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Surmounting Obstacles ...
An Inspiring Story from the Holyland

posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 01:46 PM

This is an inspiring story from the Holy Land. A story that started with a Hope, stumbled on some Obstacles on the way, continued with courage and Determination, and ended with a Triumph. It’s the story of ten students from Gaza, who realized the need of educated and qualified Occupational therapist in Gaza and decided to join the Occupational Therapy Program at Bethlehem University.

Hope : The story started with the 10 students from Gaza applying to the Occupational Therapy Program at Bethlehem University. They hoped to gain knowledge, skills, and a degree in a field that is greatly needed in a conflict area such as Gaza. They were all eager to come to Bethlehem University, finish their study, and go back to Gaza to server their community.

Obstacles : These hopes were shattered just few weeks after being admitted to Bethlehem University. Five of the students were denied permission to travel from Gaza to Bethlehem (through Israel) to start their study. Several requests to the Israeli Authority were made to grant permits to the students, but they were all denied. Even a case to the Israeli Supreme Court by an Israeli Human Right Group to grant the needed permits to the students was also rejected after long delays.

Determination : It was feared that this was the end of the students dreams. But a group of dedicated and determined BU faculty members refused to give up on the remaining students dreams. They insisted on delivering their training and teaching to those students using any possible means. They started to use alternative and innovative methods of learning: online courses, video conferencing, DVDs, and international lecturers who were able to travel to Gaza or Egypt to teach the students.

Triumph : Several years later, determination, dedication, and hope prevailed. Overcoming all obstacles and hardship, on March 27th, 2008 a graduation ceremony (of course) through video conferencing took place. The students at Islamic University in Gaza, and Bethlehem University administration, faculty, and peer students at the Audiovisual Center at Bethlehem University. It was an emotional ceremony with mixed feelings of happiness, pride, and concerns for the future. It was a fairytale end of a story that had all the reasons to end with sadness and frustration, but with determination and dedication it became a story of hope and inspiration.


For more information about this story, please go to the following links:

• Surmounting Obstacles with Creativity, Determination and Effort

• VATICAN RADIO interview with BU Administration about this story

Comments

Tommy Hutchinson

Friday, August 15, 2008 03:51 PM

Thank you Philip for sharing this. Its a eample on how media and other routes can be used to keep people's hopes alive.

Philip Daoud

Saturday, August 16, 2008 07:03 AM

Hi Tommy It was our first practical use of VC, online courses, and multimedia elements for teaching. Most of the faculty members involved in this story didn't use any of the mentioned tools before. It was a surprise for me to see them using it, and using it effectively.