Washington, DC, Nov. 21 -- On Nov. 20, the American Charities for Palestine (ACP), the Palestinian Ministry of Education, and USAID announced the commencement of distributing 1,000 laptop computers to Palestinian students in the Occupied Territories. The laptops, worth $200,000, were donated by One Laptop per Child in partnership with ACP and delivered with the help of USAID.

The announcement was made at a launching ceremony held at the Palestinian Ministry of Education in Ramallah and attended by ACP Chair Ziad Asali, Minister of Education Lamis Alami, and USAID Mission Chief Howard Sumka. Minister Alami stressed the importance of this project in supporting the Ministry's five-year plan aiming at improving the quality of education in Palestine.

The laptops will be distributed to public, private, and UNRWA schools in the Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus and Salfit regions of the West Bank. In addition to the provision of the laptops, the first phase will also include training teachers on the use of the computers.

Dr. Asali emphasized the strategic importance of supporting education in Palestine. He said, "We believe that developing the quality and competitiveness of education in Palestine is an integral part of creating a strong, stable Palestinian state. ACP will continue its work to improve the quality of and access to education and health for all Palestinians."

ACP, a sister organization of the American Task Force on Palestine, signed an unprecedented Memorandum of Understanding with USAID on August 1, 2008.  This agreement, the first ever partnership between USAID and a private entity, will harness the generosity of American individuals and institutions to benefit and develop the health and education sectors in the West Bank and Gaza.

For more information on ACP, Please visit:

http://www.acpus.org

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American Charities for Palestine
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