Educational culture exchange center
Donation protected
This fundraising campaign is to financially support the Bethlehem Hostel and Cultural Exchange Center in Palestine for Nidal Abu Maria.
Nidal is a 27 year old Palestinian from a village near Hebron and it has long been his dream to start a business that will help bridge cultures in Palestine."
Nidal hopes to establish a hostel unlike any other as it is designed to introduce travelers to the many aspects of culture in the West Bank and life under occupation. The hostel will not only provide a comfortable, trendy atmosphere for guests to stay while in Bethlehem, but will offer tours that take travelers to contested areas of the West Bank and places directly affected by the occupation. These tours will take people to the apartheid wall, refugee camps, demolished Palestinian villages, as well as the Dead Sea and hiking tours through the beautiful Jordan Valley. Guests will have the opportunity to meet a variety of locals and experience the many different facets of Palestinian life and culture. The facility will include a library full of educational materials regarding Palestine and will be a space for discussions, movie nights featuring local films, as well as Arabic classes to internationals. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to teach English to local Palestinians, bridging the gap between cultures and creating new avenues of dialogue. Nidal believes this hostel will be a perfect opportunity for travelers to go beyond just tourism and open their minds to another culture and begin to understand life under occupation. Our campaign is asking $50,000 to cover the startup costs for the hostel. We will need $33,525 for the purchasing of the property and renovations and $18,224 to complete the furnishing. Thanks to everyone for being a part of our project!
PS: You may notice that there is the name 'David Joseph Deutch' on the page. Because of certain restrictions on us as Palestinians, I needed my roomate and friend to help me with the logistics. The money goes into his account, which is based in the US, and is given to me. He is living in Palestine and working with the UN.
Nidal is a 27 year old Palestinian from a village near Hebron and it has long been his dream to start a business that will help bridge cultures in Palestine."
Nidal hopes to establish a hostel unlike any other as it is designed to introduce travelers to the many aspects of culture in the West Bank and life under occupation. The hostel will not only provide a comfortable, trendy atmosphere for guests to stay while in Bethlehem, but will offer tours that take travelers to contested areas of the West Bank and places directly affected by the occupation. These tours will take people to the apartheid wall, refugee camps, demolished Palestinian villages, as well as the Dead Sea and hiking tours through the beautiful Jordan Valley. Guests will have the opportunity to meet a variety of locals and experience the many different facets of Palestinian life and culture. The facility will include a library full of educational materials regarding Palestine and will be a space for discussions, movie nights featuring local films, as well as Arabic classes to internationals. Volunteers will also have the opportunity to teach English to local Palestinians, bridging the gap between cultures and creating new avenues of dialogue. Nidal believes this hostel will be a perfect opportunity for travelers to go beyond just tourism and open their minds to another culture and begin to understand life under occupation. Our campaign is asking $50,000 to cover the startup costs for the hostel. We will need $33,525 for the purchasing of the property and renovations and $18,224 to complete the furnishing. Thanks to everyone for being a part of our project!
PS: You may notice that there is the name 'David Joseph Deutch' on the page. Because of certain restrictions on us as Palestinians, I needed my roomate and friend to help me with the logistics. The money goes into his account, which is based in the US, and is given to me. He is living in Palestine and working with the UN.
Organizer
Nidal Abu Mariah
Organizer
Brooklyn, NY