Human Rights Program

My name is Linnea, I am from Germany and I am working as a marketing manager.

I came to Palestine for participating in the human rights program and study Arabic. I spent in total six weeks in Hebron.

The human rights program mainly consists of various visits to different organizations, institutions and meeting people who live under occupation in Hebron. I really enjoyed the human rights program because it helps to get a better understanding of the political and societal situation in the West Bank and especially in Hebron. At some point, it is also very challenging to process all the information and especially when it comes to meeting people living under occupation and hearing about their daily life in Hebron.

What I liked the most about Palestine are the people! This is one of the most hospitable society I’ve ever been to. Everywhere you go people invite you for coffee or lunch and make you instantly feel like part of their family. Although adapting to a new surrounding is very challenging in the beginning, Palestinians make it easy for you to feel at home. This also applied to my host family: from the first moment I was part of the family and they were giving me space but also invited for lunch or diner and kept their door always open for me.
And also I felt that especially the kids are amazing in Palestine: so energetic, open, interested, kind and warm-hearted. I really enjoyed being part of this society!

During my time in Palestine I also had Arabic classes. My teacher was amazing because it was a great mixture of being challenged but still feeling very comfortable during the course. Every time I felt like I was learning something new and the classes were also a lot of fun and great memories!

Besides the program the center also organizes other activities such as having dinner together at the center or visit other places in the West Bank. It’s perfect for a change and to get to know the staff and other volunteers/internationals.

Regarding safety - I felt quite safe in Hebron. You can easily walk alone in the main areas during the day time and most of the people are very helpful and supportive. If you keep in mind several things such as not walking alone at night in quite areas or when alone, sitting in the back of a taxi then everything is fine. These are precautions you mostly take in any other city in the world.

I’d definitely recommend the human rights program if you’re interested in learning more about the situation of Palestinians. Although after some time it also becomes tough to mentally process everything you see, hear and experience.

For me it was a life changing experience as I could experience and learn about a completely different life and circumstances which really made me value and appreciate the freedom and equality I have back home!

Thank you for this great experience and keep on bringing people together 😊!