About Us
The Arab Orphans Committee (AOC) was established in Haifa in 1940 by a group of prominent figures in Palestine, motivated by the sense of national duty towards the large number of children who lost their parents due to the successive revolutions that outbroke in Palestine.
From the onset, AOC believed in the importance of providing educational opportunities to the children and youth it serves, so that they can play an active role in the development of the Arab society. To this day, AOC sponsored several children and youth to study at schools, higher institutes, and universities both either in Palestine or other Arab countries. Moreover, the Committee established a well-equipped industrial institute designed to provide shelter, welfare, and education to the orphans in Haifa. The project was completed in 1948, the same year the industrial institution was confiscated following the events that happened in 1948.
Although the AOC members were forced to leave Palestine to different Arab countries, they were determined to fulfill their noble mission and re-established the Committee in 1949 in Jordan. They also established an industrial school in Jerusalem in 1965 thanks to the contributions of the Committee supporters, Government of Jordan, and Government of Germany. The school was opened by late King Hussein in 1967.
Despite the numerous obstacles in Palestine in general and Jerusalem in particular, the industrial school managed to keep providing its services. Nowadays, the school is still facing different forms of hardships such as making access to the school by the students and teachers almost impossible as a result of the built wall surrounding the industrial area in which the school is located. As a result, all roads to the schools were blocked, except for one entrance.
Along with running the industrial school, AOC continued its efforts to educate the orphans in Palestine and Jordan, and expanded over the time the target groups to include outperforming Palestinian, Jordanian and Arab students through soft loan and scholarship programs.
Because we do not live in isolation from the world and its transformations, the committee is moving forward steadily by implementing modern administrative and methodological approaches. The committee embarked on developing strategic plans a few years ago to engage in a major restructuring of the organizational frameworks. This has enabled the committee to progress with strong performance year after year, excelling in charitable, social, and educational work.
The recent years have witnessed significant challenges, prompting AOC to respond quickly to address these challenges. The committee expedited the "Restructuring" project to enhance efficiency and improve educational performance, based on a study of market needs and opportunities. Among the crucial restructuring is the renovation of educational programs to enable it to serve the community developmentally or educationally. The focus is on developing technical education programs that align with the modern needs, allowing students to acquire skills ensuring independent and professional employment with a reasonable income.
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Since 1940 and through its transformative programs, AOC has left a permanent footprint on the landscape of knowledge, learning, training, education, and employment. we've proudly empowered over 30,000 eager minds, nurturing their intellectual curiosity and fueling their learning pursuits.