Our CEO and Founder
After returning from a life-changing experience at a boarding school in Jordan, our founder, Alissar Abdel Kareem, a student of Information Systems in Germany and a youth activist, felt deeply inspired to make a difference in Palestinian society. During her time at the boarding school, Alissar taught English to children from various public schools and quickly realized that education is the most powerful tool a child can wield to achieve their dreams. This realization led her to found Kalemat Falastenieh at the age of 15. Alissar shares more about her transformative experience in her TED Talk, "How to Change the Life of a Child?"
Our COO and Co-Founder
Rania is the driving force and the inspiration behind our organization—she is the reason this initiative exists today. As Alissar’s mother, Rania has played a pivotal role in supporting and encouraging her daughter’s vision, offering both guidance and unwavering belief in the cause. From a young age, Rania was deeply committed to volunteer work, much like her daughter. She studied English Literature and took courses in law. She’s led impactful projects in the region, including building toilets for women in Gaza, organizing TEDxWomen: Change Makers empowering local women.
“As the name suggests, Kalemat Falastenieh (Palestinian Words), through this nonprofit it is intended for the Palestinian words to be heard by the world. When asked about what challenges he faces, a 10 years old expressed in Arabic “بعملونا زي الخروف”, which translates to we get treated like sheep. I thought it was time to show children that their existence matters." - Alissar Abdul Kareem, Founder and CEO