Overnight Summer Camps in the West Bank & Gaza Strip

Code.X held its pilot program in Palestine (West Bank & Gaza) from 2015 to 2022, with local partner PalTel Group Foundation. Each student cohort participated in the program for 24 months, with three overnight summer camps and intermediate yearlong instruction. Our first cohort of 20 students graduated from the full three-year program in the summer of 2017. By the end of the program, Code for Palestine graduated seven cohorts with 310 total students.

Where Are They Now?

• 93% of graduating students went on to study STEM in university. Of our female students, 75% are studying STEM and are breaking down barriers for Palestinian women.

• 10 of our graduates across West Bank and Gaza earned scholarships to study Computer Science at top U.S. universities such as Stanford, MIT, Brown, and Northwestern.

• Many more students have received full-ride Computer Science scholarships to non-U.S. universities.

• Students and TAs of Code for Palestine came together to form Palestine's first International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) team.

• Student alumni have received internships at prestigious tech companies such as Meta and Dropbox.

Program Growth

In 2015, the Palestinian ICT (Information and Communications Technology) sector was slow-growing and harboring immense untapped potential. International funding into Palestinian tech did not target the local dearth of quality tech education and opportunity accessibility. Code.X's theory of change and unique student learning implementation created a sustainable community of young tech leaders and creators in Palestine.

Code for Palestine experienced a 20x growth in applications within 4 years of its 2015 pilot, signaling a growing local interest in STEM due to quality of instruction and program impact on students.

Across the program's lifespan (2015-2022), we received 9,000 applications from prospective 9th graders across West Bank and Gaza Strip, with an average acceptance rate of 5.5% after the pilot year.

Students applied through a competitive application process that involved an initial essay, logical and analytical comprehension exams, and face-to-face interviews. English learning classes were free for students to increase program accessibility. Ultimately, Code for Palestine grew a strong local interest in technology education and attracted young students to STEM fields from all over Palestine.

The yearly student selection process was a collaborative effort between Paltel Group Foundation and several local non-profits such as AlNayzak, Amideast, and Gaza Sky Geeks, reflecting a strong local desire to support youth technology education.

Program Quality & Execution

Code for Palestine quickly built a strong reputation based on the quality of the program. The program’s acceptance rate fell from 24% to 3% as interest from students, teachers, and parents increased.

Broader Impact

The program’s success has directly led to the creation of 9+ other coding or Design Thinking programs. Computer Science is now being taught in every middle-school, with Code for Palestine being credited by the Ministry of Education as the catalyst.

Code.X is committed to the 3-year program format, as we believe longitudinal support and mentorship is crucial in enabling student growth. Code for Palestine was hosted remotely in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where we took our classes to Zoom and coordinated between the U.S. and Palestine.

Our partner, the PalTel Group Foundation, reached 25,000 students in Middle School for the Hour of Code in the West Bank and Gaza during CS Education Week.

Press & Media Coverage

• “Paltel Group CSR: A Leading Model in Sustainable Development“ (This Week in Palestine)

• “Writing code and re-writing the rules in Palestine” (Case for Change)

• “جوال تخرج الدفعة الثامنة من برنامج code for palestine” (Youtube via Donya Ya Donya, 2022)

• “المخيم الصيفي الخاص ببرنامج code for Palestine” (Youtube via Raya Media Network, 2022)

• “Code for Palestine: Increased Youth Resilience through Entrepreneurs Empowerment” (Youtube via DARPE, 2022)

• “CODING IN PALESTINE: HOW TECH EDUCATION KEEPS GIRLS SAFE AND EXPANDS OPPORTUNITIES” (Friends of UNFPA, 2021)

• “Pakistani design expert to teach at West Bank computer science course” (Arab News, 2021)

• “"Code for palestine"جوال تخرج كوكبة من طلبة برنامج“ (Youtube via Wattan News Agency, 2021)

• “جوال " تحتفل بتخريح فوجٍ جديد من طلبة برنامج " Code for Palestine “" (Youtube via وكالة صدى نيوز 2021)

• “برنامج Code for Palestine" (Youtube via PalTel Group, 2021)

• “مجموعة الاتصالات تخرج الدفعة الخامسة من طلاب "code for palestine" (Youtube via Maan Network, 2021)

• “طلاب برنامج Code for palestine في نادي تشامبيونز“ (Youtube via Champions Academy, 2021)

• “جوال تخرج كوكبة من طلبة برنامج "Code For Palestine"“ (Youtube via 104.5 AlHorya Radio FM, 2021)

• “Code For Palestine Program Overview” (Youtube via PalTel Group Foundation, 2019)

• “المخيم التدريبي لطلاب code for Palestine في غزة 2018” (Youtube via PalTel Group Foundation, 2018)

• “Code for Palestine برنامج” (Youtube via PalTel Group Foundation, 2017)

• “Code For Palestine تعلم البرمجة” (Youtube via PalTel Group Foundation, 2017)

• “PalTel Group Launched “Code for Palestine” Program Which Aims to Provide Palestinian Students With a Smarter Future” (Middle East Business, 2015)

Our Local Partner

The Paltel Group Foundation for Community Development is an independent, non-profit organization established by the Paltel Group in 2008 as a direct response to the growing needs of Palestinian society. The Foundation is the first of its kind: an indigenous, self-financed, corporate-supported foundation. The Foundation focuses on various forms of youth empowerment by providing equal opportunities to all segments of society in education and technology to enrich the nation, and promoting a knowledge-based society and encourage entrepreneurship. The Foundation philosophy is to contribute to the Palestinian national and human development through partnerships with all stakeholders in the community, and by adopting an integrated approach to human development.

Program Sponsors