House of Hope News

We Will Overcome the World

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 05:13:12 GMT

Dear Beloved Brothers and Sisters,

Grace and peace to you. I write to you today from the West Bank — during a war, with missiles crossing the skies.

And yet it is also a sacred season of prayer.

Our Muslim neighbors are observing Ramadan. Soon the Jewish community will celebrate Passover. And Christians around the world are preparing for Easter — celebrating the resurrection and the promise that life is stronger than death.

Each of these holy days calls us to wake up spiritually. To do so, I often turn to prayer — to the words of Christ, to the Gospel passages that have stayed close to my heart in this same land where Jesus walked. They call us to remain awake in prayer, to have courage in the face of suffering, and to trust that God’s hope is stronger than fear.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
— John 16:33

“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
— Luke 22:46

Living here in the West Bank, surrounded by uncertainty and fear, these words speak directly into our present moment.

When Jesus says, “Take heart! I have overcome the world,” he is not promising us an easy life. He told us clearly that we would face trouble.

Yet in the very same breath, he calls us to courage.

For me, faith and courage cannot be separated. Faith calls us to courage. Faith is courage.

Faith allows us to stand when fear surrounds us.

Faith allows us to take the next step when the road ahead is uncertain.

Faith allows us to keep believing — that love, justice, and our common humanity will prevail.

Faith does not remove the mountain before us.

Faith gives us the strength to climb it — and the courage to take the next step.

Here, faith is not an idea. It is how we live.

In recent nights, we have watched missiles crossing the sky as war unfolds between Israel and Iran.

In Israel, there are bomb shelters in nearly every building. Here in the West Bank, most Palestinian communities have none.

Children still ask questions. Parents still try to calm their fears. Schools have closed. Many children are trying to continue learning online whenever they can. Families are doing their best to live ordinary lives in the midst of extraordinary uncertainty.

When I see Palestinian families navigating this fear each day, I remember: the Gospel does not allow us to look away from suffering.

And so the words of Jesus return to my heart with urgency. “Why are you sleeping?”

I hear this not only as a question for those of us living here — but as a question for the whole world.

“Why are you sleeping?”

Christ calls us to wake up — not only in prayer, but in conscience. To see suffering clearly. To refuse indifference. To stand for justice with courage and with compassion.

For me, following Christ here means living what I call a resistance of the heart —
a resistance that refuses hatred,
a resistance that protects our humanity,
a resistance that continues to believe that love is stronger than fear.

This resistance is sometimes tested in very personal ways.

Just one month ago, I was driving home from the gym with my son when an Israeli military jeep intentionally struck my car.

In that moment I felt fear and shock.

Yet even then I heard a quiet voice in my heart — reminding me that violence and fear do not have the final word.

Even in the hardest moments, the Gospel still calls us to live differently.

In times like these, prayer becomes our strength. Prayer reminds us that God is stronger than fear — stronger than weapons, and stronger than the darkness of war.

At the House of Hope School, we try to live this message every day with our children.

In the midst of fear and uncertainty, we teach them courage, compassion, and the belief that even in the hardest circumstances — peace and humanity are still possible.

So we remain awake in prayer.

We choose courage in the face of suffering.

And we continue walking forward in hope — trusting that God’s love is stronger than fear.

We hold onto the words of Christ: “Take heart.”

Because Christ has overcome the world, we believe that violence will not have the final word.

Fear will not have the final word.
Hatred will not have the final word.
Love will overcome.
Justice will overcome.

And one day, by God’s grace — peace will overcome the world.

Milad Vosugeritchian,

Co-founder and Director of Peace and Justice Education,
House of Hope Vision School

Educational Responses in Emergency Situations

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 03:50:26 GMT

Times of war create immense stress and uncertainty for all of us, but children are especially susceptible. Even if they are not in physical direct danger, children can experience negative psychological effects from living through war. A review published in 2022 found that rates of PTSD, depression, and anxiety were 2-3 times higher among those exposed to armed conflict compared those who weren’t, with women and children being the most vulnerable.

There are, however, things we can do as caregivers to help counter the effects of war on the children that we care for.

Manar Wahab, House of Hope’s Director of Trauma-Informed Education has recently taken the time to assemble guidance for caregivers, based on her experience and training in the Waldorf educational framework. The Waldorf approach focuses on “Emergency Pedagogy” to help stabilize children’s emotional well-being by emphasizing familiar structures and routines, as well as artistic expression.

You can read Manar’s full guidance in the documents linked below, which are available in both English and Palestinian Arabic. These documents contain practical suggestions for anyone caring for young children during the chaos and stress of war, and include activity suggestions as well as stories that can help children hold on to a sense of hope during wartime.

To the People of the United States

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 04:54:01 GMT

To All Who Believe That Humanity Comes First

Today, we mourn the martyrs in Minneapolis, USA—those who were killed without guilt because they chose to stand with the stranger, to protect the vulnerable, and to say no to injustice, even when it cost them their lives.

We mourn Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who carried a living conscience and a love that knows no borders and no nationality. They were not enemies of the law, but victims of a law stripped of its soul—used to justify killing, to silence voices, and to plant fear in the name of “order.”

We say this clearly: immigrants are not the cause of violence, nor of crime, nor of the collapse of values. The great lie being pushed today is that the different human being is a threat, that the poor are dangerous, that the stranger is the enemy.

But history bears witness—and the world itself bears witness—that immigrants are those who built, who planted, who healed, who taught, and who carried the countries they settle in through their hardest moments.

To all peacemakers, to everyone feeling anger, grief, and suffocation: do not allow violence to steal your cause. Do not allow fear to lead you. Raise your voices, yes—but protect civil peace, because justice is not born from the barrel of a gun, and life is not

built on bodies.

Fear does not bring peace. Oppression does not create safety. Only justice saves life.

We stand with you, people of Minneapolis, because you have always been a support for the oppressed, a voice for the poor, and a refuge for those broken on the margins of this world. We stand with you today, just as you stood with us in times of weakness,

isolation, and loss, and we say: we are not alone—and we never will be.

This evil will not last. Lies, no matter how powerful, collapse before the truth. And blood, no matter how much is spilled, will not kill the idea, nor love, nor the belief that every human being deserves life with dignity.

Raise your voice—but raise it for life, for justice, and for a peace that cannot be defeated.

Salaam, Peace,

Milad Vosgueritchian

House of Hope Vision School Co-Founder and Peace and Justice Education Director

Our Curriculum for Palestinian Nonviolence and Peacebuilding

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 04:54:29 GMT

Palestinian Nonviolence and Peacebuilding: Approaches to Educating and Nurturing the Next Generation

Today, we're excited to share Palestinian Nonviolence and Peacebuilding: Approaches to Educating and Nurturing the Next Generation (Canva link) offers an overview of House of Hope Vision School’s approach to Peace and Justice Education, rooted in nonviolence, human dignity, and trauma-informed pedagogy. Written by House of Hope co-founder and Peace and Justice Education Director Milad Vosgueritchian, it presents nonviolence not only as a strategy for social change, but as a way of life grounded in the sanctity of all human life and the possibility of transformation, even under conditions of occupation and chronic stress.

Drawing on research in child development, the biology of toxic stress, and Waldorf-inspired educational practices, the curriculum integrates social-emotional learning, nonviolent communication, peace-building, and cultural identity into daily school life. Students learn skills in empathy, emotional regulation, conflict transformation, moral courage, and cooperative problem-solving.

The summary also situates nonviolence education within the lived realities of Palestinian children in the West Bank, emphasizing the role of schools as spaces for healing trauma, restoring trust, and nurturing resilient, ethically grounded young people. In addition to outlining classroom approaches, the document offers guidance and resources for teachers, school leaders, parents, and caregivers seeking to cultivate a culture of nonviolence within their own communities.

�� View the full curriculum summary (Canva – viewable and downloadable)

A Statement of Humanity

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 05:02:42 GMT

As a Palestinian living without freedom, I carry unending pain and deep sorrow. I witness children and women in tents whose dreams have been destroyed, entire Palestinian families erased from civil records, as if they had never existed on this land.

From this place of lived reality, I say this clearly: blood only brings more blood. Violence creates no stability, and the use of excessive force against unarmed civilians, or against any human being, is a greater violence that opens wider doors to hatred.

The killing of any Jew anywhere in the world is a crime against humanity , just as the killing of any innocent human being—regardless of religion or ethnicity—is a crime that can never be justified or ignored.

All political conflicts must be resolved only through dialogue and negotiations, and through every peaceful, non-violent means, because violence builds no future, creates no peace, and leaves nothing but pain.

The history of modern wars justified in the name of security and fought through overwhelming military force—from Vietnam to Iraq—alongside a long history of racism, oppression, and racial supremacy, has never produced peace or safety. It has produced only destruction, trauma, and generations shaped by hatred.

Occupation and mass violence create conditions in which hatred and dehumanization spread—fueling antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of racism, all of which must be rejected.

We condemn all forms of repression of freedoms, violations of human dignity, restrictions on freedom of movement, and denial of access to religious sites.

And I say this from the heart: just as I see Muslims as my brothers and sisters, I see Jews around the world as my brothers and sisters as well. Our struggle is not with a religion, nor with an identity, but with occupation, injustice, and the stripping away of humanity.

Palestine deserves full freedom, and its people deserve to live with dignity and safety—one day, side by side with all the peoples of the region, in a just peace that includes all Arab countries, including Israel, based on justice, not force, humanity, not

violence.

Above all, what is most needed is an awakening of the human conscience—to see the human being before politics, life before conflict, and dignity before all other calculations.

Salaam, Peace,

Milad Vosgueritchian

House of Hope Co-Founder and Director of Peace and Justice Education

New music video: Our Rights as Children

Tue, 30 Sep 2025 04:38:26 GMT

Even under Occupation and war, Palestinian children dare to reclaim what was stole from them — their childhood.

Written and performed by Manar Wahhab, co-founder of House of Hope Vision School, “Our Rights as Children” carries the voices of Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza. Through Manar’s voice, their dreams are sung aloud: roses instead of rubble, marbles instead of gunfire, freedom instead of fear.

This is not just a song.

It is testimony.

It is defiance.

It is Palestinian children refusing to be reduced to numbers — insisting instead on the right to play, to hope, to live.

Manar sings on behalf of Palestinian children who cannot safely sing for themselves. Children who pick figs and olives, who once filled their days with hopscotch and paper airplanes, who still raise a flag of freedom even as walls rise around them. Her voice carries their demand: that childhood is not a privilege — it is a right.

Filmed and performed in the West Bank and Gaza, this piece is both an anthem of survival and a call to the world: Listen to their voices, and stand with them.

Lyrics

Our Rights as Children

Lyrics by Manar Wahhab

Our rights as children to live in a world full of roses, in a peaceful world,

Without the sound of bullets or gunpowder.

Our rights as children to live in a world full of roses, in a peaceful world,

Without the sound of bullets or gunpowder.

Where we matter and are not just numbers on ID cards.

Blue, green, or pink—

Take all the colors,

But give us freedom, we deserve life.

Balls, hopscotch, and marbles—

That’s what our world used to be.

We pick figs and olives,

And raise our flag high.

We hear the anthem of freedom

Chanted by young and old.

We draw a picture of a homeland,

A boy holding a key.

We plant love, we reap hope.

We remember my old grandma embroidering on the banner of freedom:

On this land, what is worth living for.

Did I see you, high up,

Reaching your sky?

My homeland,

My homeland.

In a paper airplane

Made by my neighbor’s son,

The wind blew.

It flew, and it came from behind the wall,

In a paper airplane made by my neighbor’s son.

The wind blew, and it came from behind the wall

In a paper airplane made by my neighbor’s son.

(x3)

Take Action!

Help support House of Hope's continuing work to bring the vision of Manar's song closer to reality for students in the West Bank - donate today !

Credits

Lyrics & Composition: Manar Wahhab

Music Arranger: Yacoub Alatrash

Recorded: Awtar Studio

Mix & Mastering: Yacoub Alatrash

Bass & Guitar: Charlie Rishmawi

Gaza Footage: Ain Media

Director of Photography: Fadi Dahabreh

Equipment: Image Productions

Makeup: Shifa Hannouneh

Special Thanks: Melad Vosguerichian

Special Thanks: Supporting Hope Board of Directors and Supporters

Video Director: Kuba Rishmawi

A Call for Moral Clarity in a Time of War

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 22:54:08 GMT

Dear Friends,

In times of war, each of us is faced with a moral crossroads: Do we choose hate, fear, and revenge—or do we choose unity, humility, and shared humanity?

As violence escalates between Iran, Israel, and the United States, the greatest crisis we face is not only political—it is deeply and devastatingly human.

We are forgetting how to see one another. We have grown blind to each other’s pain. We stare into the mirror and see only our own fear, forgetting the faces of those suffering across the wall, across the border, across the street.

Today, while some cling to comfort, others are crushed under the weight of occupation, hunger, and unrelenting trauma. We live in a world where the safety of one is sacred—and the dignity of another is expendable. Where one voice dominates—and the rest are silenced.

It is time to stop the machine of death. It is time to end the starvation of Gaza. It is time to confront the daily trauma facing families across this land.

The suffering is real. The wounds are deep. But still—peace is not lost. Peace is not an illusion. It is not naïve. Peace is a fragile fire that still burns in the hearts of the brave. And it needs all of us now.

So what do we do in such a time as this? We must return to the only path that has ever saved us:

The path of nonviolence.

The path of compassion.

The path of justice with love, and love with teeth.

At House of Hope, we are not building peace on paper. We are building peace in hearts, in classrooms, in streets lined with rubble. We are raising up a generation who do not bow to hatred— Who do not answer rockets with revenge— But who say with trembling voices and

steady souls: We will not become what has wounded us. We will not mirror the violence that surrounds us. We will live another way.

Because nonviolence is not a slogan. It is a discipline. It is a fire that burns in the heart. It is a revolution that begins in the mind. It is a choice made daily—in our speech, in our thoughts, in our actions. It is saying:

I will not let bitterness grow in me.

I will not let my dignity be stolen by hatred.

I will rise, again and again, in the name of peace.

This is what we teach. This is what we live. This is what we offer to the world.

To our friends in the United States and Europe—we ask you not only to stand with us, but to walk beside us. Support this work. Amplify our voices.

Share our story. Let the world know that behind the Wall, a different future is already being built.

Because this is not just about Palestine. It is about choosing life over death. Humanity over fear.

And hope over despair.

With resilience and hope,

Milad Vosgueritchian

Executive Director, House of Hope

Al-Eizariya, Palestine

Why I Did It.

Tue, 17 Dec 2024 22:44:45 GMT

Nonviolence Is The Path of the Soul

What is Peace and Justice Education, and Why is it Crucial in Palestine?

Sat, 16 Nov 2024 22:44:45 GMT

What is Peace and Justice Education, and Why is it Crucial in Palestine?

At House of Hope Vision School, we take pride in offering our students a Peace and Justice Education that extends beyond conventional learning. Our programs focus on cultivating essential values like peace, mutual understanding, social justice, and non-violence. In a region where countless generations have grown up amid enduring oppression, Occupation, and socio-economic struggles, our mission is to empower students with empathy, resilience, and critical thinking to envision a brighter future.

But what exactly does Peace and Justice Education entail? Below, we explore its critical aspects in greater detail.

Conflict Resolution and Non-Violence We teach our students and their parents about peaceful conflict resolution, encouraging dialogue and non-violence in our communities.
Human Rights and Social Justice We raise awareness about human rights, social justice, and equality. We encourage students to understand their rights and the rights of others, promoting a culture of dignity and respect for all.
Emotional and Psychological Support We incorporate elements of emotional healing, providing safe spaces for students to express their experiences and feelings while learning coping mechanisms.
Community Building and Leadership Our Peace and Justice Education extends beyond the classroom, aiming to build strong, resilient Palestinian communities from the ground up.
Integration of Arts, Music, and Culture At House of Hope, we provide students with opportunities to express themselves, build meaningful connections, and heal through innovative, non-traditional approaches to learning. For instance, music education nurtures creativity, fosters collaboration, instills a sense of joy, and inspires hope among young people, creating a powerful foundation for personal growth and community cohesion.

Why Is This Important in Palestine?

The prolonged Occupation has created an environment where violence, distrust, and systemic inequalities are prevalent. Many Palestinian children and young adults grow up with limited opportunities, facing challenges like restricted movement, economic hardship, and limited access to quality education.

Peace and justice education provides tools for young Palestinians to imagine a better future, equips them with skills to advocate for their rights, and fosters a mindset geared toward non-violence and positive change.

These programs aim to break cycles of despair by offering hope, resilience, and empowerment, making it possible for a new generation to think beyond conflict and build a more peaceful society.

Is Peace and Justice Education in Palestine Applicable to Children in the U.S?

Yes! Peace and Justice Education for Palestinian children is applicable to children in the United States, as it offers universal lessons on conflict resolution, empathy, social justice, and resilience. While the contexts may differ, the principles of this education can provide meaningful insights and benefits for U.S. children.

Together, We Can Transform Lives

If you believe in the transformative power of education in conflict zones, we invite you to join us in making a lasting impact. By investing in our programs, you’re not just supporting education—you’re helping to lay the groundwork for lasting peace, resilience, and social cohesion in a region that desperately needs it. Your support will empower young minds to envision a brighter future and equip them with the tools to rebuild their communities. Together, we can transform lives and sow the seeds of hope.

Peace and Justice Education vs. Trauma-Informed Education

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 02:20:59 GMT

Complementary Approaches for Healing and Transformation

At House of Hope, we provide Palestinian students with a holistic education created by and for Palestinians that combines Peace and Justice Education with Trauma-Informed practices. The two are deeply interconnected, each enriching the other to create a holistic learning environment, especially in areas affected by oppression and war, like Palestine.

Peace and Justice Education fosters empathy, social justice, non-violence, and mutual understanding. Our House of Hope Peace and Justice Education equips students with the tools to resolve conflicts peacefully, understand different perspectives, and build a more just society. By emphasizing these values, we create a safe, inclusive, and empowering space where students can learn to challenge injustice and imagine a peaceful future.

On the other hand, Trauma-Informed Education recognizes that many students carry the weight of past or ongoing trauma. Our House of Hope Trauma-Informed Education creates a supportive, understanding, and compassionate classroom where students feel secure and can better engage with their learning. This approach acknowledges the emotional and psychological scars of Occupation and war, helping students heal by fostering resilience and self-regulation.

When combined, these approaches become a powerful framework for growth. Peace and Justice Education provides the why —the vision for a peaceful, just future—while Trauma-Informed education offers the how —the strategies to reach students where they are, emotionally and psychologically. Together, these approaches, developed with a deep understanding of our community’s experiences, provide both the vision for peace and the tools for healing, ensuring our Palestinian students can grow, learn, and build a just, peaceful community.

In essence, while trauma-informed education addresses the immediate needs of students impacted by conflict, Peace and Justice Education gives them a hopeful, transformative pathway forward.

Introducing the House of Hope Peace and Justice Education Fund

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 04:10:40 GMT

The launch of the House of Hope Peace and Justice Education Fund marks an exciting and transformative moment for our community. This initiative is built upon the core principles of peace and justice, which are not merely aspirational ideals. We live them daily, often under the most difficult circumstances in the West Bank.

Inspired by the enduring legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., our school is a beacon of hope. At the heart of our approach to education is the belief that peace begins within. By teaching children that their lives matter, we help our students cultivate a profound sense of self-worth and justice. This inner transformation radiates outward, creating widening circles of peace that include families and the broader community.

This year, we are setting an ambitious goal to raise $40,000 for the House of Hope Peace and Justice Education Fund. With your generous support, we will make significant strides in expanding our Peace and Justice Education programs and resources. Your contributions will enable us to:

Introduce our new Peace and Justice Curriculum into classrooms , empowering children with the knowledge and tools to advocate for their right to peace and justice for themselves and their communities.
Produce a music video for our One Love Children's Choir's original song, "We Are Children, and We Have Rights." This project will amplify the voices of our students, celebrating their rights and spreading a message of hope and unity to a global audience.
Expand the House of Hope Family Peace and Justice Education Program to better serve local parents and caregivers. This initiative will provide valuable resources and support to families, helping them instill the values of peace and justice in their homes.

The work of peace and justice is not passive— it requires active engagement , especially when faced with trauma and violence. Your gift provides Palestinian children with an education that reaches far beyond traditional academics. It nurtures their ability to express themselves through music and art, fosters nonviolent communication, and offers trauma-informed learning that helps them heal and grow.

Together, we can make a lasting impact on our Palestinian children, their families, and our community. Thank you for being a vital part of this journey.

What is Peace and Justice Education?

"Living under oppression without human rights and freedom leads our kids to trauma, depression, and violence. Learning to live together has become increasingly important. Fear of the other and the rising of violence, hate, antagonism, and revenge are causing societies to fracture from within. In our school, we teach empathy and compassion for the other. These qualities can be taught and nurtured. Education is the key and peace education is preventive action. It can help our kids deal with trauma, manage and address conflict, and build a dialogue of process. Peace and justice education can reduce hate, violence, and discrimination. It can build a life of culture, peace, and justice.”

- Milad Vosgueritchian, House of Hope Co-Founder and Peace and Justice Education Director

We Proved It!

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Sun, 01 Sep 2024 05:13:11 GMT

We proudly announce that Manar Wahhab, House of Hope’s Co-Founder and Director of Trauma-Informed Education received her Master’s Degree in Non-Violence and Human Rights from Academic University of Non-Violence and Human Rights (AUNOHR) in Beirut, Lebanon!

AUNOHR is a first-of-its-kind accredited higher education institution offering innovative majors for social change through non-violence education. Last week, Manar successfully defended her Master’s thesis, titled “The Waldorf Way of Educating for Nonviolence: A Case Study in Al Eizariya, Area C, Occupied West Bank, Palestine.” Manar’s historic research project asserts that trauma-informed early childhood education is an effective, non-violent strategy for social change!

More peaceful childhoods create more peaceful societies. Palestinian children growing up under Occupation- like those at House of Hope- are chronically exposed to trauma and toxic stress. In Manar’s research project, 70% of House of Hope parents reported that the Occupation negatively impacts their child’s development.

Trauma-informed education WORKS. It can reverse trauma symptoms and get kids back on track to learning and developing into the next generation of community peace and justice leaders. In Manar’s thesis, nearly 50% of parents said House of Hope profoundly reduced their child’s toxic stress and trauma symptoms.

More peaceful childhoods create more peaceful societies. When you support House of Hope, you are reimagining and rewriting a future rooted in nonviolent training and trauma-informed education of children, guided by Palestinian leadership. Thank you for your support!

What Does Peace and Justice Look Like to Me?

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 05:36:49 GMT

At House of Hope, every Palestinian child has a different story of growing up under Occupation. But one thing is always present in each of their stories— the resilient hope for peace, joy, and prosperity for their families, their community, and the world.

House of Hope was thrilled to partner with Color Up Peace , a Ukrainian peacebuilding startup, to capture our teachers' hope for peace in new and interactive ways- like coloring books of their visions for peace. House of Hope teachers selected photos that represented their vision of peace. Then, Lisa Glybchenko, founder of Color Up Peace, rendered these photo-based visions of peace as coloring pages for you to color !

Below, you are invited to read what inspired each teacher to select their photo, as well as download the corresponding coloring page .

“Playing the Darbukah with Friends,”

Selected by House of Hope Teacher's Aide Abed

"I feel freedom and inner peace when my fingers play darbukah. I feel my spirit so happy when I hear music. It is the way to seek peace when the universe dances together and sings for peace day and night." - Abed

Download Abed's coloring page vision for peace and justice here .

“Palestinian Girl Viewing the Sea”

S elected by House of Hope Education Director Manar Wahhab

"In this photo, my daughter Narineh is on a rare trip to the Mediterranean Sea. We are Palestinians living in the West Bank and are rarely allowed to go to the sea. We dream of the sea. We dream of a time when we can move freely and enjoy simple things like trips to the ocean or even just to nearby villages without military checkpoints. This is what peace and justice would look like to us" - Manar

Download Manar's coloring book vision for peace and justice here .

“We Need Peace Like We Need the Morning Sun”

Selected by House of Hope Kindergarten Director Zain Mohsen

"In this photo, I am with my mother and the sun. There is no hate in peace. Freedom is like the sun, and peace is like a mom. We can't live without them. We need to think of peace to achieve freedom of mind, soul, and spirit. We pray for peace and freedom all the time until Palestine is free." - Zain

Download Zain's coloring book vision for peace and justice here.

See Us As Humans

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 04:54:20 GMT

Dear Beloved Community,

It seems hate is everywhere. Yesterday, we had a storm of settlers in all the streets of the West Bank, attacking houses and burning cars, vans, trucks, and even houses.

It seems this war that the USA supports is more than dismantling Hamas weapons. It honestly is a massacre against humanity, bombing hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches and using starvation and dehumanization of the innocent as a tool of punishment.

This war will not lead anywhere. It is more than building walls of hate for centuries and decades between two nations.

Palestinians need freedom and not tanks and an army against them. Palestinians demand dignity and human rights. They need a state of their own, not an occupation party ruling and organizing their life.

We need the world to see us as humans.

We pray for peace always.

We pray that the two nations will live in security and equality

We pray for the lost souls in this war

We pray for peace and no evil and darkness in the Middle East.

I hope we keep the faith in this brutal struggle. We hope my eyes will see freedom, not people with big guns in front of my kids while we want to breathe and hike. We feel it is the end of the world here, and we are forsaken alone.

We believe in you holding our life and dreams forever.

Salaam, Peace,

Milad Vosgueritchian, Co-Founder and Director of Peace and Justice Education, House of Hope Vision School

Stop This War. Now.

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Fri, 13 Oct 2023 04:59:43 GMT

Dear Beloved Community,

This is the cruelest time for human beings in Palestine and Israel. The pain is profound. Children are, yet again, paying the highest price. But we must not sit idly by as the violence traumatizes yet another generation.

At House of Hope, we believe in peace. We also believe the magnificent dream of a lasting peace won't come without justice. We also believe in love's transformative, limitless power— love for you, me, and all. We also believe in the two-state solution, where the two nations of Palestine and Israel live side-by-side in peace and prosperity.

In the West Bank, we are living under a military siege and have little freedom of movement. Israeli army checkpoints block our town's entrances and exits. Most of our roads are closed. Tear gas seeps into the rooms in our homes.

We are suffering a lot, not just because of our villages' conditions. We also feel the pain of the people of Gaza, who are aggressively bombed and have no solutions for their lives and dreams. Our Palestinian children in Gaza feel internationally isolated and that their lives don't matter as they watch more buildings collapse into rubble as death comes closer.

Our students' dreams are simple: to play with no army around them. No sounds of gun shooting. And no home demolitions in their neighborhood.

Their dreams are our dreams. And since we are ALL children of God, your dreams are our dreams, too. We all want to live peacefully, healed from intergenerational trauma and fear.

Let us stop this war.
Let us stop supporting weapons sales.
Let us stop preaching hate.
Let us stop hiding in our ideological tribes.
Let us stop making innocent people pay for another government's evil.
Let us stop discriminating and murdering beloved children of God.

At House of Hope, we provide our children with an education that heals. In our healing classrooms, we promote diversity, interreligious dialogue, freedom of speech, and respect for differences.

Please stand with us. Keep us in your prayers and good deeds toward a better future in Palestine.

Salaam,

Milad Vosgueritchian, Co-Founder and Peace Education Director, House of Hope Vision School

Zain's Story

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 05:17:21 GMT

This is a subtitle for your new post

At the graduation ceremony for her first kindergarten class, Zain, a 25-year-old Waldorf teacher at House of Hope, watched the students walk up to the front of the room to receive their diplomas. The students beamed with pride, and Zain reminisced on the children's growth since the start of the school year.

She fondly remembered when she first met the students and began learning about each one of them. Two young girls stood out as they spent most of their time withdrawn, isolated from the rest of the other children, and unable to express their feelings.

"They weren't interacting with their environment like the other students and couldn't communicate their emotions with others," said Zain. These are some of the hallmark behaviors of children exposed to trauma, like Palestinian children who grow up under military occupation in the West Bank, where poverty, mass incarceration, and military and settler violence are at their doorstep.

"Because of House of Hope's unique educational approach, we were able to provide them with the tools to come out of their shells," she said. Soon, she noticed a change in the girls. They played with the other students and seemed to be making friends.

House of Hope's holistic Waldorf teaching style nurtures Zain's young students' trauma and gives them room to grow. As Zain explained, "It's more than a method. We see it as a lifestyle that treats children as if they were in the comfort of their home environment. It focuses on developing the child socially and psychologically, rather than overemphasizing grades like traditional educational approaches."

Every morning, Zain welcomes her students with a soft, warm smile and arms open wide, ready for whatever adventure lay ahead. Zain recognizes her students' frustration, hopelessness, and isolation because she felt that way growing up under occupation in the West Bank. As an adult, Zain was drawn to teaching because she loves working with children and supporting her community. After struggling to find a meaningful job aligned with her teaching values, she visited House of Hope, where one of her friends worked. There, she saw what trauma-informed education could do for the community. Her friend acted as more than just a teacher and modeled social and emotional wellness for her students.

Inspired, Zain immediately applied to work at the school to help the children of her community create a better future for themselves and their nation. Soon after being hired, Zain enrolled in House of Hope trauma-informed Waldorf teacher training and became confident in creating a classroom environment that nurtures her students.

Zain encourages her young students to reflect on themselves and focus on the positive things in their lives, no matter how difficult. She works endlessly to create a classroom environment that "views children as individual souls that deserve to be cherished." Zain is a bright star within a promising new generation of trauma-informed teachers at House of Hope, nurturing the children of Palestine.

Team Hope
Supporting House of Hope

What Is Trauma-Informed Education?

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 03:52:24 GMT

Trauma-informed education considers how trauma and toxic stress impact children’s ability to learn and develop in a healthy way.

Toxic stress from traumatic childhood events such as war, military occupation, and poverty can wreak havoc on children’s mental and physical health.

Ask any medical professional and they will likely tell you that the repercussions of childhood toxic stress can be devastating- dramatically increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, substance abuse, smoking, poor academic achievement, time out of work, and early death.

Similarly, adult reports of cumulative, adverse experiences in early childhood correlate to a range of lifelong problems in physical and mental health—in this case, heart disease.

Outside of the home, childhood toxic stress from traumatic events is best addressed in a healing school environment.

But how can we best sculpt classrooms to equip children to overcome toxic stress and leap back into the magic of childhood?

This question, and the pursuit of its answer, is the starting point of trauma-informed education.

What is Trauma-Informed Education?

Children who experience traumatic events can be triggered by a traditional classroom, which requires activities that are inappropriate for trauma-affected children.

For example, traditional classrooms often require prolonged sitting at a desk and memorization. But trauma negatively affects the parts of children’s brains that allow them to remember information. Side effects like these make it hard for children to succeed academically in a traditional classroom, let alone develop skills for emotional recovery and social integration. As a result, many trauma-affected children perform poorly in school and have behavioral issues, which further drive down their self-esteem.

A burgeoning field within the academic study of education, trauma-informed education considers how trauma and toxic stress impact children’s ability to learn and develop in a healthy way.

In 2016, a landmark study was published by researchers at the University of Melbourne Graduate School of Education that helped define this important field. In their study, the researchers grouped the best approaches to trauma-informed education strategies in three categories: repairing regulatory abilities, repairing disrupted attachment, and increasing psychological resources.

Trauma-Informed Education Repairs Regulatory Abilities

Regulatory abilities allow children to manage their own emotions and responses to different stimuli. But trauma suppresses a child’s development of emotional regulatory skills. Many then have difficulties practicing self-control – both in the classroom and outside of it. Educational activities that focus on sensory integration, self-regulation, rhythm, and repetition, and mindfulness applications to learning tasks can help a trauma-affected child develop their emotional regulatory abilities.

Trauma-Informed Education Repairs Disrupted Attachment

Similarly, repairing disrupted attachment — aiding children in creating positive relationships with their peers and adults — is a crucial component to trauma-informed education, which is based not only on the activities implemented in the class itself but also on the enduring relationships built between students and teachers that create a school community.

Trauma-Informed Education Increases Psychological Resources

Trauma-informed education also helps children increase psychological resources through activities that teach them to hold on to positive emotions in times of distress, identify messages and characters that exemplify resilience in classroom materials, and develop their strengths.

Trauma-informed education, in essence, seeks to repair disrupted developmental processes, as well as further build the strengths of the trauma-affected child.

While the three strategies are distinct, they can work in concert in a classroom setting to empower a trauma-affected child for a successful future.

Time is of the Essence

Traumatic events that occur when a child is between 3 to 6 years of age and the brain is undergoing crucial stages of development can cause the most harm. But despite the serious ramifications of childhood toxic stress, especially in conflict zones, trauma-affected children are not irreparably damaged. Far from it.

One of the most inspiring things about being human is our resilience and capacity to heal. That is why there is always a reason to hope.

Trauma-informed education can help children recover. For 15 years, House of Hope Vision School has protected the magic of childhood for children growing up under toxic war and occupation stress.

After nurturing thousands of Palestinian children, we believe trauma-informed education fosters lifelong resiliency.

“About the CDC-KAISER ACE Study |violence Prevention| Injury Center| CDC,” Centers for Disease Control, accessed April 6, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Facestudy%2Fabout.html

Tom Brunzell, Helen Stokes, and Lea Waters, “Trauma-Informed Positive Education: Using Positive Psychology to Strengthen Vulnerable Students,” Contemporary School Psychology 20 (2016): 65.

“Making SPACE for Learning: Trauma Informed Practice in Schools,” Australian Childhood Foundation, accessed June 21, 2021, www.childhood.org.au

Team Hope

Supporting House of Hope

Announcing Palestine Beats - Part Two!

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Tue, 31 May 2022 03:10:05 GMT

Amplifying the voices of emerging Palestinian artists through music.

Our newest program for teens and young adults.

May 2022 : We are delighted to share an update on our newest House of Hope program for Palestinian teens and young adults: Palestine Beats! Thanks to a generous grant from Empathy for Peace , we launched this first-of-its-kind music program in Palestine in the Fall of 2021.

We are also thrilled to announce Palestine Beats will continue, thanks to our new partnership with the prestigious Berklee College of Music , which will help fund the next program session in the winter of 2022/2023.

Palestine Beats helps young Palestinians growing up under Occupation to express themselves and the trauma they face through beat making, songwriting, and empowered communication. Watch our Palestine Beats video below to hear from the participants and see the program in action, and read on to learn about how this program has come to life over the last year!

We need your help raising the remaining $5,000 needed to fully fund the Winter 2022/2023 session. Donate now and see below for other ways to support Palestine Beats!

May 2021 : We are excited to announce our newest House of Hope Vision School program: Palestine Beats. This program, the first of its kind, will help young Palestinians growing up under occupation to express themselves and the trauma they face through beat making, songwriting, and empowered communication.

Thanks to the generous grant support from Empathy for Peace , we are launching the first session of the Palestine Beats program this fall! Empathy for Peace advances empathy research and education with a specific focus on the translation of empathy research to evidence-based conflict resolution, peace, and reconciliation processes. Thank you Empathy for Peace!

Under the guidance of Teaching Artist Valerie Orth and Program Director Milad Vosgueritchian, a dozen Palestinian youth will get an introduction to beatmaking, songwriting, and empowered communication skills over a period of eight weeks.

Participants will use empowered communication techniques to critique each other’s work, privately and in whole group feedback sessions. Each class will feature a short, interactive lesson followed by paired work where participants will give each other feedback. This eight-week course will culminate in a closing celebration where participants can share their live or recorded work with family, friends, and the community.

For the inaugural fall session, Palestine Beats will welcome twelve participants from the villages of Al-Eizariya, Abu Dis, Sawahrah a-Sharqiyah, and a-Sheikh Sa’d, as well as from nearby Al-Quds University.

Nezar Akram, a graduate of House of Hope Vision School who has a great interest in beatmaking, is excited for what this program can do for his music: “As a musician, I need to know beats, drums, all the tools musicians have,” said Akram (pictured below).

Palestine Beats Staff Bios

Milad Vosgueritchian , a Palestinian resident of Al Eizariya, chairman of Vision Association for Culture and Arts and its House of Hope Vision School, is an educator, community organizer, and NGO director with proven expertise in nurturing changemakers. In and out of the classroom, he inspires Palestinian youth to embrace empowered communication, built bridges between estranged Jewish and Palestinian communities, and put vocational training within reach for low-income Palestinian women. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Human Rights and Nonviolence from AUNOHR University in Lebanon. As a consultant for the Rossing Center for Education and Dialogue, Milad worked extensively in empowered communication education for Palestinian youth. A public speaker seasoned in facilitating cross-cultural and interfaith encounters, he has extensive knowledge of Jerusalem's communities.

Valerie Orth is an Assistant Professor in the Songwriting Department at Berklee College of Music, teaching music technology and production. She is the recipient of the Berklee Faculty Fellowship 2022-2023 for Palestine Beats. Valerie is a professional music producer, singer, and songwriter. A performer since age 5, she toured the US and released all her music independently. An educator and activist, she co-led the NYC chapter of Beats By Girlz, empowering the next generation of women & gender expansive people through music & tech. Valerie developed and ran beatmaking intensives at various high schools, and co-founded BKLYN Song Camp, a music production and songwriting virtual camp that focuses on building co-writing, collaboration and communication skills.

Support Palestine Beats

Donate using the form below, and you can also help us promote the program with Palestine Beats merch. Buy a Palestine Beats T-Shirt or buy a Palestine Beats Tote and a portion of every sale goes to Palestine Beats!

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Team Hope

Supporting House of Hope

Martin Luther King Jr's Dream is Our Dream

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 04:40:34 GMT

Dear Friends,

Martin Luther King Jr. influences everything we do at House of Hope Vision School. You can find his legacy in our daily nonviolent prayer, which our students recite every morning, in the murals painted on our walls, and in our classroom lectures.

His dream is our dream.

For nations like Palestine that are living under poverty, occupation, corruption, and injustice, Martin Luther King Jr. stressed the use of nonviolent resistance. This resistance should cause no harm or violence to any human being, whether they be a Muslim, Christian, or Jew.

Today, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we honor his memory by remembering his six core principles of nonviolence:

1. Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people. It is an active nonviolent resistance to evil.

2. Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation.

3. Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people. Nonviolence recognizes that evildoers are also victims.

4. Nonviolence holds that suffering can educate and transform. Nonviolence willingly accepts the consequences of its acts.

5. Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate. Nonviolence resists violence to the spirit as well as the body. Nonviolence love is active, not passive. Nonviolence love does not sink to the level of the hater. Love restores community and resists injustice. Nonviolence recognizes the fact that all life is interrelated.

6. Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice. The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win.

What we are working on today at House of Hope is first and foremost in the philosophy of nonviolence. The means must be as pure as the end. Nonviolence seeks to achieve moral ends through moral means. At House of Hope, we also refuse to inflict injury upon another. We refuse to cooperate with evil. We believe in each human’s potential for goodness and love.

Martin Luther King Jr. understood that fear is an obstacle to freedom. Fear and pride can kill a man and push their liberation farther away.

Martin Luther King Jr. also taught that love is the key to building healthy communities. Love should be at the center of our social interactions. We as the House of Hope administration, teachers, and support staff believe in the power of love to build healthy communities based on love. This is a liberation that works for everyone. This is the path to freedom.

Salaam,

Milad Vosgueritchian, Chairman, Vision Association for Culture and Arts

We Need You Now

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Sat, 15 May 2021 04:35:14 GMT

Dear Friends,

I am a Palestinian Christian. I have lived under Israeli military occupation every day of the 37 years of my life. That is 13,505 days of not feeling accepted, welcomed, or even seen as a human by the people who rule my life. The Israeli army does not recognize me as Milad. To them, I am a threat to their existence and a target for their fear and hate.

Ever since I was a young boy, I have had the same single question: what do they want from me, from us? Do they want the earth under my feet as their homeland? If so, then what should I do? Be a slave and obey their military law? Or leave my grandfather’s home?

Recently the Sheikh Jarrah evictions in East Jerusalem came alive again. Now the Israeli military wants 500 Palestinians - entire families including their children - to leave their homes in this East Jerusalem neighborhood and give them to Israeli settlers. We call this the “new Nakba,” the next chapter in the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. The Nakba started in 1948 when 700,000 Palestinians were first expelled from their homes by Israeli soldiers.

Last week, as the army moved forward to push Palestinians out of their Sheikh Jarrah homes, soldiers terrorized Muslim women and men praying at Al-Aqsa mosque. They pumped the mosque with tear gas and shook its walls with sound bombs. Soldiers beat believers while in prayer during the holy month of Ramadan.

At House of Hope Vision School, we need you now. We need the international community, the Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the United States and Europe to stand with us. We need to know we are not alone in this living nightmare.

We believe that nonviolence is the real power. We teach our students that violence will never give anyone their rights, dignity, and equality. Safety comes through solidarity. Power comes through love and unity.

We believe that our freedom is soon and that it is very close. Because, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

In Palestine, we see how people are rooted, connected, and bonded against oppression. We know what hope looks like. As Palestinians, we search for it everywhere. And hope is seeing you walking with us, hand in hand. This is the power of love against darkness.

In the past few days, many men, women, and children have been murdered. What are we waiting for? It is time for war crimes against civilians in Gaza to end. It is time for apartheid in the West Bank to end. It is time for demolishing homes in East Jerusalem to end.

It is time that we continue to fight for a two-state solution. It is time to stop this war and these crimes. It is time to spread love between neighbors. It is time we work on healing and reconciliation.

I was born in Jerusalem, and I am proud to be a Jerusalemite. But we have not been able to breathe since 1948. We need your solidarity now.

Our children, our mothers, our young and our old, they deserve a better life, a free life. We demand to live in peace and with no more war.

With you in the struggle for peace and justice,

Milad Vosgueritchian

Co-founder and Chairman, Vision Association for Culture and Arts and its House of Hope Vision School

Back To School!

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 05:00:58 GMT

Welcome back students! We've just finished our first week of the new school year at House of Hope Vision School. We are so blessed to see our students back in the classroom- and enjoying their new playground!

When the students return to school, they are actively engaged in play and learning, which nurtures their creativity and helps them heal from the toxic stress that they experience.

At House of Hope Vision School, the first day of school is more than reuniting with friends and teachers. It is returning to an environment where our students can feel safe and supported while they are learning, having fun, and enjoying being kids. Below, enjoy some of the moments from the first week!

You Built a Playground in Palestine!

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 04:44:44 GMT

This playground is more than just a playground: it is a rare open space to dream.

And here it is: our brand new, 100% donor-funded playground was completed over summer break. We cannot wait for our students to return to school and have a safe place to play!

This playground is more than just a playground: it is an open space for our students to run, laugh, express their creativity and explore their imaginations.

Life under occupation is not normal. Our students face trauma and stress everyday. But here, at House of Hope Vision School’s playground, our students will be able to focus on just being kids.

From all of the staff, students, and families, thank you ❤️ And check out the slideshow below of the playground transformation!

House of Hope's Annexation Statement

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Tue, 14 Jul 2020 03:22:49 GMT

The thought of a separation wall so close to home, a checkpoint between every town, and no freedom of movement, fills my heart with pain.

As a father of two young kids, I dream of an independent state where all children can know equality, freedom and respect, but this dream feels hopeless with the Israeli government's continued occupation of our water, our streets, and every aspect of our lives.

The impending annexation of the West Bank will kill the chance of a two-state solution and worsen our divided, marginalized and apartheid state, leaving no future for humanity to seek peace, justice and reconciliation.

We at House of Hope Vision School stand against annexation of the West Bank.

With you in the struggle for justice and dignity,

Milad Vosgueritchian, Co-Founder and Chairman, House of Hope Vision School

Announcing Our New Website!

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 03:40:41 GMT

If you stand with House of Hope Vision school, you are part of a global family.

Dear Friends,

I am full of joy to announce House of Hope Vision School’s new website!

Inshallah (this Arabic word means God willing), this website will be a window to the world- from Palestine to your home and back. It will connect you to our collective dream of building a better world through:

When I say “our” new website, I mean yours and mine. If you stand with House of Hope Vision school, you are part of a global family.

We welcome all to join us: members of churches, synagogues, and mosques, young and old, Middle Eastern, European, and American. Every human being who believes in the peaceful and free future that our children, youth, and women are imagining is part of our family.

This beautiful new website is our space. A space to be ourselves. A space to dream what we want our world to become.

This year, we celebrated our twelfth year of service to this dream in Palestine. WOW! Read about the lives we have impacted here.

Keep in touch by signing up for our newsletter, following us on Instagram and Facebook, and reach out to me at any time: milad@supportinghouseofhope. I would love to hear from you and get to know you better.

Also, consider joining our Vision Community, a passionate and determined group of monthly givers on a mission to nurture healing and seed peace. You can learn more about the Vision Community’s impact here.

This website would not have been possible without the love and commitment of several volunteers led by Tom Fellner of Bryt Idea Consulting. Thank you Tom for sharing your creating genius with us. You made our website dreams come true.

With you in the struggle for justice and dignity,

Milad Vosgueritchian

President, Vision Association for Culture and Arts and its House of Hope Vision School

We Will Overcome. Together.

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Thu, 04 Jun 2020 03:30:08 GMT

Be the image of God on earth, and you will create a free land for all.

Dear Friends,

Last week in Palestine, I watched in horror as George Floyd was murdered by police.

As I heard him utter his last words, “I can’t breathe,” I felt deep sadness and pain. My heart goes out to his family as they grieve his memory, which has inspired oppressed people from around the world to reach for dignity and justice.

House of Hope unequivocally stands in solidarity with the Black community in Minneapolis and other cities throughout the USA, as well as with all the families who have had loved ones murdered because of ignorance and hate.

Our young Palestinian children at House of Hope grow up in a world of violence and oppression. Days after George Floyd was murdered, Iyad el-Hallak, an unarmed 32 year-old Palestinian man with autism, was shot dead in the Old City of Jerusalem by Israeli police.

Despite the ongoing injustice of Occupation, we at House of Hope teach our children that loving themselves and their neighbor is the path to freedom. We commit to nonviolence for ourselves and others, no matter what and without exception.

As a Palestinian man living in the occupied West Bank, I encourage my American brothers and sisters to heed these words: in order for healing and justice to come, we must live and act with a conscious commitment to nonviolence.

Not only is it the right thing to do, but it is also the path to healing and freedom. Anytime violence breaks out — whether by police, outside agitators or misguided youth — it shifts the focus away from the oppressed.

I have spent my entire life in Jerusalem and the West Bank. I grew up with curfews, gas bombs, rubber bullets, live bullets, tanks everywhere, and soldiers in our neighborhoods, schools, and universities. When I was young, I wondered if armed struggle could solve the Israeli Palestinian conflict. After 36 years of living in Occupation, I am convinced that violence is not the solution and have devoted my life to nonviolence.

Nonviolence is more difficult than the violent path. It requires perseverance, hope, and training to control feelings of anger, hate, revenge and antagonism. History has definitively shown that nonviolence has the power to achieve freedom, end dictatorships and dismantle systems of racism and brutality.

Violence brings violence, period. Nonviolence freezes the system of oppression and wins public opinion locally and internationally.

Martin Luther King Jr wrote: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

What America needs today after the police murder of George Floyd is the strength and courage to love.

No matter where in the world you are, there is work to be done. By teaching ourselves and our children the way of nonviolence, we will win. Be the image of God on earth, and you will create a free land for all.

With you in the struggle for justice and dignity,

Milad Vosgueritchian

President, Vision Association for Culture and Arts and its House of Hope Vision School

What did life before COVID-19 sound like?

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 02:52:29 GMT

At House of Hope, it sounded like joy. Belly laughs, wild shrieks of glee, and little voices humming in play.

This photo of our kindergartners was taken a few months before COVID-19 silenced our students’ joy and forced us all into quarantine.

Our hearts go out to everyone in the world suffering from the pandemic, wherever you are. We care about you and love you.

Here in the West Bank, we cannot work and there are no stimulus funds or unemployment benefits for our community. Our medical system is already underfunded, and the West Bank has only 256 ventilators for 2.5 million people. Panic and fear hang over the world like storm clouds, threatening to drown us all.

But reality is not just material conditions. At House of Hope, our children remind us what is real.

On the last day of school before quarantine, a young student named Hazem walked up to one of our teachers.

“Teacher,” he said “Don’t be sad. I will hug you. And every day I will practice games for us to play when I return.”

Hazem reminds us of what is most important right now: our humanity. We may all be vulnerable to the virus, but we are protected by our compassion. This is our inheritance and our strength.

We in the West Bank will not succumb to fear. And neither should you.

We are all together in this, our families and yours. We are one.

With you always,

Milad Vosgueritchian
Co-founder and Chairman, House of Hope

Manar Vosgueritchian

Founder & School teacher, House of Hope

In our dreams, we fly

Sun, 03 Nov 2019 04:32:03 GMT

Dear Friends,

Here in Palestine, our kids have many questions. At House of Hope we often hear the following:

Can you tell God to come down because I want to meet him?
Do the Jews living next to us love us?
Why we are not Muslims? Why are we not Christians?
Where is love in the middle of war and separation walls?

Looking into their young eyes, I feel scared to tell them the truth. To tell them that life is different than they imagine. To tell them that greed, envy, and power ruins humans.

Instead, I tell them another truth about reality: that we need to keep our hearts full of love instead of hate. Hate and anger don’t build a man. They just destroy our happiness and joy.

One young student once said to me: “No soldiers, no army, no fear, no guns, and no tears. You just fly.” Let’s dream because dreams are the best place to fly.

Everyone has some pain from the past. We can’t change what happened to us, but we can change our reaction to it. This is what it means to be free.

My family was refugees; today I am a shelter for many. My past was full of pain; today I am a house of joy. Yesterday I fell ten times; today I stand for love and reconciliation.

We live in a global village but our hearts are bigger than the physical distance that separates us. Let’s build a beloved community for our children, so they may dream of the future they want to live in. Let’s be close to them when they need us, and listen to their stories even though we are in pain. Let’s model for them how to care for themselves and those around them- especially by nurturing them to play.

Today we speak to your radiant, loving hearts and ask for your help to build two new playgrounds for House of Hope. One will be for elementary school students and the other for the kindergarten. Help us reach our goal here :

I bless you with peace and love.

Salaam, peace, shalom,

Milad Vosgueritchian
Co-founder and Chairman, House of Hope

Chairman’s Corner: Isolation is the Real Threat

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Wed, 15 May 2019 04:16:53 GMT

House of Hope is more than just a school in the West Bank. It is a way of life. Our young students are traumatized by war and the suffering that surrounds it.

Although their circumstances are unique, Palestinian children are not alone in their pain. Humanity is in crisis.

Houses of worship, such as synagogues, churches, and mosques, are targeted by white supremacists. Abrahamic values like reconciliation and tolerance are straining under the weight of nationalism, extremism, and white supremacy. The possibility of peace for all seems dead.

But peace is the true nature of the soul, and you can’t kill the soul. You just have to work harder to nurture it.

The first step towards nurturing the soul and embracing the House of Hope way of life is building connections and a sense of belonging with others.

Hate, antagonism, and prejudice are diseases that grow in darkness, in isolation.

House of Hope believes that peace is not an impossible mission to achieve. We believe peace starts by creating excellent schools that are an oasis of loving human connection where our kids can feel secure. Where their family and teachers are supported to slow down and ask: “What is going on in this child’s internal world? How do they feel, and what are their needs?”

These may seem like obvious questions to guide daily life and parenting. But I can assure you that they quickly diminished in importance next to questions like “How will I feed my children?” and “Is there gunfire outside my home again?” For communities living in crisis zones, emotional wellbeing is not the first priority: physical survival is.

House of Hope is working hard in spite of a very difficult situation to make sure these questions about our students’ internal life get asked and answered.

Few other schools in the West Bank are equipped to prioritize nurturing wholeness and human connection. Many seek important academic goals by overlooking children’s emotional health: their fears, traumas, anxieties, and challenges. They mistakenly require students to push their hearts into their subconscious.

This is devastating for Palestinian children, who, like kids from any war zone, suppress their sensory systems when they are scared. And when the sensory system is shut down, so is their capacity for feeling secure in connection with other humans.

The invasion of technology exacerbates the problems caused by trauma and toxic stress. Children experiencing toxic stress often appear emotionally shut down. Introduce smartphones, tablets and play stations, and other things that minimize socialism and increase individualism, and anger and stress increase.

Whether a child grows up under a cloud of stress in Al Eizariya, Palestine, or feeling isolated inside an affluent American suburb, all of our young people can suffer from separation.

At House of Hope, we put our energy into creating a holistic, healing community. A refuge from the storm where isolation cannot take root inside our children. At House of Hope, everyone belongs as we walk the journey of life together.

Salaam, peace, shalom,

Milad Vosgueritchian
Co-founder and Chairman, House of Hope

Teacher Q and A with Mr. William - the Director of the School and Music Teacher

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Tue, 07 May 2019 04:05:02 GMT

Q and A with Mr. William

Q: What are your roots?

A: I was born in Jerusalem and I grew up in the old city of Jerusalem. My roots are half Armenian half Palestinian, my father is a survivor from the Armenian Genocide since 1912 -1915. He came to a refugee to Palestine in 1918 as an orphan in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem.

Q: Before you began work at House of Hope, you were a musician. What instruments did you play? Please describe your musical career.

A: I was specialized as a violinist but I played the oud instrument. I am a composer and writer.

Q: Why do you believe in House of Hope?

A: I believe in this house because it is a house of peace nonviolence and education. House of hope brought back my old dreams, and it gave thousands of kids and youth a goal. It promotes arts and music as a tool for trauma healing. It gives people life.

Q: What do you enjoy most about working at House of Hope?

A: To see the kids smiling playing learning singing and dancing. Being a teacher the most, being with kids, being with the team, and learn all together new ways of developing the educational system.

Q: What do you enjoy most about Palestinian culture?

A: Dabka dance, poetry, and food.

Team Hope
Supporting House of Hope

Get to know… Alma Emtair

thea@supportinghouseofhope.org — Tue, 07 May 2019 03:58:35 GMT

Alma is a first-grader at the House of Hope school.

She is six years old, and she came to the school last year with her brother.

She loves making new friends, and she has a natural talent in the arts.

Since Alma has been a student at House of Hope, she has grown in confidence and trust, and she is excited to continue learning.

Congratulations Alma!

Team Hope

Supporting House of Hope

U.S. Funding Cuts and the Impact on Palestinian Women and Children

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 22:44:45 GMT

International donors play a prominent role in delivering core social services in Palestine, according to the World Bank. So when the United States announced it was ceasing all funding to Palestinian aid and civil society projects, the implications were catastrophic for people living in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza.

For decades, the U.S. government-funded Palestinian programs ranging from education, water and sanitation, to Palestinian Authority security forces. The cuts came in stages over the course of the last year and culminated in February 2019 when every penny of U.S. funding for Palestinians came to a halt.

Below are some of the milestones of the funding cancellation:

On August 25, 2018, the Trump administration first announced that there would be a $200 million cut in aid funding for programs in Palestine, despite the projected budget of $251 million for the 2018 fiscal year. USAID is the principal U.S. government agency that administers the United States’ foreign assistance program in the West Bank and Gaza. Its services reached nearly all parts of Palestinian daily life. According to its website, USAID has “provided more than $5.5 billion since 1994 for programs in the areas of economic growth; water and infrastructure; education and health; governance and civic engagement; and humanitarian assistance. USAID assistance supports a viable economy and improves the everyday lives of Palestinians.”
Six days later on August 31st, the U.S. State Department also announced that the U.S. would terminate all funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The U.S. has been the largest donator to UNRWA since its creation in 1949, and the aid impacted over five million Palestinians with refugee status. In 2017, the U.S. gave UNRWA more than $360 million in funding. The agency’s 711 schools provide free basic education for Palestinian refugee children in the West Bank – including East Jerusalem – Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. The ending of U.S. funding to UNRWA schools impacted 525,000 kids, 50 percent of which are girls.
A few months later in February 2019, the US stopped all remaining aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, in a step linked to new anti-terrorism legislation, the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act. This act allows for U.S. citizens to sue international groups that are receiving U.S. aid for links to any terrorist-related crimes in the past. It is explained, “This means that if the PA will receive even one dollar of U.S. funding, it could face lawsuits asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation.” Soon after, the Palestinian Authority (PA) requested that the US state department end all U.S. funding because of a fear of lawsuits. As a result of ATCA, more than $60m in annual funds for the Palestinian security services ended.

Deep Cuts for Palestinian Schools

While the U.S. funding cuts have created a wide-ranging impact, education took a big hit, especially schools that receive UNRWA and USAID funding. Soon after the cuts were announced in August 2018, there was a tense period where the UNRWA was uncertain of the ability to secure the funding necessary to pay the 22,000 teachers in their schools and open their 711 doors for the 2018 school year.

After the cuts were announced, the Commissioner-General for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Pierre Krahenbuhl declared the need for an addition of $217 million to ensure the opening of the schools for the 2018 school year. Fundraising efforts were initiated, such as the Dignity is Priceless campaign, and the UNRWA began making appeals to the Member States to increase their funding pledges.

When the time came for the schools to open in September 2018, there were enough funds to start the school year, but there was still uncertainty in how long the funds would last. Certain positions at UNRWA schools deemed non-essential were cut because of the lack of funding, and funding for the 2019/2020 school year remains uncertain.

Undermining Women and Girls’ Economic Inclusion

Many fear that cuts to education will have a uniquely negative impact on Palestinian women and girls. When society or institutions start to break down because of lack of investment, women are even further burdened by the domestic responsibilities they are traditionally associated with, said Susan Markham, USAID’s former senior coordinator for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Managing time between professional responsibilities and “housework” becomes an even greater challenge. “It’s something that is not measured oftentimes, but has a real impact on everyday women’s lives,” she adds.

“USAID really focused on helping [Palestinian] women gain economic empowerment,” says Markham. It involved programs that put girls through high school, funded internships, and mentorships, and helped women start their own companies, creating a positive cycle where women “were being valued by the community as a business owner or a worker able to bring money home to the family.” These changes, she says, helped shift gender attitudes in Palestinian society. Without USAID and UNRWA programs that were promoting gender equality through education, fewer opportunities exist for women to participate as active members of society.

Continued Uncertainty as NGOs Try to Fill the Gap

Palestinian school funding is still uncertain in 2019. The UNRWA made difficult decisions in adapting to the new budget, including the elimination of many school positions. Though its schools still function, the UNRWA’s capacity to carry out its usual programming has been reduced.

The impact of school instability on student stress levels in palatable. Hada, a fourteen-year-old student at a UNRWA school in Gaza, told the United Nations News Service that “everyone was very anxious,” and when students tried to visit the school counselor’s office, she added, “they were reminded that she was no longer there.”

Another student, Eva, 14 told UN News: “The school is trying as much as it can to teach us in a hands-on method, and in past years when we studied chemistry we used to do experiments. I have dreams to be something big in the future, but I have to cut those dreams down because of the situation we live in now.”

Sponsor A Palestinian Child’s Education Today!

The likelihood of ongoing funding instability for Palestinian social services makes the work of NGOs on the ground in Palestine even more urgent. House of Hope is more determined than ever to deliver an education for Palestinian children that helps them not only survive but thrive.

Whether or not these children have access to a quality education depends on donors like you. When you make a donation to House of Hope or sponsor a child’s scholarship, you plant the seeds of hope and healing in the Holy Land.

Learn more about House of Hope student scholarships here. Your scholarship nurtures the next generation of Palestinian peace and changemakers.

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-written by Megan Collette, Supporting Hope Spring 2019 intern

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