UNESCO Supplies the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Vocational Rehabilitation Center with 200 Electronic Devices to Serve in the Vocational Rehabilitation of Individuals with Disabilities

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – UNESCO Office for Palestine in Ramallah donated a set of 200 electronic devices consisting of printers, laptops, desktops, screens of different sizes, in addition to many different office electronic devices with different uses to the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Vocational Rehabilitation Center. This step aimed at raising the level of cooperation between UNESCO and community organizations working in the field of education and rehabilitation in Palestine. The steps will also mitigate the environmental impact caused by traditional methods of disposal of older devices. The two organizations agreed to reuse these devices for educational purposes, namely to train students with disabilities on the maintenance of similar devices and to find meaningful ways for reusing them.

The Sheikha Fatima Center was chosen due to its distinctive vision aiming at preparing individuals with disabilities for vocational careers, in order to integrate them into local communities. The center is the only one of its kind in the southern West Bank area, with one of the most important subjects it offers is maintenance of electronic devices.

Mrs. Kholoud Al-Sharbati, Director of the Center, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to UNESCO for this cooperation, emphasizing the extent to which the students at the center will benefit from these devices. Mrs. Al-Sharbati stressed on how this gesture will be a reason to increase the students’ skills and capacities as the center did not have access to similar devices in the past, especially since most of the devices are still working properly and can be used in several ways.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bilal Al Shaabi, the Finance and Administrative Officer at UNESCO Office for Palestine, expressed the need for similar activities, and encouraged activating partnerships that has the capacity to benefit the local community, and reduce the environmental impact of electronic waste. Mr. Shuaibi stressed the importance that other institutions follow suite in supporting this center and other vocational training centers at the local level