Al-Birr Association for the Sons of Martyrs is a Palestinian non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 1952. It is headquartered in Aqbat Jaber Refugee Camp in Jericho. The association aims to provide vocational and academic educational services to the children of martyrs, school dropouts, and socially vulnerable groups, and works in cooperation with a range of stakeholders to support the resilience of families.

Location: Main Street, Aqbat Jaber Refugee Camp, Jericho, Palestine.
Establishment: Founded as a form of educational and vocational care, and is considered one of the long-standing associations in the area.

Activities and Services:

• Vocational Education and Training: Provides vocational training (such as carpentry, blacksmithing, and sewing) to prepare youth for the labor market.
• Social Services: Offers in-kind assistance and food parcels to needy families and families of martyrs, especially during seasons such as Ramadan.
• Academic Collaboration: Signs agreements with the Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education to support students.
• Outreach: Based in Jericho and serves as an important educational hub in the Aqbat Jaber area.

Sections of the association:
The sections that make up the association are:

• The industrial school.
• The dormitory.
• Kindergarten.
• Guidance and supervision.
• Computer lab.

First: The Industrial School:
The duration of study in this school is two years, divided into four semesters, three of which are within the college, each semester lasting four months, and the fourth semester is for field training.

A-First-year students: The training in this year is conducted according to the curriculum of the Palestinian Ministry of Labor, and students are trained to develop the basic skills for their profession in addition to lessons in industrial and engineering drawing, sources of raw materials, mathematics, computer science, and industrial safety.

B- Second-year students: In the second year, students move on to working with tools and machines to train in the production of home and office furniture, whether it is metal or wooden. As for the electrical department students, they transition from using single-phase circuits with normal voltage, which are used in home installations, to high-voltage three-phase circuits for industrial and commercial installations.

The number of students currently in the industrial departments affiliated with the association is 52 male students, in addition to 4 female students in the sewing department.

The school's capacity:

Secondly: The internal section:
The dormitory accommodates 120 students, and this year it includes first and second-year students, totaling 23 students.
The association provides them with accommodation and food, in addition to vocational training and academic education, as well as industrial clothing and an annual recreational trip.
This section is supervised by a teacher specialized in physical education and psychology, and their tasks are as follows: -

• Sports training.
• Social and psychological studies.
• Extracurricular activities.

First: Sports training: The supervisor is responsible for dividing the students according to their sports interests into teams to form a school team for each type of game. To achieve this goal, the teacher conducts matches between the students according to their dormitory rooms, where each room has a team, in order to instill a spirit of fair competition among the students. Additionally, matches are held between them according to their departments until the second goal is achieved, which is forming the school team. The training period is after four o'clock in the afternoon, as the evening is dedicated to cultural activities.

Cultural activity:
The cultural activity begins after dinner, where students are divided into teams that collaboratively work on publishing a wall magazine at the beginning of each month. This instills in the students a spirit of cooperation, love for culture, and reading, encouraging them to frequent the library located within the dormitory.

Social activity:
The supervisor meets weekly with each dormitory room individually to understand the students' problems and help them overcome difficulties and solve their issues. Sometimes, a report is submitted about students in need.
And in this case, the institution provides them with financial assistance, even covering travel expenses from the institution to their homes.
And vice versa.

Extracurricular activity:
Training the student to rely on themselves, take responsibility, develop wise leadership, conscious followership, respect for others, and constructive cooperation.And fostering a love for goodness and good qualities in them and supporting it within the school community so that it becomes a harmonious and cooperative family. Training students and pupils to take on responsibility so that they become active members who understand their duties and the rights required of them. Contributing to public service projects develops in students respect for work and appreciation for it, and investing free time in activities that enrich students' knowledge and experiences and develop their abilities and talents.

Future outlook:
The association aspires to improve its professional and academic performance, in addition to its economic status. Therefore, the association has sent some of its teachers to courses within the country to train and study for the workshops that the association intends to establish at the beginning of the next academic year 2018/2017. These professions are:

• Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Department.
• Department of Automotive Electricity and Electronic Inspection.
• Executive Secretariat Department

Also, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and with the support of the Chinese people, the computer department has been equipped. Thus, it is clear that three new departments will be added to the association's activities at the beginning of the coming year.
A new dormitory was built in collaboration with the German Development Bank (KFW) and in cooperation with UNDP.
There are also other activities under study and implementation, which are:

• Hotel training.
• Metal leveling and turning.
• Air conditioning and refrigeration department.

In collaboration with some international institutions, the association was able to implement the following infrastructure projects:

• The aluminum department in collaboration with the German cooperation GIZ.
• Updating the electrical department where solar energy, control systems, alarm and fire systems, and camera systems were added in collaboration with the German cooperation GIZ.
• In collaboration with the Italian UCODEP Foundation and USAID, a section of the kitchen was developed.
• In collaboration with the Papal Mission, a section of the dormitory was repaired and maintained.The maintenance was completed with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
• In collaboration with the UK-based organization Hope for Children, industrial clothing (overalls) was purchased for the students.
• The computer lab, which was established in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has been completed. External courses will be held as a service to the local community in addition to training the students.
• In collaboration with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, hand tools and machines were purchased for the vocational departments.
• In collaboration with the American agency ANERA, clothes were purchased and distributed to students, and additional classrooms were added.

The association received in-kind assistance (food supplies) from the following:

• Supplies from the Palestinian Authority.
• Ministry of Social Affairs.

Association Activities:
In addition to the vocational guidance and employment activities discussed within the industrial school, the association held three first aid courses in collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. These courses were attended by 45 of its students. The association is also in the process of organizing a summer camp for the disabled this year. And a civil defense course in which 30 students participated.
Graduates:
During the past eight years, 380 students graduated from the vocational training center affiliated with the association, averaging 50 students annually. Out of these, 24 students dropped out over the eight years, resulting in a dropout rate of 6%.

• Website: facebook.com/Albir.Society
• Institution address: Jerusalem Street – Aqbat Jabr - Jericho