Volunteer Teaching English Abroad in Palestine

Osama and Marwa provide a wonderful experience for all volunteers, teachers and students. The center is a real community that brings people into an authentic and fulfilling experience in Palestine.

Hebron itself is a very welcoming city, where I and the other volunteers were perfectly safe and always warmly greeted by everyone. The apartment provided by the center is of very high quality.

Overall an unforgettable experience which I hope to repeat some time in future. Would recommend to anyone

I spent one week volunteering at the Excellence Center in Hebron as an English teacher, and it was an amazing experience. From the moment I arrived, I felt incredibly welcome. The accommodations were great, everything was well organized, and I felt safe throughout my stay.

A big thank you to the directors, Marwa and Osama, for their kindness and support. The excursions with Osama were a real highlight and gave me a much better understanding of Hebron and Palestinian culture. It was also a pleasure working with Jomana, the teacher I assisted, and learning Arabic with Haya, whose lessons were engaging and very enjoyable.

I met wonderful people, had a fantastic cultural experience, and made memories I’ll always keep. I highly recommend the Excellence Center to anyone interested in volunteering, learning Arabic, or experiencing life in Palestine.

I had the pleasure of staying in Palestine through the Excellence Center and it was amazing. Seeing the country and learning about everything was something I consider so important in my life. I had the wonderful opportunity to have Ms. Haya as my teacher. She’s incredible! As are the many teachers the organization has that will help you with your Arabic. They are thorough, patient, and fun. The people of Palestine are so warm and welcoming too. The organizers of the Excellence Center give a great balance of walking you through while letting you be on your own. I can’t stress my love for the Excellence Center and the country. May I visit a million times

I had a wonderful experience with the Excellence Center in Hebron for 2 weeks, and honestly I wish I was able to stay longer. I did both the English teaching programme and the intensive Arabic course (6h/week). As soon as I arrived I felt both really welcomed by Osama and Marwa (and their family) and the people in Hebron/Al Khalil. What was special about the Excellence Center for me, is that they could provide a range of activities for free (I would have not been able to have accessed on my own as they rely on a wide network) related to the teaching programme, in order to get to know Palestine, Hebron and its neighbouring communities in a more profound way. To give some examples: I had a tour in the city of Hebron where the traces of occupation are clearly seen and pointed out and according to your own interests they might try to show you particular places that you might like. It's something that is harder to explore on your own as they provide you with info and special access to certain sites.
Secondly, I really liked and valued the teaching programme a lot. Especially because they provide a variety of educational contexts where you can teach English and visit the different schools. To give you a slight idea of the places I was able to teach in or visit in just 2 weeks: twice a week teaching in the Excellence Center itself, another two times in two different camps (Al Fawar and Al Aroub), and even a visit to the orphan school and the school for blind pupils.
Besides that, the breakfasts they provide every weekday are a nice way to be together with the family and the other volunteers, the cooking class is a nice way to learn about the Palestinian cuisine, and even some evenings we were invited at their place to have dinner on the terrace.
Next on, I was happy to have followed the 6h/week Arabic classes. Usually they were in the mornings after breakfast until noon. I felt that they matched me with a teacher that was able to work with my (basic) level of Arabic. My teacher (Haya) was very motivated to learn me to read and write the Arabic alphabet, and after 1 or 2 weeks I managed to do so.
Next on I was very happy to see that they gave me the freedom to organize two activities I wanted to do with the children of the Center: one was a (virtual) classroom exchange with some of my students in Belgium and another one is an Ultimate Frisbee training.
I'm eternally grateful to the Excellence Center for having been able to have experienced all these different sides and aspects of Palestine and Hebron - thank you!!! All the best and hope to see you soon, Thomas.

Volunteering in The Excellence Center has helped me in more ways than I thought. I thought coming here I would be the one helping people and changing peoples' lives, but instead it was the Palestinians and the people in the center who changed my life and helped me grow and become part of a new family. I have now left the center having found a new family, meeting a bunch of people from the city, becoming part of the community, and learning many stories of Palestinians and seeing many stories be created in front of me.

I came into this program not knowing what to expect, but the staff at the center became family instantly! They made sure we were safe at all times and went out of their way for me to have the exact experiences I wanted.

Osama and Marwa (as well as the entire center staff) are the most kind and genuine people I have had the pleasure of meeting. They truly care about Hebron and the people of Palestine. Their commitment to bringing tourism to Hebron and showing people the true facts about the occupation is truly making a difference. I am so excited to come back!

The experience with the Excellent Centre was inspirational and amazing. The kindness of Marwa and Osama, and their family was amazing. Their knowledge and understanding, both of life and culture in Hebron, and their understanding of the needs of volunteers, was great. Every volunteer becomes part of the family. From tours of the old city, to barbecues in the mountains with the extended family, to the Arabic lessons taught by Shahed - just an amazing immersion into Palestinian life. The programme was also amazing. I learned so much about what is really happening in Gaza, but in a way that was loving and so positive. Spending time in refugee camps, speaking with local people, understanding their situation - this will live with me for the rest of my life. Thank you Marwa and Osama and thank you for the kindness of your extended family and that of the other inspirational volunteers on this programme. This is an amazing Centre and an amazing country, and it is and one I will return to again and again.

In a world where news and social media create our perception of places and people, this opportunity granted me a clear and colorful portal into the actual world and humanity of a place so often portrayed, but rarely experienced.

During my time, I was blessed with constant generosity of the hosts of the center, with warm hospitality of new friends and strangers alike, with delicious local foods cooked with friendliness, and with the gift of being with the bright and playful children of this land.

Beyond the worries of my parents, and the inconveniences of the checkpoints, living in Hebron felt safe and easy.
Osama and Marwa were incredibly kind, generous, supportive, and welcoming. The center was so often filled with the play and laughter of children and fellow teachers. And though I would never say it to her face, my teacher Duha is an indescribable gift to the center, to the world, and to the language of Arabic; her only flaw is that she needs to wear more colors. (And of course, all would be considered lucky to be graced by the presence of Princess Haya).

Lastly, as a Jew, this opportunity was a precious gift to create simple and powerful exchanges of cultures and lives; in my eyes seeing tiny potent seeds of love and understanding among our dear kin <3