On Saturday July 23, 2016 Taawon welcomed its first group of participants in the cultural exchange program, Zyara that Taawon is implementing in partnership with the American Federation of Ramallah, Palestine with funding from Bank of Palestine and United Palestinian Appeal. This first delegation included five history, sociology and political science university professors from universities across the United States. They were accompanied by two AFRP representatives who participated in a number of meetings and visits to various locations in Palestine during their seven-day visit. Their goal was to learn about Palestine and Palestinians through face-to-face interactions.
Zyara is a program designed to introduce US citizens, including academics, journalists, physicians, lawyers, people of faith, etc. to the political, and socioeconomic situation in Palestine and provide them with opportunities to meet and interact with Palestinian people from all walks of life.
The program will encourage participants' involvement in activities related to human rights, democracy, and justice. It aims to build bridges between the people of Palestine and the US by strengthening the participants’ solidarity with their Palestinian peers as well as encouraging long-lasting connections with Palestine after the trips have ended.
The delegation participated in a tour of Ramallah organized by the Ramallah Municipality. The tour included visiting the late President Yasser Arafat’s Memorial site, the Mahmoud Darwish Memorial and museum, and the new Nelson Mandela statue in Al Tireh neighborhood.
Afterwards the delegation discussed the history of Palestine, and the significance of the sites they had seen at a dinner hosted by the Ramallah municipality.