I've been on the internship with the excellence centre for three weeks in total now, and the time has flown by so fast. Every morning we all come together for a big Palestinian breakfast, and this communal time is my favourite part of the day. The centre provides a wide range of activities. On some days, we spent a couple of hours visiting the offices of local human rights organisations, and on other days we would visit schools, camps and local manufacturers. On some days, we would simply enjoy a nice picnic together looking over the beautiful valleys and landscapes around Al-Khalil. Each morning i would look forward to my Arabic lessons with Doha, an amazing teacher among many who can teach at whatever level suits your learning style. Should you choose to intern with the excellence centre, you're undoubedly in for an absolutely unforgettable experience; and all the international and local friends I've made here would surely agree.

This is a great opportunity for anyone who would like to become a journalist. I attended many useful workshops that will help me in the future. Meetings with Palestinian journalists and interviews with interesting people were a great experience. What is more, the atmosphere was great and I could always count on the help of the Excellence Center or other volunteers. Also, Arabic lessons helped me a lot, as I learned basic phrases needed for communication. I recommend this program to anyone who wants to develop their skills.

Even though I was already familiar with the political climate of Palestine, coming to Hebron and volunteering with the Excellence Center has been one of the richest experiences of my life.

Everyday I got to learn something new, meet amazing activists and members of the community that work endlessly to enrich both the city and the country. Doing the Women's Rights Program at The Excellence Center offers a lifetime chance to get to live, learn, and support the community of amazing women that forms Palestine. I had the opportunity to visit business owners, NGO workers, journalists and advocators of both human and women's rights. With that, not only did I gain a clear understanding of the situation of women in Palestine, but also understood the misconceptions about Palestine, the Arab World and the role genders play on it.

In addition to the program, I had the opportunity to learn Palestinian Arabic from scratch. With the incredible teacher at the center (thanks J!) I got to work on my language skills to be able to communicate effectively with the locals in Hebron, making this experience ten times more rewarding. With daily classes and patience, everyone that is looking to start their journey in Arabic should definitely consider the Excellence Center for it.

Finally, I encourage international volunteers to come to beautiful Hebron and spend their time at the Excellence Center. You will be immersed in the culture, get to know many people that are nothing but welcoming and helpful, as well as you would be supporting the community with your skills and expertise. This will not only help them, but help yourself to get in tune with what it means to live in a society and help each other. Unlike what Western media portraits, Hebron will open its doors kindly for you to welcome you with open arms and possibly, a cup of coffee or tea. If I could go back I would repeat the experience all over again. See you next year Excellence Center!

It was an amazing experience. I am so grateful to be here in The Excelence Center. It changed my life forever, knowing this land, these people, these children, and being able to help, but also learning so much with them all.

It is very safe to come here for volunteering even in these hard times, but Hebron is totally safe and you are being taken care of here as family. And leave as family. It feels like home.

For sure, I will come back soon and many times in the future.

With all my love and deep gratitude, Helio

The Excellence center provides a wonderful look at life in the west bank through cultural immersion, classes, and support while you explore the area. The staff are so friendly and happy to answer questions. They also have an excellent network of contacts to help you learn more about anything that interests you in the area. They provided helpful arabic classes and had very comfortable accommodation that was close to the center
As a volunteer with the Medicine and Healthcare program, I also bore witness to the realities of medical apartheid in Palestine. In most areas of the West Bank, Palestinians are not allowed to build hospitals or clinics, even on land that they own. The Excellence Center connected me with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society and the Green Land Society, which have offices based in Hebron and send mobile clinics to areas where there are no medical facilities. I also spoke with many healthcare professionals who told of how, even in areas with medical facilities, resources are limited, including several crucial medications which are blocked from being imported into the West Bank. And yet, Palestinians are among the most resilient and resourceful people, finding ways to take care of each other in spite of all these barriers.

I have volunteered with the Excellence Center through the month of June 2025, right when yet another series of bombings would burn away the night skies and, and in its wake, riptide hopes for peace and security for those on the ground. A dire context which only reinforced the pressure exerted by the violent -and omnipresent- occupation regime.

Despite it all, words could hardly paint out how grateful I am to Marwa and Osama, who welcomed me like family, and made sure that I would be able to provide help to the communities in need of it, all the while providing me with the best introduction to a culture one can hope for when visiting a country.

Not only do I think the Human Rights Program is a most suited point into assisting the Palestinian struggle for peace, freedom and justice, I would also highly recommend it to anyone initiative-driven, wishing to help the local communities, as the Center -besides Arabic lessons and daily visits- provides you with a framework to basically do anything, and ensures you get the right tools and connections on the ground to do so. To me at least, that such a service exists for Palestine is not only desireable : it is crucial.

I was in Palestine for five weeks. It has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my lifetime. I have met some incredible people here and have learnt so much about the experiences in the West Bank.

I would thoroughly recommend the programme to anyone who wants to come here to see what it is like. It is incredibly safe here (provided you are sensible), even with everything that has been happening with Iran. It has been an absolute joy to teach English at Al Fawwar camp, the girls there are super special and so sweet. I would also recommend going to Masafer Yatta for a few nights and helping to do the night shifts at the villages (as well as give any donations possible).

A big big thank you to Marwa and Osama for being so hospitable and ensuring that we all had a wonderful experience. I cannot forget to thank my arabic teacher Duha. She truly is the best teacher on the planet. She makes it incredibly fun to come for my lessons.

Honestly, the best time I've had in my life, The Excellence Center is the most welcoming place ever, I felt at home as soon as I got here, the hosts have the kindest hearts. the activities were outstanding, I will miss this place so much, Palestine is the most amazing beautiful place with the most kindest people considering the challanges they face every day their resistance is something i admire so much. this place hold a dear place in my heart and I cannot wait to return already to now what i call family. Thanks for this, and take care.