reGeneration Education

Imagine the potential.

House of Hope

House of Hope is an Arabic-language, trauma-informed elementary school in the West Bank village of Al Eizariya. Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.’s Beloved Community and commitment to nonviolence, House of Hope is the only emerging Waldorf school in the West Bank.

Surrounded by regional violence and household poverty, Palestinian children face immense stress and hardship. That’s why House of Hope strives to deliver trauma-informed, holistic education in the West Bank.

Creating Classrooms That Heal
Founded in 2008, House of Hope’s mission is to address trauma-induced obstacles to learning and nurture Palestinian children to become the next generation of leaders in their community.

Despite the prevalence of trauma and toxic stress in the West Bank, the Palestinian public education system is ill-equipped to address its effects. Instead, Palestinian NGOs, like House of Hope, are filling the gap. Teachings include art, music expression, therapeutic body movements and other self-esteem affirming activities not found in public schools.

House of Hope is deeply inspired by the Waldorf education movement. In 2019, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education recognized House of Hope as the first and only Waldorf kindergarten in the West Bank.

Practicing Nonviolence and Nurturing Self Esteem
By helping children develop healthy, nonviolent coping skills, House of Hope inspires the next generation of community leaders dedicated to peace and community wellness. House of Hope students learn NonViolence Communication (NVC), a healing approach to conflict resolution that gives them the skills to understand what triggers them and transform their habitual or emerging responses to the injustices they experience.

The impact of House of Hope’s life-giving work is documented by teachers who report students’ individual achievement in behavioral and academic areas. Many children start their time at House of Hope quiet and withdrawn, and with time, engage with their classmates and teachers and achieve academic goals.

House of Hope is a non-political, non-governmental organization and is registered with the Palestinian Ministry of Education, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Culture. Learn more below in House of Hope’s 2019 Annual Report.

  • “

    Encountering the Other

    reGeneration brought The Way of Council to our bilingual Arabic Hebrew school. The Way of Council is a way to become aware that the person sitting across from me is a person just like me, who was born an empty vessel, and whom life has filled with different content, which is not necessarily the ultimate truth. I could have been born as Muhammed or Fatma, and I would then think as they do. So I think that within me I am actually a little bit Muhammed and a little bit Fatma, a little bit Amir or Rachel. And a little bit Gidi.”

    – Gidi Hyman, a teacher at reGeneration partner school Ein Bustan
    Gidi
  • “

    Two Peoples, One School

    At Ein Bustan we are two peoples, two languages, two different cultures. Yet when I bring my children to the kindergarten in the morning and see the children sitting, playing, building, singing, hiking, eating and working together, they are equal, and it’s not make-believe. This togetherness and the mutual wish to create a joint reality is what brought my family to the kindergarten. At school, we are all equal, and we all have a heart that can speak, listen, and be compassionate.”

    – Ester Springut, a parent at reGeneration partner school Ein Bustan
    Ester
  • “

    Training Crisis-Zone Ready Teachers

    Before I became a Waldorf teacher, I taught in public schools where the children rarely leave their desks. The Arab children especially have problems holding their pencils because they move their bodies so little…Thanks to my reGeneration scholarship, I became more sensitive about the need for children to be held in a protected space. Upon my return to school, I plan to find a way to build a separate area for our young children, so they have a more sheltered space than what they have now.”

    – Aida Awad, a founding teacher at reGeneration partner school Tamrat El Zeitoun
    Aida
  • “

    Uniting Communities

    With reGeneration, we created a Waldorf School based on the beauty of Arab culture and language, which also teaches Hebrew and English. It is a school where all the different religions and cultures of Arab people are represented and work together: Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Bedouins. The idea of bringing all these children together in one school is not the norm...but it is a model for how to integrate Waldorf education into the Arab culture.”

    – Lana Nasrallah, cofounding teacher of reGeneration partner school Tamrat El Zeitoun
    Lana
  • “

    Transforming the Holy Land

    Fear presents a choice whether we recognize it or not: to love or to hate. If we choose to love, we have sparked the first flame of creation. We are propelled into right action. House of Hope is honored to partner with reGeneration to continue our right action and bring transformational healing through holistic education to children in the Holy Land.”

    – Milad Vosgueritchian, co-founder and Chairman of reGeneration partner school House of Hope
    Milad