MECI Tech Connects
As the crisis in Palestine disrupts life and learning everyday, MECI’s internet cafe is providing students vital access to technology—and the outside world.
In 2020, MECI established the first internet cafe in our villages to offer students access to both their schoolwork and each other. Four years later, the latest crisis in Palestine is disrupting daily life and learning once again. MECI’s tech offerings are more important than ever.
This summer alone, more than 400 children from MECI’s partner villages and beyond were coming to the internet cafe each week to code, create, and connect in a way they can’t anywhere else.
“Our students are cut off from the city, especially now with the difficulties in traveling,” Fatima, a MECI instructor in the internet cafe, said. “We want to equip them with digital skills because the roads are often closed and access to learning is limited.”
Although Ramallah, the city, is only around 19 miles away, the drive can take up to four hours these days due to unpredictable military checkpoints and roadblocks. Sometimes closures prohibit travel completely.
Courses in the internet cafe cover computer basics for students anywhere between six and 18-years-old. This spring, when 12th graders were unable to take the traditional tech elective due to school disruptions, MECI teachers stepped to fill the gap. For younger students eager to get a jumpstart on digital skills, classes cover typing and Microsoft apps, including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
“They can use websites, store photos, upload files, and correspond with each other,” Zainab, another instructor in the internet cafe, said of her students. “They created Gmail accounts and started sending each other emails. This was not available at school.”
Beyond skill development, Fatima and Zainab prioritize ensuring their classes feel as approachable as possible. “When they start, the students are afraid of dealing with the computer, of making any mistake. So our goal is to help them break through the fear, to prepare them for their studies,” Fatima said.
Salma, a 14-year-old MECI student, agreed that using a computer for the first time was intimidating. She was scared to press the buttons, not knowing what would happen next.
Since lessons in the internet cafe, Salma is filled with new confidence. When she needs to use computer applications, like Word and Excel, for school, she knows she’s up to the task. “I learned all of that in my MECI classes,” she said.
MECI remains committed to expanding the capacity of our internet cafe, as well as computer labs in local schools, to lay the foundation of a more connected future for Palestine’s youth. Thanks to a partnership with the Jerusalem Fund, we recently finished building out the computer lab in one of our boys’ schools. Now, we’re pursuing plans to do the same for two more girls’ schools.
Looking forward, Fatima said she hopes to make robotics part of more advanced curricula for students. Zainab envisions teaching additional classes to make room for those from surrounding villages.
Salma’s only suggestion? For MECI to extend internet cafe hours, so she can be there even more.