Seraj Library Project
Civic Education in Palestine: Village by Village
Civic education in Palestine: village by village
Our Board
Co-Chair
Rev. Cotton Fite, Ph.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Co-Chair
Rev. Kathleen Matsushima, D.Min
Pastor-At-Large, Chicago Presbytery
Secretary
Ms. Peg Griffiths, Ph.D.
Senior Psychologist
Treasurer
Mrs. Pauline M. Coffman, Ed.D.
Adult Educator
Former Chair
Rev. James Wall
Senior Contributing Editor, Christian Century Magazine
Mrs. Connie Baker
Retired Software Engineer
Rev. Rob Coffman, D. Min
Presbyterian Minister, H.R.
Mr. Case Hoogendoorn
Attorney, Hoogendoorn&Talbot
Mr. Harold Kimball
Retired Civil Engineer
Mr. Paul Parker, Ph.D.
Professor, Elmhurst College
Chair, Department of Religious Studies
Mrs. Betty Jane Wagner
Professor Emeritus, Roosevelt University & National-Louis University
Rev. Don Wagner, D. Min
Professor and Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, North Park University
Seraj, in Arabic, means The Light, a reference to Jesus’ words to his followers to become “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16).
The Seraj Library Project is a non-profit 501 (c)3 providing initiative and support in developing libraries in rural Palestinian villages. Its mission is to assist in the education of Palestinian villagers of all ages and faiths through the development of high quality and accessible library programs. The project is based on the belief that civic education is the best route to democracy, human rights and peace. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics indicates that women and children are in the greatest need for educational resources. Based on their findings only 11% children aged ten and over have access to the Internet through their schools, with boys more likely to have access than girls (16% and 8% respectively). Only 3% of households indicate they have access to a library or Internet after school hours.
Because the Palestinian culture is so family oriented, meeting the needs of both the mothers and the children simultaneously will have a positive effect on the entire family.
Our Founders
Estephan and Laurie Salameh founded the Seraj Library Project in 2005 in Chicago, Illinois.
Estephan has a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and works as a consultant to the Palestinian Authority.
Laurie has a Master's degree in Nonprofit Administration from North Park University and works for World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza.
They currently live in Palestine where they are working for a lasting and just peace to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
