School of Joy Donate to the School of Joy Fr Mamdouh, Director of the School of Joy wrote an open letter in November about the situation in the Holy Land and how it is affecting the children and staff at the School of Joy. To read the article on ICN, click here 25 years ago, Fr. Mamdouh Abusada set up the first special school for children with learning difficulties in the West Bank. Children who were excluded from other schools and deemed impossible to teach. Today, 78 wonderful children experience love, acceptance and an education they can access at School of Joy, just outside Bethlehem in Beit Sahour. “I couldn’t seem to learn at my old school. At School of Joy I feel comfortable and happy. My teacher plays games with me that teach me things like maths. I feel calm playing and can easily remember what I learn that way.” – student with ADHD, age 9 How the school began School of Joy was founded by Father Mamdouh Abusada in 1998. He was working at a family centre in Bethlehem, when parents started asking him for help. Their children were being excluded from schools who couldn’t cope with them. They were saying they must go to a special needs school instead – but there weren’t any of those. With no school place, these children would have no education and little hope for the future. In fact, many Palestinian children with disabilities end up as street children, roaming around while their parents work. In some cases, having a child with a disability carries a stigma and they can be abandoned or shut away at home alone. God put these children in Father Mamdouh’s heart, and he began to research what it would take to start a specialist school for them. He wanted love and joy to be at its core – things these children had too often been missing. God opened a way through many challenges and School of Joy was born. In the first year, they had 13 students. We added another 18 children in the current academic year, this year there are now 78, with a waiting list almost as long. The problems of the covid pandemic and a long period of strikes by teachers in the state schools have left many more children needing a different type of education. The children come from all religious backgrounds. Some are simply behind in their education due to trauma or undiagnosed problems with their vision or hearing. Others have cerebral palsy, autism, severe dyslexia or ADHD. Some travel 25 miles from Hebron to attend – because there’s still no other provision like this anywhere in the West Bank. Sadly those students who need to travel in from further afield are not able to come currently because it is dangerous to travel in the heightened tensions post-October 7th. In 25 years, 1,241 students have graduated. Some have been able to catch up and return to mainstream schooling, while others have stayed for special education. The staff help the children discover their talents and teach them skills that will help them support themselves. Many now have fulfilling careers - from olive wood carving to taxi driving, construction, floristry and hairdressing. Futures that nobody imagined was possible before School of Joy welcomed them in. The Role of Friends of the Holy Land This vital school receives no state funding, and the majority of the students’ families are too poor to pay any fees. Friends of the Holy Land has helped to fund School of Joy since 2009. Our support has enabled the school to double the number of classes, introduce better facilities, supply school lunches, trips and activities, and invest in well-qualified teaching staff. We also help Father Mamdouh by arranging speaking engagements for him in the UK and encouraging pilgrimage organisers to make time in their itineraries to visit the school. We advise Father Mamdouh on the school’s accounts and how to manage overheads as effectively as possible. Since the pandemic, which seriously disrupted the overseas travel that brought in donations, we have been the school’s only source of funding. That means our supporters are currently keeping these wonderful children in school. You can help by donating today or sponsoring a child through their time at School of Joy. Returning pilgrims often tell us how rewarding and uplifting they found their visit to the School of Joy and how it will always have a special place in their heart. If you are planning to visit the Holy Land, please get in touch so we can help plan such an experience for you. Visit the School of Joy website to learn more: School of Joy website Donate to the School of Joy Manage Cookie Preferences