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Community is Place
Finishing its first full year of operation, the UPA Community Center, in the heart of the Jerash Refugee Camp, in Jordan announces unequivocally that we are “Here to Stay!”
Jerash Camp’s inhabitants, predominantly those displaced from the Gaza Strip after the 1967 war, and their descendants, face crowded conditions, prohibition from holding Jordanian citizenship, and limited livelihood opportunities.
The center provides a vital “third place” for the camp’s residents—a space beyond home and work where they gather, learn, and grow.
The center now houses UPA’s core projects in Jordan, including the Small Business Development project which trains entrepreneurs and equips them with tools for their businesses. Home also to UPA’s tutoring project, the center hosts classes in Arabic, English, and Math for children slipping through the cracks of under-resourced schools.
Finally, honoring our Palestinian roots, the staff at the center nurture our elders with home visits, creative classes, health awareness sessions, commemoration
Medical staff provide routine medical care to elders
of holidays, recreational trips and peaceful space in a community garden.
People feel a sense of belonging, commitment, and investment in their future at the center, things we cannot capture with simple numbers.
“Education is considered an essential part of our cause as Palestinians, since it contributes to building a generation that is committed to that cause. As a teacher, I empower a new generation to fulfill our
hope of returning to Palestine.” —Tutor from our Tutoring Project
Please scan the QR code to watch a brief video about our work at the UPA Community Center
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