Raeda Mansour is the co-founder of Ajyal Elderly Program which has a proactive nature, explores potential contribution of the elderly people in Palestine, especially the marginalized and underprivileged ones and seeks to re-engage them back into society as active citizens.
The idea of the program is carrying out many joint activities between the elderly and the youth to facilitate communication between the generations, which helps each generation to understand and be aware of the other group’s way of thinking, dreams, challenges and daily struggles. They provide a platform where youth hear and learn from the experience of the elderly which helps in sharing and passing the knowledge through the generations.
From the onset of the program, a committee of senior members started participating in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the various activities, helping us to understand and respond to the needs and interests of the elderly. As a result, many clubs were created that meet their interests including yoga club, book club, drama club, choir club and the continuous education club.
In addition, they have other activities like, psychosocial activities, health, physical, spiritual and recreational activities. This allows for the full expression of the elderly’s voice and presence, in addition to contributing to poverty reduction as they lead a healthier lifestyle and practices. Ajyal program has become a model as many organizations emerged after its success in this field; they adopted their vision in Bethlehem Governorate as well as other areas in the West Bank.