Lebanon: LEAP

This summer, a group of American volunteers and I will travel to Lebanon with a program called LEAP. For one month, we'll live and work in Palestinian refugee camps in and around Beirut. We'll provide intensive English-language training, preparation for national exams, and opportunities for informal linguistic and cultural interaction to Palestinian teenagers. In the interests of fun and well-roundedness, we'll also lead extracurricular activities and excursions. Our students will provide us with a window into their worlds and experiences, and we will pass this exposure on to you and the world.

LEAP is the Learning English Advancement Program, a volunteer organization founded and run by former volunteers with the UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency). LEAP's purpose is to bring greater educational opportunity and equality to Palestinian refugee youth in Lebanon.

Over 400,000 Palestinian refugees are located in Lebanon, housed primarily in 12 refugee camps. These individuals are denied rights ranging from owning land, to receiving public health services, to freely leaving the confines of the refugee camps. Basic services including health, education, relief and social services are provided by UNRWA.

Palestinian refugees are considered citizenless and are therefore ineligible for rights as foreign workers. They are barred from over 70 job categories in Lebanon, including medicine, law, and engineering. Additionally, Palestinian refugees are not permitted to attend Lebanese public schools, yet are required to pass Lebanese national exams for admittance to high school and college. The national Brevet exam includes a significant English-language component, which presents a major obstacle to Palestinian students with limited exposure to English.

For more information on LEAP, please go to http://leapsummerprogram.org/