IN PALESTINE, THE OBSTACLES TO RECEIVING AN EDUCATION ARE NUMEROUS. CHECKPOINTS, MILITARY PRESENCE, SETTLER ATTACKS, TREACHEROUS ROADS, CLOSED MILITARY ZONES, DEMOLITION ORDERS, AND VIOLENT CLASHES ARE ONLY A FEW.  BUT STUDENTS & TEACHERS PERSEVERE DAILY IN THEIR JOURNEY TO RECEIVE QUALITY EDUCATION.  WE BRING THESE FACES TO LIFE AND SHARE THEIR HOPES, CHALLENGES, AND DREAMS.

Aisha (12), Nesrin (12), and Manar (12) go to the Tire school in Khal al Ahmar. Photo EAPPI/M. Fuentes.

What are you looking forward to this year?

We look forward to studying and to play with our friends at the school

What is the biggest challenge in going to school?

For us the biggest challenge is the settlers, they live just up on the hill and often come down to the village. We are scared of them.

What would you like to be in the future?

We want to be teachers.

Their father later explained that the girls have never been outside their community. Teachers are the only profession they know about. 

What is needed to improve education in Palestine?

We need bigger classrooms. We have a very nice school but it was not built for this many students. We also lack electricity and toys to play with.

*Read more testimonies from this year’s Back to School series.
*Share the series on facebook with your friends.
*Check out last year’s photo essay: Visualizing Back to School in Palestine.