Banaat Connect: Virtual Exchange Between Palestinian Refugees and Western Arabic Students

Miranda Beggin (Arabic 2017), Tallie Hausser (Arabic 2016)and Costanza Maio (Arabic 2014, 2015), 2017 ADF recipients, collaborated to provide technology that can help promote virtual language exchange program called Banaat Connect. It is an online language exchange program between Palestinian women and girls in the Jerash Refugee Camp learning English and female Arabic students from the U.S. and Canada. With ADF funds, the group purchased tablets, cases, and headphones which solved the long-standing issue of overcrowding in the computer lab. In the past, no more than three women could participate in language exchange at a time due to the poor quality of headphones. Thanks to the increased capacity to host more participants in each session, the group was able to achieve their mission to empower and educate the women of the Gaza camp through cross-cultural exchange, and providing them with English language skills that making them stronger job candidates. In addition, the ADF supported purchase of paper and ink for the group to produce flyers for language exchange as well as the certificates presented to the participants upon completion of an 8-week term of the program. These materials directly supported the group’s ability to operate the program professionally. Finally, they printed 500 pamphlets, translated in both English and Arabic, to be distributed in schools and universities to promote the program, expanding the number of ex-Gazan women they group are able to impact.