Human Rights Programme

My name is Ann Marie and I am from Ireland. I took part in the Human Rights programme at the Excellence Center in order to meet with prominent Civil Society Organisations in Hebron to get a sense of how the Israeli occupation impacts the lives of people in Palestinian, and to get some ideas on topics I could research for my final masters thesis.

I met with human rights organisations, women’s groups, environmental groups, legal professionals as well as activists, to get an all round sense of the situation on the ground, and the challenges these organisations face in advocating for people’s freedoms and rights.

I took Arabic lessons 3 times a week and my overall experience of learning at the center was really professional and interesting. The Excellence Center lived up to my expectations and more.

As well as the professional learning experience from the staff at the centre, there is also the added experience of learning from the ever present and transient international visiting group as well as the added experience of getting to live with a host Palestinian family. I was hosted by a lady called Sada who has become a friend for life, who showed me true Palestinian hospitality. The center also organised fun days out to experience other areas of Palestine and to keep the experience interactive and light. I would encourage anyone to come to Palestine. In light of current world events, the situation in Palestine needs to remain in the minds of all of us in the International community in order to provide solidarity and advocacy for the people of Palestine.