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Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports brings a Smile of Hope to Ramallah
A line of young scouts drummed their way through town, as a cloud of colored balloons took flight to the sound of song and applause. The Smile of Hope campaign had arrived in Ramallah.
With the goal of putting a smile of the faces of desperately ill children, Palestinian youth are taking to the streets to raise awareness and funds for the treatment of Palestinian children suffering from pediatric cancer. The Smile of Hope campaign was born from the efforts of five young leaders trained by the USAID-funded Ruwwad project, implemented by the Educational Development Center (EDC), Inc.
Deputy Minister Mousa Abu Zayd collects donations
Moved by the plight of sick children marooned in adult cancer wards, they approached EDC with an ambitious plan – to raise enough funds to create wards in Palestinian hospitals dedicated to the care of children with cancer.
Last Sunday, the Smile of Hope campaign rolled into Ramallah, to great fanfare and excitement. The launch rally was organized by the El-Bireh Youth Resource and Development Center , which are overseen by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as USAID and EDC.
As Mousa Abu Zayd, the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, pointed out, the mass appeal of the campaign was proved by the fact that the crowds were there and not at a seminal sports event scheduled at the same time. “I want the Smile of Hope campaign to succeed,” said Abu Zayd. “This is why I am here at the rally, and not at the Palestinian soccer team's first international game.”
Since its launch in August, the Smile of Hope campaign has been steadily amassing funds. Over 500 volunteers have collected US$32,000 in individual donations, a significant sum in the poverty-stricken West Bank .
After thanking the volunteers, Abu Zayd took matters into his own hands. Grabbing a donation box, he led by example and began moving through the crowded streets, pressing bystanders for donations. Coins and bills were pushed through the slot, helping bring the dream of five young Palestinians and the hopes of hundreds of sick children closer to reality.
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