Star Mountain is located about 25 kilometers north of Jerusalem on the important road from Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian Autonomous Territories, to the young university city of Bir Zeit. On the mountain called Star Mountain is the site of a Rehabilitation center of the same name, which belongs to the worldwide Moravin Church and is called the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center. Surrounded by Palestinian villages, the center can be recognized from afar by its forest, a rarity in a stony environment. In addition, a sign draws attention to the fact that the Moravian Church takes care of children and young people with disabilities here. The panoramic view from Star Mountain - almost 800 m high - is impressive. It reaches far into the mountain landscape. In the evening, on a clear day, you can even see the Mediterranean Sea in the glow of the setting sun.

The Moravian Church was asked in 1866 to help care for lepers in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. For this, it already brought experience with leprosy work from missionary work in other continents. In 1888 she took over full responsibility for the work. At the same time, a new, larger hospital was opened in the southwest of Jerusalem, the Jesushilfe. There, deaconesses from the motherhouse Emmaus in Niesky soon took over responsibility and management. This work could be done until 1948 in the Jesushilfe in Jerusalem and from 1960 on the Star Mountain, which belonged to Jordan at that time. In 1979 the care of lepers came to a standstill, because leprosy could be treated with medication in the meantime. As a result, the Moravian Church decided to use the buildings and grounds of Star Mountain for pioneering work with people with disabilities, for whom hardly anyone in Palestine cared at the time.

A small spark becomes a big star. We look back on 150 years of work by the Moravian Church in the Middle East:

On May 30, 1867, the so-called Jesushilfe, an asylum for people suffering from leprosy, was inaugurated at the city wall of Jerusalem. Donated by the noble couple von Kessenbrinck, a Moravian missionary couple was sent to run it. Within a short time the number of lepers increased.

In 1887, the Jesushilfe moved to a new and larger building outside the city. Overall responsibility now lay with the Moravian Church, which also sent deaconesses as staff.

In 1948, after the Arab-Israeli war, many of the patients fled.

In 1950, Jesushilfe was sold to the State of Israel, which initially continued the work among Jewish lepers.

In 1957, it was decided in the Unity Synod to continue the leprosy work in the Jordanian part of Palestine and the site of the present Star Mountain was purchased. But here the work was just beginning. The land had to be terraced and a new hospital built. Many hundreds of trees were planted, which today characterize the image of Star Mountain, providing shade, wood and olive oil.

Then, in 1980, work with people with disabilities began under the direction of a Moravian couple. The new work quickly took root and people with disabilities from villages around Ramallah were cared for, supported and trained in the special school and in outpatient work in the local villages.

In 1998, Rawda Marouf, a Palestinian, took over the management of Star Mountain.

In 2006 an integrative kindergarten opened.

Since 2009, Ghada Naser successfully continued and expanded the work as director.

In 2014, the new vocational support center with several sheltered workplaces as well as meeting and guest areas was inaugurated.

2017 in this year the main building, which was built in 1959, was completely renovated. The 150th anniversary of Moravian work also played a role in the ceremonial commissioning.

2018 Ranya Karam takes over the management of the facility.

All these developments were only possible with the help of supporters from all over the world, for which we are very grateful.

The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah in Palestine supports people with mental and physical disabilities in the areas of education and training, rehabilitation, integration, inclusion and contributes to changes in awareness in society for the rights of people with disabilities (advocacy). It provides comprehensive special education, physical and occupational therapy services to people with disabilities of all ages. Social workers, physiotherapists and art therapists support the affected families through home visits, contributing to the social integration of people with disabilities into society.

Here, a very special work is done, because the kindergarten enables educational and support opportunities for children with disabilities in an integrative concept. Children without disabilities also attend the kindergarten. The program includes creative activities as well as speech and physical therapy.
"One of our children has Down syndrome," reports a kindergarten teacher. "When the girl first came to the kindergarten, she was very aggressive toward the other children. After we took intensive time for her and introduced a plan, she has integrated well into the group and is involved in all activities, whether it's crafts, feeding the chickens, baking or playing on the playground."

In addition to the activities, the dedicated staff also engages extensively with parents, making home visits and offering advice on how best to support children in their daily lives. This work can make a lasting difference in the status of people with disabilities in Palestine, as children in kindergarten learn acceptance and openness toward people with disabilities at an early age. Children with a disability have the opportunity to be individually supported and to get a perspective for their later career.

Target groups

Target groups are children, adolescents and adults with disabilities in Palestine.

Project goals

• The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center offers people with disabilities access to education and a chance for individual advancement and development, regardless of the degree of disability.
• Raising awareness of Palestinian society, institutions and national policy in dealing with people with disabilities and their rights (advocacy).
• Strengthening cooperation and relations with local, Arab and international individuals and organizations in Palestine and abroad.

Activities

• Training families in dealing with children with disabilities
• Conducting home visits to the parents of children with disabilities
• Organizing summer camps
• Raising awareness among the general public through workshops, importance of inclusion
• Construction of a new inclusive kindergarten
• Individual therapies
• Art and cooking courses
• Renting of guest rooms
• Rehabilitation programs

Project progress

The work among people with disabilities at the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center has assumed an important place in Palestinian society. It is a valued institution for the support of children and young people with mental disabilities in Palestine. In recent years, a new vocational school building with guest rooms was opened, the administration building was renovated and a solar system was installed on the roof. At the moment, a new building is being constructed for the integrative kindergarten on the grounds of Sternberg. The children and young people come mainly from poor families who cannot afford care and therapies. The majority of the costs are financed by donations. Income-generating activities such as agricultural projects implemented by vocational training centers and the renting of guest rooms and organization of summer camps help to provide additional funding for the work of the facility.

The Starmountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC near Ramallah in Palestine supports people with mental and physical disabilities in the areas of education and training, rehabilitation, integration, inclusion and contributes to changes in awareness in society for the rights of people with disabilities (advocacy). It provides comprehensive special education, physical and occupational therapy services to people with disabilities of all ages. Social workers, physiotherapists and art therapists support the affected families through home visits, thus contributing to the social integration of people with disabilities into society.

The special school is attended five days a week (Fridays and Sundays are holidays) by 25 to 30 children and young people with disabilities who come to Sternberg by minibus or car. The disabilities are predominantly mental; some students also have physical disabilities. The severely disabled and children with autism are also cared for and looked after. At the school, the children learn above all to manage their daily lives as independently as possible. The center's services include cross-program physiotherapy, art therapy and sports. An important role is played by parental work, which has both an educational and instructional character. The children and adolescents from Sternberg have won many prizes at national and international art and sports competitions - including the Special Olympics.

Target groups

Target groups are children, youth and adults with disabilities in Palestine.

Project goals

• The Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC offers people with disabilities access to education and a chance for individual advancement and development, regardless of the degree of disability.
• Raising the awareness of Palestinian society, institutions and national policy in dealing with people with disabilities and their rights (advocacy)
• Strengthening cooperation and relations with local, Arab and international individuals and organizations in Palestine and abroad.

Activities

• Training of families in dealing with children with disabilities
• Conducting home visits to the parents of children with disabilities
• Organization of summer camps
• Raising awareness among the general public through workshops, importance of inclusion
• Construction of a new inclusive kindergarten
• Individual therapies
• Art and cooking courses
• Renting of guest rooms
• Rehabilitation programs

Project progress

The work among people with disabilities at the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC has taken an important place in Palestinian society. It is a valued institution for the support of children and young people with mental disabilities in Palestine. In recent years, a new vocational school building with guest rooms was opened, the administration building was renovated and a solar system was installed on the roof. At the moment, a new building is being constructed for the integrative kindergarten on the grounds of Sternberg. The children and young people come mainly from poor families who cannot afford care and therapies. The majority of the costs are financed by donations. Income-generating activities such as agricultural projects implemented by vocational training centers and the renting of guest rooms and organization of summer camps help to provide additional funding for the work of the facility.

At the vocational training center, up to 40 men and women between the ages of 14 and 45 are introduced to agricultural, domestic and manual work to help them earn a living for themselves to some extent. Older young people also have the opportunity to complete training at the center in agriculture, manual labor or home economics. On several occasions it has been possible to find permanent jobs for young people from the SMRC. Some have also been employed at SMRC itself; others are able to work from home. By taking care of the olive trees and thyme plants, the young people at the vocational support center contribute to the fact that the fair trade shop of Herrnhuter Missionshilfe Moravian Merchandise can offer olive oil, olive soap and the spice mixture Za'tar, among other things.

Target gruops

Target groups are children, youth and adults with disabilities in Palestine.

Project goals

• The Starmountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC offers people with disabilities access to education and a chance for individual advancement and development, regardless of the degree of disability.
• Raising the awareness of Palestinian society, institutions and national policy in dealing with people with disabilities and their rights (advocacy)
• Strengthening cooperation and relations with local, Arab and international individuals and organizations in Palestine and abroad.

Activities

• Training of families in dealing with children with disabilities
• Conducting home visits to the parents of children with disabilities
• Organization of summer camps
• Raising awareness among the general public through workshops, importance of inclusion
• Construction of a new inclusive kindergarten
• Individual therapies
• Art and cooking courses
• Renting of guest rooms
• Rehabilitation programs

Project progress

The work among people with disabilities at the Star Mountain Rehabilitation Center SMRC has taken an important place in Palestinian society. It is a valued institution for the support of children and young people with mental disabilities in Palestine. In recent years, a new vocational school building with guest rooms was opened, the administration building was renovated and a solar system was installed on the roof. At the moment, a new building is being constructed for the integrative kindergarten on the grounds of Sternberg. The children and young people come mainly from poor families who cannot afford care and therapies. The majority of the costs are financed by donations. Income-generating activities such as agricultural projects implemented by vocational training centers and the renting of guest rooms and organization of summer camps help to provide additional funding for the work of the facility.