"PACES" was founded in June of 2006 with the central aim of providing healthy, structured after-school sports programs for Palestinian girls and boys; for boys who would otherwise be on the streets and exposed to extremism and violence, and for girls as a means of getting them out of their homes and into programs that empower them.

Our starting point was the football pitches and basketball courts where we launched our first programs in November of 2006. These programs provided activities for over 400 children at six locations, mainly centered in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah.

Our programs provide an escape for the children of Palestine, an escape from being idle on the streets, or in their homes, an escape that is fun, healthy, and encourages excellence in an area long-ignored by our culture. We create programs that encourage team-work and stress the importance of work ethic through commitment to sports and to practice. Our programs are open equally to girls and boys and we are extremely proud to have achieved our goal of a 50% girl’s enrolment rate.

PACES' after-school programs and activities run three days a week, where the main focus is football and basketball training sessions that provide important life skills. Our work is concentrated in and around the most marginalized communities, refugee camps and remote villages across Palestine, reaching the most vulnerable and needy children between the ages of eight and sixteen. PACES partners with local and international NGOs to provide the children with workshops and exposure beyond sports that give them additional development opportunities.

As we embark on our fifth cycle of programs in September, PACES will have 7,500 children enrolled at 71 locations all over Palestine; from Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarem in the north, and Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramallah in the center, to Hebron and Gaza in the south. We are very happy to announce that this year we will also have programs for 750 children living in refugee camps in Lebanon, as well as 750 children in Jordan.

Our programs do more than provide a fun, healthy and educational alternatives to the children enrolled; they have also created employment opportunities for coaches. Our 2010-2011 programs have created jobs for over 500 coaches and their assistants.