Gaza

The finer points of futbol (soccer) are discussed at the Al Amal Center

Alumni activity was on hiatus due to the recent, unsettled situation in Gaza, but the Alumni have now begun to meet more frequently and have begun organizing events as a group.

Khaled Shaat '06, Mustafa Zimmo '06, Nidal Al Kafarna '06, and Mazen Issa '05 recently volunteered to work at the Al -Amal Center for orphaned children. The alumni have joined the teachers at the center to assist the kids in different subjects and skills, such as computer applications, English language, and sports activities. The Alumni were given a tour of the center by the Director and some of the children. The Director expressed his hope that the Alumni would work with the center for an extended period. Meeting with the children made an impression on the four volunteers. "Meeting them forced me to thank God for the privileges I have in my life," said Mustafa, as he played soccer and basketball with the kids. "I didn't know such life stories ever existed," Khaled added.

Alumnae visit residents at the Wafaa center for the elderly

Another group of Alumni volunteered to assist at the Wafa Center for the Elderly. Julie Al Tork '06, Nour Abu Hamda '06, Yafa Al Mozayen '06, and Malak Al Borno '05 will be working at the reception area, providing assistance to the residents and helping to entertain them by taking them outside to the garden or playing cards with them. Because many of the residents of the Center are women, the alumnae who volunteered felt a strong connection to the institution. "That's what I will be like in a few years," Julie noted while she escorted the elderly grandmothers out to the garden.

The March 29th flooding disaster in the village of Um Al Nasser on the northern Gaza-Israel borders brought a large number of Alumni to the site to volunteer their services. The village was awash in tens of thousands of gallons of sewage water. The Alumni pitched in to help set up tents for residents whose homes were flooded, and helped entertained the children by playing soccer with them. Helping the residents of the village to cope with their crisis created a sense of solidarity and purpose among the Alumni.