Samah Says,

My name is Samah Hnehen. I’m an English teacher at Sourif Basic Girls’ School 2, where I’ve been working since 2023. I’m passionate about education, empowering young learners, and creating engaging classroom experiences.

My students and I had the enriching opportunity to engage in a link-up session with Sonja during school time in May and June 2025.

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Hanan Says,

I'm Hanan Mohammad . I live in the town of Arrabeh to the south west of the city of Jenin. This is where I've been teaching English for 28 years. I've always felt much commitment to my job and my students. I've also been eager to try new ways to improve my students' language. My goal this year has been to work hard with my students to improve their speaking skill.

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Lamyaa Says ,

I am Lamya Tamimi, an English teacher in Hebron, Palestine. 🇵🇸 ,I have been with HUP since 2017, and I have witnessed a great impact on the lives of my students. However, this is my story with a wonderful friend, Susan Piper.

I first came to know Susan through the Hands Up Project's Facebook Live storytelling sessions. From the very beginning, I was captivated by her enchanting way of telling the story of "Ahmad and the goul," using rhymes, puppets, and a gentle yet powerful voice.

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Amal Says,

I am Amal Hurani. I live in Hebron - a city near Jerusalem. I have been teaching English for 25 years. In this long career, I taught hundreds of students who were part of my experience. I have been working with HUP for two years. My girls have joined many enjoyable, various activities with helpful volunteers from different countries, UK, South Africa and India. This year, I have worked with Sara, whom my girls love.

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In February 2024, our first link-up took place, and we were all quite excited. 

Back then, our students from Aida Basic Boys School were fifth-graders. They joined from home, in their free time, with an unimaginable enthusiasm and joy. The three of us were astonished when the 40-minute Zoom call ended and the kids all came back for a second lesson :) This school year, they’ve been joining from their class room during regular school hours, but fortunately that hasn’t changed their motivation.

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Muna Says,

Hi, I am Muna Alameh an English teacher at Hebron Basic Girls School. I'm from Hebron city in Palestine. I have been teaching English since 2000.At the beginning of every scholastic year, I put hopes in my mind and try hard to achieve them.

The most important thing for me is to make English Language enjoyable to my students by giving them the space and the chance to practice speaking English more and more, express themselves,help them to express their opinions and encourage them to talk as well.

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Shalini Says,

A warm embrace from New Delhi, India! My name is Shalini and I am from India though I grew up in parts of Africa, Asia and the United States. In fact, I lived in Egypt for four years as a little girl - close to Palestine - and learnt a little Arabic as well. At my school in Egypt, there were many students of Palestinian heritage, including a friend in my class.

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Maysoon Says:

I'm Maysoon Juma. I have been teaching English language for 25 years. I love my job a lot and I have been trying to work hard to improve myself during my experience because I hope to do something special to my students. I believe that teaching is a holy job, and we must try to do our best to make a change. I think this project (Hands Up Project) is an excellent project which helps students to improve their language, so I want to thank all the people who work in it.

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Dina says

I am teacher Dina. I have been working in education for 13 years, and throughout these years, I discovered that my true passion lies in helping my students discover their abilities and develop their skills—especially in the English language. I believe that teaching is not just about delivering information; it’s about building character and empowering students to express themselves with confidence.

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Samir says..

‘In 2016, our immersive training course in Ramallah Nick introduced us to the power of drama and storytelling, sparking a transformative experience that brought joy and connection like never before. Following this life-changing course, when we returned to Gaza we initiated online link-up sessions via Zoom with learners from Palestine and across the globe, creating a truly stunning and unforgettable collaborative experience.’

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