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Competition winners
 The KRSF annual drawing competition attracted many superb pictures and as always we had a difficult job choosing winners. The design eventually chosen for the Foundation's greetings card was created by Manal, nine years old, from the Arab Resource Centre for Popular Arts (Al Jana), Lebanon. It is entitled 'At a Party'.
Other winners were as follows:
- Second prize - Bassel (10) from Enlighten Centre, Palestine
- Third prize - shared between Moa'ath (12) from UNRWA in Hama, Nadia (8) from the Deaf Institute in Dera'a, and Hassan (11) from the Bashaer Al Noor Society in Lattakia, Syria
- Fourth prize - Mariam (15) from Enlighten Centre, Palestine
- Fifth prize - Mu'tasem (11) from Local Committee for Rehabilitation, Jenin
There were also eleven Highly Commended winners from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.
Projects news
 PALESTINE: BETHLEHEM
At the start of 2007/2008, the Foundation renewed its support to the Local Committee for Rehabilitation of the Disabled (LCR-Bethlehem). The project aims to improve the physical and psychological health of children with speech and hearing impairments.
Activities include:
- daily educational programme (school curriculum with special focus on speech therapy, lip reading and slower learners)
- individual speech therapy
- individual and group psychosocial therapy
- rehabilitation sessions and life skills
- home visits for extra support
- medical examinations
- recreational programme (e.g. winter and summer camps)
- workshops with parents
The project is implemented at the LCR centre in Dheisheh refugee camp, benefiting more than 120 children and families in Bethlehem camps and villages. Read more here: LCR Bethlehem
Alumni updates
Ahmad Habash (MA 3D Computer Animation, Bournemouth, 2007) has created ‘From the Memory of the Sand’, an amazing sand animation produced by the Yasser Arafat Foundation and with a musical soundtrack by Palestinian ‘oud player Jamil Sayeh. An exciting live performance can be seen here:
Part 1
Part 2
 Rashed Al Nasa’a (MSc Environmental Design and Engineering, Bartlett School of Graduate Studies, UCL, 2007) entered an international competition for 'Renewable Energy Sources and Bioclimatic Architecture for Shells to Shelter People Affected by Natural Disasters', organised by the International Union of Architects and the Technical Chamber of Greece, in summer 2007. He says: “Our design was for shelters for victims of drought and flooding in Somalia…this is something I am extremely proud of and wanted to share with you.” Rashed sent us images of his design (above) and an interesting report on the project (attached). He is now working on various projects in Amman.
Waseem Kotoub (PG Diploma in Piano Performance, Royal Academy of Music, 2007) has been busy since his return to Syria, working as a music therapist with autistic children at the AAMAL Syrian Organisation for the disabled, establishing the first clinic for music therapy, playing in fundraising concerts and writing articles about music as an alternative medicine.
 Salam Al Kuntar (MA Archaeology, University of Liverpool, 2003) has been participating in an archaeological dig in Syria, where she has been researching the socio-economic changes that happened in North Mesopotamia at the beginning of the fourth millennium BC. The discoveries made are very exciting and could challenge the accepted theories about the beginnings of civilisation. You can read about them in the attached article, 'North vs South'. 
Remains of ancient buildings at Hamoukar, Syria
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