Students Complete Service-Learning Project

Students from the Communication and Writing Skills course from the Department of English at Bethlehem University, recently completed a semester-long service-learning project in collaboration with the Holy Family Children’s Home (Crèche) in Bethlehem.

Through a series of lectures, an orientation visit, and activity sessions with the children, students connected classroom learning to real social contexts and produced final blogs aimed at raising public awareness.

The project began with a guest lecture on campus by Mr. Iskandar Andon, a social worker at the Crèche, who provided an overview of the institution’s history, mission, and the complex situations that bring children to the home. He explained that many children arrive as a result of abuse, abandonment, or difficult social and economic conditions.

Students then took part in a guided orientation at the Crèche, where they visited the playrooms, sleeping areas, church, classrooms, and outdoor spaces. Several groups highlighted how the tour helped them understand that the Crèche does far more than provide basic shelter; it responds to deep emotional and developmental needs and serves as “a safe and nurturing environment.” One group described the institution as “a sanctuary of second chances,” emphasizing that it offers protection and structure to children who have been abandoned.

Each student group developed a blog exploring a specific aspect of the Crèche’s context. Topics included adoption stigma, parental termination, domestic violence, psychological and behavioral challenges, attachment and emotional security, and social perceptions of children living in care.

Several projects placed a strong emphasis on emotional and spiritual dimensions. One group described how, during the tour, Mr. Andon pointed to a statue of the Virgin Mary holding a key and told students that “the key of the Crèche is not in anyone’s hand, but in the hands of the heavens above.” Another blog opened with the statement, “Attachment is not just a bond; it is the first lesson a child learns about safety, love, and connection,” framing the entire project around the significance of early attachment in child development.

In addition to research and observation, students organized activities designed to support the children’s emotional and social development. These included art-based sessions where children created handprint posters, thank-you notes for their caregivers, and drawings, as well as games with balloons, puzzles, and letter-recognition exercises. One group reported that their handprint activity was meant to convey the message that “every handprint will influence the future,” emphasizing that each child’s presence and potential matters.

Some groups also incorporated survey work into their blogs, gathering responses from the wider community about adoption and social stigma. This added a public dimension to the project, linking what they observed at the Crèche to broader attitudes in Palestinian society.