A School Made of Tires: A Story for My Young Friends and Those Young at Heart

The Famous Tire School

This is a story about a beautiful little school in a poor village called Khan Al-Ahmar not far from Jerusalem. Part of what makes this school special is that it is made out of old car tires and mud! It is really cool!

Tires and Mud

Now I know it doesn’t look like tires and mud, but in this picture you can see how it was done. How would you like to go to school here? For the children of this village, this is a very special school. They love it, and they are very proud. In this story, I am going to tell you why.

Tents Where They Live

My friends and I visited a family in this village last week. They live near a busy road which is very dangerous. The people who live here are called Bedouin. They live in tents and take care of sheep and goats. Even though they do not have very much, they like to share what they have.

Tea Service

We sat with them in their tent, and one of the younger girls served us a special tea! It had lots of sugar and fresh mint, and it was delicious. I think you would have liked it!

Village Donkey

For a long time, the children in this village did not have a school. The older ones sometimes had to travel by donkey 2 hours each way to school since the school bus often did not show up! The younger ones could not go to school because it was too far.

Young Girl

The people who make the rules in this country refused to give this village permission to build a school because they want the people to leave and go live somewhere else so that they can build their own houses on this land. But these families have lived here for a long, long time (over 60 years!), and they do not want to move.

Tire School Classroom

Three years ago, some very kind people from around the world decided that these children needed a place to learn. They collected money and came to help the people in this village build this special school out of car tires and mud. The children were so happy! Now all the children in primary school have a place to learn. There is even enough space for children from 4 nearby villages to attend school here.

Young Boy

But now people in the government who make the rules want to tear the school down because they say that the villagers did not ask permission to build this school. But the truth is that they did ask, but they were told, “No, we will not allow you to build a school.” Now people from around the world are trying to help this village save this special school.

A Second School Room
of Tires and Mud

Last Thursday the judge in the law courts decided to put off making a decision. This is partly because people around the world are sharing this story and the judges and the rulers in the government are afraid that it will not look good for them if they tear down this school.

School Books
for the New Year

This means that for now the school is safe! The children are very happy that they can begin this new school year in their special school. It is important that we continue to share this story with people so that we can help save this school. Part of my work is to try and help children be able to go to school safely so that they can learn and grow.

For a youtube video on the Jahalin Bedouin click here. You can also read this article or google “Jahalin Bedouin” or “Jahalin Tire School.” Note: These sites are not updated with any recent information about the postponement by the High Court of Justice on September 13.