The Beginning

In 2011, a group of dedicated Palestinian community servants in Hebron launched the Excellence Center in Palestine, primarily to connect international volunteer English teachers with Palestinian students wanting to learn English. In Hebron, Palestinian students in schools are taught English by Palestinian teachers and have little to no exposure to native or foreign English speakers unless they happen to meet them around the city.

As few tourists come to Hebron, many Palestinian students have never or rarely met English-speaking speakers from other countries. This is something that the Excellence Center endeavored to change.

Palestinian Students Learn English In School, However…

While Palestinian students learn English in school, the school curriculum in the West Bank has similarities with English curricula worldwide in that it is often teacher- and grammar-focused, with little or no time for speaking practice. In addition, class sizes, particularly in public schools, can have 40-50 students per class, making learning another language much more difficult.

This approach often leads Palestinian students and students all over the world to leave school and feel like they can’t speak or use English, even though they spent many years studying it. 

We Sought A Different Approach To Teaching English

The Excellence Center sought a different approach, wanting to teach English in a different way, using more practical and communicative methods and bringing native and fluent English speakers to Palestine.

Connecting international students with Palestinian students inside the English classroom gives Palestinian students much-needed practice and exposure to English. Not only that, but it can also increase their confidence and present the perfect setting for cultural exchange and building multicultural relationships.

Our Success Led To Expansion

As the Excellence Center became more established and reputable within the local community in Hebron, we began to have more Palestinian students join us for our English courses. We also began to develop our intensive Arabic courses aimed at international students wishing to come to Palestine primarily to study Arabic, whether the local dialect or Fus’ha. Success with our English and Arabic teaching programs led to continued growth, which allowed us to create Engage in Palestine, Volunteer In Palestine, and Study In Palestine to expand into other important fields. 

While the Excellence Center focuses primarily on teaching English to local Palestinian students and Arabic to international students, Volunteer in Palestine primarily focuses on community development. This includes working with Palestinian refugees, Palestinian children, and other members of the local Palestinian community. Volunteer in Palestine runs numerous programs and training services to develop our local community and create better career and economic opportunities, and a better overall future.

Awards and Recognitions 

The Excellence Center/Volunteer in Palestine has been honored with several prestigious Community Awards and recognized as the Best Language School and Top Volunteer and Internship Program Provider for the years 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. For more details, please visit our profiles on GoOverseas.com and GoAbroad.com.

Making a Difference In Palestine

Volunteer in Palestine also aims to educate and inform international participants about Palestine in several fields, including human rights, women’s rights, Palestinian culture, laws, and legal practices, medicine, and healthcare. Today, Volunteer in Palestine offers volunteer programs and internships in various fields for international participants wishing to come to Palestine and engage with the local community.

This is very important work as there are many unfair misconceptions about Palestine and Palestinians in the international community, and this is an area where we can make a real difference. In addition, it is very difficult for Palestinians to travel abroad due to the restrictions imposed on them by the Occupation, which also limits the tourism industry within Palestine. So, Volunteer in Palestine also provides an environment where Palestinians can engage with people from all over the world.

Expanding To New Facilities

Due to our success and expansion, in 2017, we left our original building on Ein Sara Street and moved to new facilities just a few minutes away on foot (Ein Sarah Street (Street 420), Building No. 7, next to Al Hussein Mosque). Our new facility, where we are located today, is larger and has more than double the classrooms we had previously.

This allows us to teach more English and Arabic classes and gives us a bigger space to host more international participants. Additionally, we now have more space to offer workshops, seminars, events, and training sessions for international students and our local community.

The Future?

Our story is not yet finished as we continue to expand and grow both internationally and within our local community. Our commitment to our values, the local Palestinian community, and international participants has led to our enormous success and expansion since our very humble beginning.

We will continue to grow and develop our local Palestinian community and our international participants from now until the future. We would happily welcome you if you wish to engage in Palestine with us. 

Get Involved

If you are as excited by our mission as we are, you can support Volunteer in Palestine in several ways. 

Get Further Information 

For more information, please visit our website: https://volunteerinpalestine.org/

The Excellence Center in Palestine https://excellencenter.org/

Engage in Palestine: https://ecpalestine.org/

WhatsApp: +972 599 479 880

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excellence.center

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCenter

Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron

Watch us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQSLdFZWZcBm6Uj0XMYuKg

Visit and Explore Palestine: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorePalestine