unit Activities:
The community health workers of Lajee Center participated in presenting the Health and Environment project at the Institute of Public Health and Community Medicine at Birzeit University. The event was attended by a group of university students and dignitaries from the Jalazone camp. The presentation covered the project’s inception, developments, content, and concluded with questions and discussions.
The environmental workers of Lajee Center organized environmental activities for the Environmental Club group, which involved cleaning and organizing Lajee’s roof, planting inside the greenhouse with cucumber, parsley, and tomato, ensuring water acidity and farming effectiveness. Additionally, crops like mint, parsley, and cucumber were distributed to the health unit patients.
ACLAI Palestine
The sports club of Lajee Center resumed boxing training for youth aged 14 to 20, led by Palestinian boxing coach Ali Al-Awawi.
