Facts on Jenin
Location: West Bank, occupied Palestinian territories
Population: 50.000 (city) / 230.000 (governorate) Unemployment: around 80% Other: lack of public spaces; very limited cultural services; socially divided between Jenin city and refugee camp; scene of fierce fighting during the Second Intifada. 
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How MAIA was bornThe genesis...
On April 25, 2010 five students of the University of Trento decided to found a non-profit, non-political and open organization, in order to effectively contribute to the original philosophy of 'Cinema Jenin Project'. This is how the foundations of MAIA's international cooperation, of which the founders identified the critical issues and perspectives, have been written. Then an extensive study and investigation on the targeted reality begins. The first cooperation projects... From July 15 to September 5 2010, volunteers of the then Cinema Jenin Italy onlus [CJIT] carry out four completely independent and self-financed activities:
At the time, a photographer and a blog designer are part of the team, covering the development of the four activities as well as the daily life of MAIA volunteers. Volunteers offer their help also to the team of Cinema Jenin Project, in order to ultimate the final phases of the rehabilitation of Jenin's cinema, a project in which they have actively participated since August 2009. The crowning of this activity is the Opening Festival of Cinema Jenin, which has taken place between August 5 and 7, 2010. |
The turn in international cooperation
On April 4, 2011 Juliano Mer Khamis, artistic director and executive of the Freedom Theatre for Peace [refugee camp of Jenin], was shot dead with five gunshots fired at close range, as he was returning home in his car, along with his son, fortunately unharmed, and the nanny, who was injured in a hand.
Only ten days later, on the evening of April 14, 2011, Vittorio Arrigoni was kidnapped by a group pertaining to the jihadist Salafists, after leaving the gym in which he used to go in Gaza. The next day, the lifeless body of Vittorio was discovered by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades during a raid on a house in Gaza.
These inhumane actions grieve organization members and complicate the programming of the work, obliged to adapt to escalating violence. For these reasons, MAIA decided to move away from mainstream international cooperation modalities that were generally being adopted in Jenin until the mentioned events and to re-elaborate in toto its commitment and its return to the region.
A detailed study and constant communication with the then local coordinator led to the decision to re-found the organization and establish a new model of cooperation, more attentive and sensitive to local issues and to the peculiarities of the local community.
Thus, in July 2011, the General Assembly of CJIT adopts the decision to modify and amend the statute's articles and the organization's name.
From this moment on, the group adopted the name of 'Make An Impact Association' [MAIA].
Back again
MAIA goes back to Jenin on August 5, 2011.
It re-establishes trust with the local community, to which it addresses the question ‘What are you needs and priorities? How to fulfill them? What can we do together?’
The ongoing collaboration with the different partners that work with MAIA in different projects and fields originated precisely from this friendship and solidarity between MAIA volunteers and Jenin's community.
The Al Noor Blind School for Children
MAIA is committed to support the school through the provision of equipment and machinery for the facilitation of everyday life of the visually impaired and blind children. The structure of the school curriculum is divided into 10 grades specifically aimed at children and young people that affected by this disability. Equipment must therefore facilitate the educational environment and more broadly the life of the children. Among other things, MAIA helps in finding braille reading and writing machines, watches, toys, sticks and more.
Another area of intervention is identified in the basic daily management of children assistance and their living environment. A program to improve the quality of the offered service is currently being studied, as well as an assessment of the degree of awareness of households, schools and local communities about the difficulties faced by visually impaired and blind children, in cooperation with the Trento section of the Union of Italian Blinds and the Blind Center of Bolzano.
In addition, the commitment of MAIA is geared also towards improving the presence of the school on the web and other media.
Finally, it is a shared goal to create spaces for recreational activities, within the school's infrastructure, suitable for children and teens, both in and outdoor (specifically, the construction of a safe Sensory room and an outdoor area designed to increase spatial sensitivity and personal confidence of the children).
Partners for Sustainable Development
By founding its work on the concept of the sustainability of projects, the PSD provides help to MAIA onlus for a program of micro-financing to families of the disabled children of the Al Noor Blind School.
We are also planning cultural exchange programs involving international students and local students, in a path of mutual understanding and mutual growth and discovery.
Other programs that involve women and other local needs are being developed.
Sharek Youth Forum
MAIA onlus collaborates with Sharek through a program aimed at fostering the involvement of youth coming from Palestinian towns and villages in political participation and active citizenship within their community. The program, titled 'Be The Change', aims at engaging children in issues that directly affect them and at making them an input for local politicians. MAIA onlus, in this case, seeks tho provide these young people with the opportunity of speaking with their international peers in English. The dialectical capacity building will ensure that these young people can come into contact with other external dynamics with greater capacity for expression of their ideas, and greater mastery of the language.
Sharek also provides to MAIA onlus its sociological research database built over time through studies on Palestinian youth. This potential is essential for the success and consistency of cooperation and research programs currently being developed.
Arab American University of Jenin
With the Arab American University of Jenin, the research team of MAIA onlus conducts studies focused on the local situation. The aspects under investigation are related to legal, political and sociological issues.
From a legal point of view the commitment is in the direction of understanding all the factors that affect access to the 'right to education' of Palestinian youth, in light, among other things, of the 'Arab Spring' and the law of 'occupation'.
From a socio-anthropological point of view, however, dynamics being studied concern both the failure of cooperation in Jenin area and the evaluation and analysis of the real needs and priorities of the local community, as well as the results of cooperation activities.
High School System of Jenin Governorate
With the help of the public school system a program of introduction of rugby in the curricular hours of physical education in local high schools is under construction.
Rugby is a sport with a strong educational value. In an environment strongly affected by multiple forms of violence, this sport can provide an example of self-control and respect for the opponent, an undisputed pedagogical value. Moreover, teaching is intended conveyed in English and this will lead to combine the game with learning the international language par excellence.
If you are interested in knowing more about ongoing projects, please visit the Projects page.
On April 4, 2011 Juliano Mer Khamis, artistic director and executive of the Freedom Theatre for Peace [refugee camp of Jenin], was shot dead with five gunshots fired at close range, as he was returning home in his car, along with his son, fortunately unharmed, and the nanny, who was injured in a hand.
Only ten days later, on the evening of April 14, 2011, Vittorio Arrigoni was kidnapped by a group pertaining to the jihadist Salafists, after leaving the gym in which he used to go in Gaza. The next day, the lifeless body of Vittorio was discovered by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades during a raid on a house in Gaza.
These inhumane actions grieve organization members and complicate the programming of the work, obliged to adapt to escalating violence. For these reasons, MAIA decided to move away from mainstream international cooperation modalities that were generally being adopted in Jenin until the mentioned events and to re-elaborate in toto its commitment and its return to the region.
A detailed study and constant communication with the then local coordinator led to the decision to re-found the organization and establish a new model of cooperation, more attentive and sensitive to local issues and to the peculiarities of the local community.
Thus, in July 2011, the General Assembly of CJIT adopts the decision to modify and amend the statute's articles and the organization's name.
From this moment on, the group adopted the name of 'Make An Impact Association' [MAIA].
Back again
MAIA goes back to Jenin on August 5, 2011.
It re-establishes trust with the local community, to which it addresses the question ‘What are you needs and priorities? How to fulfill them? What can we do together?’
The ongoing collaboration with the different partners that work with MAIA in different projects and fields originated precisely from this friendship and solidarity between MAIA volunteers and Jenin's community.
The Al Noor Blind School for Children
MAIA is committed to support the school through the provision of equipment and machinery for the facilitation of everyday life of the visually impaired and blind children. The structure of the school curriculum is divided into 10 grades specifically aimed at children and young people that affected by this disability. Equipment must therefore facilitate the educational environment and more broadly the life of the children. Among other things, MAIA helps in finding braille reading and writing machines, watches, toys, sticks and more.
Another area of intervention is identified in the basic daily management of children assistance and their living environment. A program to improve the quality of the offered service is currently being studied, as well as an assessment of the degree of awareness of households, schools and local communities about the difficulties faced by visually impaired and blind children, in cooperation with the Trento section of the Union of Italian Blinds and the Blind Center of Bolzano.
In addition, the commitment of MAIA is geared also towards improving the presence of the school on the web and other media.
Finally, it is a shared goal to create spaces for recreational activities, within the school's infrastructure, suitable for children and teens, both in and outdoor (specifically, the construction of a safe Sensory room and an outdoor area designed to increase spatial sensitivity and personal confidence of the children).
Partners for Sustainable Development
By founding its work on the concept of the sustainability of projects, the PSD provides help to MAIA onlus for a program of micro-financing to families of the disabled children of the Al Noor Blind School.
We are also planning cultural exchange programs involving international students and local students, in a path of mutual understanding and mutual growth and discovery.
Other programs that involve women and other local needs are being developed.
Sharek Youth Forum
MAIA onlus collaborates with Sharek through a program aimed at fostering the involvement of youth coming from Palestinian towns and villages in political participation and active citizenship within their community. The program, titled 'Be The Change', aims at engaging children in issues that directly affect them and at making them an input for local politicians. MAIA onlus, in this case, seeks tho provide these young people with the opportunity of speaking with their international peers in English. The dialectical capacity building will ensure that these young people can come into contact with other external dynamics with greater capacity for expression of their ideas, and greater mastery of the language.
Sharek also provides to MAIA onlus its sociological research database built over time through studies on Palestinian youth. This potential is essential for the success and consistency of cooperation and research programs currently being developed.
Arab American University of Jenin
With the Arab American University of Jenin, the research team of MAIA onlus conducts studies focused on the local situation. The aspects under investigation are related to legal, political and sociological issues.
From a legal point of view the commitment is in the direction of understanding all the factors that affect access to the 'right to education' of Palestinian youth, in light, among other things, of the 'Arab Spring' and the law of 'occupation'.
From a socio-anthropological point of view, however, dynamics being studied concern both the failure of cooperation in Jenin area and the evaluation and analysis of the real needs and priorities of the local community, as well as the results of cooperation activities.
High School System of Jenin Governorate
With the help of the public school system a program of introduction of rugby in the curricular hours of physical education in local high schools is under construction.
Rugby is a sport with a strong educational value. In an environment strongly affected by multiple forms of violence, this sport can provide an example of self-control and respect for the opponent, an undisputed pedagogical value. Moreover, teaching is intended conveyed in English and this will lead to combine the game with learning the international language par excellence.
If you are interested in knowing more about ongoing projects, please visit the Projects page.
Make An Impact Association Onlus – via Inama, 5, 38122 Trento - C.F. 02168080220
makeanimpact.info@gmail.com
makeanimpact.info@gmail.com
