As you may know, we’ve been looking for opportunities to expand the footprint of our school for several years. Currently, we are out of space, so without expansion, our fourth graders will have to leave Seeds of Hope to attend public school next year—leaving our supportive environment and core values curriculum behind. After many dead ends and disappointments in our efforts to expand, we have incredible news!
We were able to purchase land adjacent to our current school building and are in the process of preparing it to launch our fifth-grade class this fall.
This is a huge answer to prayer and step forward in our long-term dreams for our school. Ultimately, we want Seeds of Hope to be home for children in daycare through high school graduation—sending adults out into the world who are confident, kind, and grounded in our core values. But we always knew we would need a new school location to achieve that goal.
MAP: This image shows the aerial view of our plans to grow our school including the land we have already purchased and another lot we are looking to secure as well.
This new expansion will be a middle ground between our current school—which holds Kindergarten through fourth grade—and our vision of a Seeds of Hope campus with all grades and programs under one roof.
We plan to set up temporary classroom trailers on the land next to our current school that will eventually hold fifth through ninth grades. This phase will give us several years to identify and prepare a permanent campus and continue to grow our school.
For the last year, we’ve been in negotiations with several of the owners of the land surrounding our school. While we hoped to purchase the land directly next to our property, the devout Muslim owner refused to sell to Christians. However, God opened the door for us to buy land across the street. Operating a school on both sides of the road would typically not be allowed by the Ministry of Education. However, because of the reputation and influence of Seeds of Hope, we received special permission to build a pedestrian bridge between the two properties—something unprecedented in Jericho.
Construction is underway to prepare for school in the fall, and as you can imagine, we have a lot of work to do! As of now, we have funded about $100,000 of the project thanks to generous support from our church partners and donors. We need to raise $570,00 total for the life of the project (view detailed budget).
“I think about how when we started, we faced much rejection from the community,” Seeds of Hope CEO, Khader Ghamin remembers. “We even had a challenging time securing the land to expand our school because we are Christians, but we’ve seen God provide over and over.
“I am reminded of the scriptures,” he continued. “And the promises made to the disciples and the church. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says, ‘And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it’ (NIV). We know that promise continues to us today as we work to expand His church.”
Seeds of Hope principal, Jessica Baboun, is excited to see the work begin on our school expansion:
We’re so grateful for your ongoing support to make dreams like this possible. You continue to open doors for lasting, generational change in Jericho and beyond.
We would love for you to consider giving toward this long-awaited project!
