We heard from two Palestinians committed to justice for all.
Dr. Estephan Salameh Mr. Hamed Qawasmeh
 
From Dr. Estephan Salameh's comments: Seraj is such a simple idea and for 12 years now, we continue to be a relatively small organization, doing activities that have proven to produce tremendous impact. The libraries we establish with your support are not cemeteries of books, they have become centers of change providing the right environment for children, youth and young adults, particularly women and girls to become drivers of change in their own communities. There is a quote among librarians which has become a mantra for us in our office in Ramallah, something we repeat whenever we look for new partnerships or begin a new program. “Bad libraries build collections; good libraries build services; great libraries build communities.”
Because we stay committed to the communities in which we open our libraries, we can build programs and activities that meet the differing and specific needs of each community, allowing them opportunities to transform themselves as individuals and as a whole. For example, we work in a religiously conservative village where women had no public space to meet. During our grand opening of that particular library, only three attendees of the hundreds who came were women. Shortly after that the library was being used as a place for women to meet and gather during the day. Six years later, women are now running this library hand in hand with men. Recently, they asked for funding for a dabke dance trainer for the children in the village; we supported this project while encouraging them to allow both boys and girls to dance train together. It was the first time in the history of the village when this was allowed to happen.
Read the whole, including comments about his relationship with Cotton, here. | 
