My dear brothers and sisters,
Assalamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that this message reaches you all in a state of good health, contentment and tremondous spirit. As you may already know, I represent a London based charity called Unipal who gives volunteers, both male and female, an opportunity to visit Palestine and help create a better understanding of the situation and daily lives of refugees by living among them as part of the community. Our summer programme is part of a cultural exchange whereby volunteers teach English to children in schools as part of a summer camp, although in the summer of 2014, there will be more of a focus on art, crafts, sports, drama and the like. You don't need to have a teaching qualification or experience to apply but it does help, believe me; nevertheless, at the very least, you should feel comfortable standing at the front of a classroom. As mentioned, the focus this coming year will be more on arts, crafts, sports and theatre so if this sounds like your thing, then I urge you to get involved in what was for me, the single best experience of my life which continues to have a positive impact on my life even today. Unipal also facilitates in helping bring Palestinian teachers over to the UK for language courses, to help them learn more about British culture and give them the opportunity to converse with native speakers, an opportunity Palestinians crave and cherish. However, this has been difficult for us to carry out in recent years so we have instead sponsored Palestinian students to help fund their studies at university.
The start of Ramadan means that our usual dates are not available to us. However, in 2014, it is likely that volunteers will be asked to travel very early in June to undertake a three week programme with an option to stay on for a further week if children wish to continue attending in the first week of Ramadan. The cost will be around £300-350 (depending on which option volunteers choose). This includes accommodation, insurance, teaching materials, food and travel expenses in the region connected to the programme. I'm sure everyone will agree that this is a fantastic opportunity at such a great price, enabling volunteers to visit the blessed land and make a positive, tangible contribution to the cause and at the very least, aid us and themselves by raising awareness surrounding the ever volatile oppression, which continues to affect our brothers and sisters over there.
A little about me: I volunteered for the first time in 2011 and have returned twice more in consecutive years as a coordinator. I have made a new family over there who I maintain contact with - they took me in as one of their own and I was only happy to oblige, loving them as my own flesh and blood. I am writing this of my own accord after being saddened by the lack of Muslim involvement with this charity and towards the cause in general. (As far as I know, I am the only Muslim male to have taken advantage of this opportunity via Unipal, which is beyond crazy.) I have been so blessed to have been given the opportunity to visit three times now, which includes praying in Masjid al Aqsa, which so many of us yearn for. This could be you and Unipal offers the perfect platform - it's a guided trip, you get to meet and fall in love with the Palestinian children and experience the overwhelming hospitality of their families, the people most affected by the occupation, as you live among them, with them, as them.
I hope that whoever reads this will pass the message on to their families, friends or anyone else whom you feel may be interested and benefit from this opportunity. Feel free to contact me for more information - I could go on forever. You can also visit the website at www.unipal.org.uk to find out more about what the charity does and how you can get involved. Application forms should be available very soon, my guess is within the fortnight, and although I am aware that many potential volunteers will not be able to volunteer due to academic commitments, I am hopeful that this message will reach those for whom Allah will open a door for.
Assalamualaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,
I pray that this message reaches you all in a state of good health, contentment and tremondous spirit. As you may already know, I represent a London based charity called Unipal who gives volunteers, both male and female, an opportunity to visit Palestine and help create a better understanding of the situation and daily lives of refugees by living among them as part of the community. Our summer programme is part of a cultural exchange whereby volunteers teach English to children in schools as part of a summer camp, although in the summer of 2014, there will be more of a focus on art, crafts, sports, drama and the like. You don't need to have a teaching qualification or experience to apply but it does help, believe me; nevertheless, at the very least, you should feel comfortable standing at the front of a classroom. As mentioned, the focus this coming year will be more on arts, crafts, sports and theatre so if this sounds like your thing, then I urge you to get involved in what was for me, the single best experience of my life which continues to have a positive impact on my life even today. Unipal also facilitates in helping bring Palestinian teachers over to the UK for language courses, to help them learn more about British culture and give them the opportunity to converse with native speakers, an opportunity Palestinians crave and cherish. However, this has been difficult for us to carry out in recent years so we have instead sponsored Palestinian students to help fund their studies at university.
The start of Ramadan means that our usual dates are not available to us. However, in 2014, it is likely that volunteers will be asked to travel very early in June to undertake a three week programme with an option to stay on for a further week if children wish to continue attending in the first week of Ramadan. The cost will be around £300-350 (depending on which option volunteers choose). This includes accommodation, insurance, teaching materials, food and travel expenses in the region connected to the programme. I'm sure everyone will agree that this is a fantastic opportunity at such a great price, enabling volunteers to visit the blessed land and make a positive, tangible contribution to the cause and at the very least, aid us and themselves by raising awareness surrounding the ever volatile oppression, which continues to affect our brothers and sisters over there.
A little about me: I volunteered for the first time in 2011 and have returned twice more in consecutive years as a coordinator. I have made a new family over there who I maintain contact with - they took me in as one of their own and I was only happy to oblige, loving them as my own flesh and blood. I am writing this of my own accord after being saddened by the lack of Muslim involvement with this charity and towards the cause in general. (As far as I know, I am the only Muslim male to have taken advantage of this opportunity via Unipal, which is beyond crazy.) I have been so blessed to have been given the opportunity to visit three times now, which includes praying in Masjid al Aqsa, which so many of us yearn for. This could be you and Unipal offers the perfect platform - it's a guided trip, you get to meet and fall in love with the Palestinian children and experience the overwhelming hospitality of their families, the people most affected by the occupation, as you live among them, with them, as them.
I hope that whoever reads this will pass the message on to their families, friends or anyone else whom you feel may be interested and benefit from this opportunity. Feel free to contact me for more information - I could go on forever. You can also visit the website at www.unipal.org.uk to find out more about what the charity does and how you can get involved. Application forms should be available very soon, my guess is within the fortnight, and although I am aware that many potential volunteers will not be able to volunteer due to academic commitments, I am hopeful that this message will reach those for whom Allah will open a door for.
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