9^th, May 2007

A visit was paid to the Community Service Center, CSC, by David Viveash, Head of Representative Office of Canada, Ramallah, Heather Crude, Head of Development Section, Dorice Lessard, Development Section at the Representative Office of Canada Jim Torczyner, Director of McGill Middle East Program in Civil Society and Peace Building and Jodi Michaels, Director of Communications, McGill Middle East Program in Civil Society and Peace Building.
The Delegation was received by Mr. Sami Al-Kilani, Director of the Continuing Education Center, CEC, and Mr. Bilal Salameh, Director of the Community Service Center, CSC, who gave them a presentation on the CSC projects over the past few years and discussed the prospective fields of cooperation.
The Delegation met with President of the University, Prof. Rami Hamdallah, who welcomed his guests and briefed them on the latest developments taking place at the university. He also spoke about many newly opened programs, centers, and faculties, as well as the inauguration of the new campus. He also spoke about the volunteers of CSC and expressed hope that the philosophy of this center would become widespread throughout the country. Different ideas were discussed in the fields of raising money for graduate students to continue their higher education in Canada and the current situation in Palestine. Some other ideas were highlighted like the expansion of the relations with Canadian associations and universities.
Prof. Hamdallah expressed to his guests the willingness of the Palestinian people to live in peace, and spoke about the latest conferences that were organized at the campus and the study visits organized for international guests and academics. He thanked his guests for their support to the CSC that facilitates change for the citizens of Nablus.
The Delegation then toured in the old city of Nablus where they saw homes renovated by CSC in housing project which has provided its inhabitants with healthy accommodation.