Al Fakhoora, a programme of Education Above All Foundation (EAA), is going global as it expands its activities to several other countries following its success in Gaza, a top official of the organisation told Gulf Times.

“We conducted a mapping exercise and as part of the expansion, Al Fakhoora has been expanded to help the Syrian refugees. Now we are working in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and parts of Syria and Kurdistan,” said Farooq Burney, director, Al Fakhoora.
“We are offering over 6,000 scholarships in these new countries. They include scholarships for bachelor degree, higher education, tertiary education as well as vocational training. The similar model of Al Fakhoora in Gaza is applied in these countries with a big focus on vocational training,” said Burney.
“We have also expanded our activities in Palestine. In addition to Gaza, now West Bank and Jerusalem are part of the programme. We are now working with a new partner called Spark, a Dutch NGO. They are funded by the Dutch government as well as the EU. There is a joint funding by Fakhoora and Spark in the activities in these areas,” explained the official.
According to Burney, the Al Fakhoora model is a comprehensive programme for higher education. “Al Fakhoora has been working to provide young Palestinians with education opportunities in Gaza. Working in partnership with local and international NGOs in Gaza, Al Fakhoora focuses on scholarship and empowerment programmes, reconstruction and rehabilitation of education facilities and providing psycho-social support to children in schools,” said Burney.
The official said that Al Fakhoora has also started working with primary schools in Gaza. “We have started building first-of-its-kind child-friendly schools in Gaza. These are custom-made schools for the needs of the children. They are multipurpose schools and have shelters as well. Built as per the international standards and catering to various needs of the students they are aimed to protect them in case of any conflict. A model of the school is exhibited at the World Innovation Summit for Education 2017.” he described.
Burney maintained that the number of scholarships for Palestine students in Gaza will go up as Jerusalem and West Bank have become part of the programme. “So far in Gaza more than 700 scholarships have been given and the target is 1,000. With the addition of West bank and Jerusalem, the number of scholarships will also go up,” he said.
The four core components of Al Fakhoora programme, according to the director, are scholarships, economic empowerment, leadership and development and student services.
As for helping the Syrian youth, the official felt that the organisation was keen on human capacity development in Syria. “We had discussed the possibilities of reconstructing the educational institutes in Syria. Now we are focusing on building the human capacity at present so that they can go back and rebuild the nation. In Gaza, students could work but in Syrian context, they are refugees in several countries and many of them don’t have opportunities to work,” he added.