The Lasallian Foundation has partnered with a Palestinian Australian family from Sydney to provide scholarships to disadvantaged and displaced Palestinian students who are attending Bethlehem University and the three Lasallian schools located in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The family migrated from Palestine to Australia many years ago. However, recent events in the Holy Land have prompted the family to contribute to the education of Palestinian students and families in need.
The De La Salle Brothers have been conducting schools in the Holy Land for over 150 years. The schools in Jerusalem and Bethlehem were established to provide an education for Palestinian children, both Christian and Muslim, and have earned an enviable reputation for the quality of education offered. The three Lasallian schools offer a primary and secondary school education to more than 2000 students.
Bethlehem University was founded by the De La Salle Brothers in 1973 and is the only Catholic university in the Holy Land. The university has over 3000 Christian and Muslim students, with two-thirds of the students being female.
The scholarship program will be allocated based on need, and is expected to provide partial or full scholarships to more than 20 disadvantaged or displaced students, of whom half will be Bethlehem University students and half will be primary or secondary school students at one of the three Lasallian schools in Jerusalem or Bethlehem.
The Lasallian Foundation is grateful for the generous donation for scholarships which is expected to continue in the foreseeable future. The current political and economic challenges in Palestine means that these scholarships are meeting a great need in providing education for Palestinian students. The Lasallian Foundation, Bethlehem University and the three schools located in Jerusalem and Bethlehem are honoured to be partners in this vital project.