(ANS – Khallet Taha) – Since the beginning of the war—which has claimed thousands of lives and displaced over 1.5 million people in Gaza—the Salesian NGO “Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo” (VIS – International Volunteer Service for Development) has continued its work in Palestine without interruption. Now, it plans to expand its support and educational initiatives by renovating existing buildings and launching the construction of a new school facility.

In War, an Educational Emergency

In Gaza and the West Bank, attacks on schools have deeply impacted the lives of countless children. In Gaza, 84% of schools require complete or major reconstruction. In the West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Education reports a high number of incidents affecting both students and teachers.

“This past year and a half has been emotionally exhausting. People continue to suffer, and humanity continues to be trampled. But we’re not giving up. In fact, we’ve realized that the only way to keep hope alive is to double down on what we do,” says Luigi Bisceglia, VIS Regional Coordinator for the Middle East, as he describes the current situation in Palestine and the organization’s dedication to ensuring access to education for Palestinian children.

The VIS Project in Palestine

The VIS plan involves working with four public schools in the West Bank, providing renovations and psychosocial support for both students and teachers, helping them cope with the trauma of their daily reality.

“But we want to go even further: we want to build a brand-new primary school in the village of Khallet Taha, south of Hebron in the West Bank,” Bisceglia adds.

The new school will serve 40 children who currently walk five kilometers each day to reach the nearest school—a journey that is long, tiring, and even dangerous.

The school will include:

Four classrooms One preschool room A staff room Sanitary facilities An outdoor courtyard for physical activities

But this won’t just be a school made of bricks and mortar. It will be a powerful symbol of freedom, resilience, and hope.

The project was launched through the support of several associations from the Piedmont region of Italy—including the Toni Lucci Peace School of Bra, the Youth Council of Bra, and the Cuneo Network for Palestine—with the patronage of the Municipality of Bra.

“We’ve named this project ‘Juzoor’, which means ‘roots’ in Arabic, because we believe that school and education are the roots from which a future of hope can grow,” concludes Luigi Bisceglia.

Source: VIS