Dar Assadaqa Meetings and More!

 Yesterday, Dar Assadaqa was packed with excited folk from the forthcoming student and womens' visits.

Rob working with a student on his presentation

  The people going on the student visit (arriving in London on the 27^th January) discovered more about what they will be doing on their trip to London and were also given time to talk together and with us about the presentations they will do in London at local schools and events. From our conversations with them we believe they really benefited from the day and we also got a chance to see how dedicated they all were at making sure the presentations were great. Some of them have even decided to come back to Dar Assadaqa everyday until their trip just to make sure the presentations are the best they can be and that gives us real optimism that all those who see them are in for a real treat. In general, there was a real buzz within the group as their excitement and expectation for the trip built throughout which was really great to see.

The womens' group having a meeting in the lovely Abu Dis sun

  The women from the womens' visit (arriving in London on 27^th February) were also at Dar Assadaqa to discover more about their trip from both Dr Fadwa and Abed who gave informative talks. Over the next few hours of conversation in the heat of a lovely day on the back patio of Dar Assadaqa the women also got to know each other more and spirits seemed high.

Abed taking a meeting with the student and womens' trips 

  Later the women's and students visits received a joint meeting which was also attended by guests of the local council. Together they discussed their trips and generally got to know each other which was good for everyone.

Students, women and representatives from the local council in a meeting

  It was really great to see Dar Assadaqa full of joy and it gave us a real sense of how important our involvement is to the people it serves in Abu Dis. Next week the schools will start up again so be sure to check out the blogs soon to find out what the new semester will bring!

All the best,

CADFA team

Dar Assadaqa Update!!

Dar Assadaqa has been relatively quiet recently with school exams taking place but it doesn't mean that we haven't been busy though!

Karam enjoying a little ukulele lesson!

We are still giving English lessons most days at Dar Assadaqa and it has been a really fun experience. The lessons have been quite small but the locals who come in have been very enthusiastic and teach us new things everyday about culture and the humanitarian situation here. We usually just end up talking for the whole hour and I think that is the most useful thing that we can do. I really believe that it is great for the people here to practice there English with native speakers so that is a good motivator for me!

We are also in the process of interviewing the Dar Assadaqa staff about CADFA so that should be complete in the next few weeks and should give you guys a deeper insight into the people here which I hope is useful!

Mousa and Rob working hard on the visa applications

We have been very hard at work with the visa applications for the upcoming student and womens' visits to Camden meaning frequent trips to the British consulate in Jerusalem and a lot of phone calls and computer time! It is really important for us to get this right and we are taking it very seriously in order to make sure everyone can visit Camden.

The atmosphere here is good and we are keenly awaiting our new arrival Dan who will be with us in a weeks time. I'm sure he is going to greatly add to the team and come in with more great ideas.

From Dar Assadaqa, I hope you are all well and happy,

The CADFA Team