Paul Calvert talks with Najwa Sahhar-Sayegh from Jeel Al Amal, a school and children's home, for the protection and care of needy and orphan children throughout Palestine.

Najwa: We have children with different kinds of learning disabilities. Some have autism, and we try to work with them, with a specialist and with the consultant. Now we are doing a project, a building of the 4th floor, it's going to include a room for children with learning disabilities to try to help them as a first step and integrate them in the classrooms afterwards. So this is a problem we face yes.

Paul: Now with the boys in the children's home do you do special things with them over the holidays?

Najwa: Yes during the holidays we have a number of children who do not leave Jeel Al Amal and we are the only organisation, by the way, who keeps its doors open over summer. All other organisations close and the children have to find somewhere. I don't know where if they don't have families, but they don't stay in the school.

In Jeel Al Amal we keep the doors open during summer. We have a programme, a summer camp where volunteers arrive from Unipal. This year we had three volunteers coming from the UK. We have a programme for those children to divert their attention from the harsh reality that, even during summer, they were not able to go somewhere or don't have anybody to go to. A number of activities are implemented; they go swimming, they go hiking, they go for IT workshops, the volunteers paint murals on the walls with the children, so it's an enjoyable thing to do.

Paul: Now obviously in time the children will get integrated into society, as they get older do they come back and visit?

Najwa: Yes they always do because they consider Jeel Al Amal as their home, they grew up here, and this is the place that cared for them, was loving and they consider it their home. They always come back and last time there was something very touching taking place here. A boy who had finished Jeel Al Amal and graduated university, had a contract in one of the Arab countries and he came to say goodbye. He was sitting with the children, it was a surprise visit, so everyone was looking and he said "When I was a boy like you, I'm an orphan, I have never known any family and Jeel Al Amal was my home and I wish and pray that each one of you would work hard and fulfil his dream and get to the point where I was." Now he is a doctor and is signing the contract to travel and work in one of the countries abroad and he came to say goodbye. So he gathered all the children around him and it was pretty inspiring because he really gave them encouragement and full support. They always come back.

Paul: How do you raise your finances, does the Government pay or do you have to raise all the money here yourself?

Najwa: Yes we are a nongovernmental organisation, we are private, and we do not get any government support whatsoever, we are totally on our own in getting money to Jeel Al Amal. The salaries of the school are not sponsored, we have to look for money to pay them, and for the boarding section all the needs we source on our own. It's very difficult, but we depend on more donations from friends, from churches in England and in Holland and also from unrestricted funds so it is very difficult sometimes.

Paul: Why do you do what you do?

Najwa: I started working in 2008 after my mother passed away, she left a huge gap and I was volunteering for a couple of years and this question that you are asking me now has been on my mind ever since I started working here. Why am I going to bare this responsibility when I saw my mother all her life, till the last minute of her life, worrying about how to get money and how to get things done in Jeel Al Amal, because we have nothing to depend on. I started volunteering and I found that Jeel Al Amal and the children are really worthwhile in helping. I experience the love that my mum had in her heart for those children and I started developing it and I understood more why my mother did it and I got a vision why I should continue it also.

So when you see a child crying, abused, having no future and you care for him and after a while he gets himself together and he is studying and he is building his future and you see the staff who are working in Jeel Al Amal, you feel encouraged to help them. You want to do everything in your might just to keep things going, so from my own experience it's rewarding and it's also worthwhile giving your life for such a worthy cause.

Paul: What is your prayer for the children here?

Najwa: Well I pray always and I always say "I pray for peace to prevail." I pray for better days for those children, I pray that God will give us the strength always to continue and that God would send in His angels to help us, help those children and do what is right for them. I pray that God blesses Jeel Al Amal.

Paul: Now for people who would maybe like to give to the organisation or know more about it from your website, what is your website's address?

Najwa: Our website is www.jeelalamal.org and we also have a YouTube channel. You can just type in Jeel Al Amal movie and you can see the children, which pretty much sums up Jeel Al Amal in 3 minutes.