Lajee Center

What Lajee Center does

Lajee Center is a community-based nonprofit organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Aida Refugee Camp near Bethlehem, in the State of Palestine's West Bank. It serves approximately 5,000 Palestinian refugees from 27 villages depopulated in 1948, with more than half being children, through a multi-program portfolio spanning early-childhood education (Zahrat Al-Yasmeen Kindergarten, ages 3-5), arts (Dabka Unit, Rebel Circus School, Lajee Music Institute), sports (Lajee Celtic Football Academy, ACLAI Palestine Gym serving 200+ members), media (Digital Media Camp, Media & Arts Unit), health (Community Health Workers Program, seasonal Health Camps serving 70+ women), environment (hydroponic farming, recycling workshops), a library program, a women's empowerment unit, and annual Children's and International Summer Camps.

The underlying operating model is direct service delivery conducted on-site at facilities in Aida (and increasingly Azza) Camp, augmented by seasonal international solidarity and volunteer programs. The center's technology stack is essentially non-technological — community programming with a small digital footprint (website, email newsletters, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter) and a single notable innovation in a hydroponic farming system suited to the dense camp environment. Two published bilingual children's books ('The Boy and the Wall' 2005; 'The Aida Camp Alphabet' 2014) and the 2008 Psychologists for Social Responsibility Josephine 'Scout' Wollman Fuller Award represent its recognized content and IP assets.

Lajee's business model is a nonprofit donation-and-grant model: the bulk of operating revenue comes from charitable contributions and grants from international supporters (including Mennonite Central Committee, Doria Feminist Fund, and BADIL), with a small fee-based stream from the International Summer Camp (€600 for students, €700 for others per two-week session). Most programs are provided free to refugees; the organization is governed by an Administrative Committee led by Director Mohammed Al-Azzah and Board President Khaled Alazraq. Operations have continued for 25 years despite repeated Israeli army incursions targeting its facilities.

Name

Lajee Center

Legal name

Lajee Center

Website

https://lajee.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lajee Center is a Palestinian nonprofit founded in 2000 in Aida Refugee Camp near Bethlehem, delivering education, health, arts, sports, and cultural programs for ~5,000 Palestinian refugees, funded primarily through donations, grants, and a small international summer camp.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community and Refugee Services

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance) (EDAMALAI), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

Keywords

• Refugee community services
• Community education programs
• Youth empowerment programs
• Community health services
• Cultural preservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

Palestinian Territories

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Lajee Center relies primarily on donations from international supporters, charitable organizations, and solidarity groups to fund its operations and programs.
2. International Summer Camp Fees: The center charges fees for its International Summer Camp program: €600 for students and €700 for other participants. These fees cover accommodation, food, and transportation during the camp.
3. Grant Funding: The organization receives grant funding from organizations such as the Doria Feminist Fund, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), and other international development and humanitarian organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lajee Center is a community-based nonprofit that delivers educational, cultural, health, environmental, sports, and arts programs to Palestinian refugees in Aida Camp and surrounding camps near Bethlehem. Its portfolio includes a kindergarten, summer camps, traditional dance (Dabka), music, circus, football academy, gym, library, women's empowerment programs, community health workers, and a hydroponic farming initiative. Most services are provided free of charge to refugees; the International Summer Camp charges fees to international participants.

Product overview

Lajee Center is a community-based organization serving Palestinian refugees in Aida Camp, Bethlehem. The center operates as a multi-program community hub offering educational, cultural, health, environmental, sports, and arts programming. Its portfolio includes: Children's and International Summer Camps providing youth activities and cultural exchange; Environmental and Health Camps focusing on sustainability and wellness; Environment & Health Unit with hydroponic farming and recycling programs; Community Health Workers providing healthcare outreach; Dabka, Music Institute, and Circus School preserving Palestinian culture; Digital Media Camp and Media & Arts Unit offering journalism and photography training; Zahrat Al-Yasmeen Kindergarten for early childhood education; Library program for literacy; ACLAI Palestine Gym and Football Academy for sports; and Women's Unit for empowerment. The organization serves children, youth, women, and families across Aida and Azza refugee camps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zahrat Al-Yasmeen Kindergarten: Kindergarten program serving children ages 3-5 from Aida Camp, opened in September 2021
• Lajee Celtic Football Academy
• Lajee Music Institute
• ACLAI Palestine Gym
• Rebel Circus School
• Lajee Library
• Health and Environment Unit
• Women's Unit
• Media and Arts Unit

Products and services

• Zahrat Al-Yasmeen Kindergarten Kindergarten program serving children ages 3-5 from Aida Camp, providing early childhood education with a focus on creating a secure and joyful learning environment.
• Children's Summer Camp

Quantifiable outcome

• 540 children served through 22nd Annual Summer Camp
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• BADIL CentermajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2022BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights partnered with Lajee Center for Women's Return Project volunteer work in northern Jordan Valley. 50 volunteers worked alongside BADIL and local institutions to help Palestinian farmers rejuvenate farmland.
• 1for3coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with 1for3 organization visible in website footer and kindergarten teacher workshops. The 1for3 team worked with Zahrat Al-Yasmeen Kindergarten teachers for 10 days to improve teaching methods in reading, writing, mathematics, and science for KG1 and KG2 children.
• FFIPP (Friends of the Fern Hill Learning Centre)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerFFIPP is an international organization that enables young people to learn about the Palestinian situation by connecting them with Palestinians and facilitating volunteer placements at Lajee Center, including summer camp programs.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Right to Play International: Global NGO using sport and play to protect and educate children in conflict-affected regions. Comparable to Lajee's Football Academy, ACLAI Palestine Gym, and circus/sports programs in combining youth development through physical activity with psychosocial support for children living under occupation.
• Mercy Corps: Large international humanitarian organization operating in the West Bank and Gaza with youth development, economic empowerment, and psychosocial support programs. Overlaps with Lajee's multi-program model at greater scale across the oPt.
• Save the Children: Global NGO operating in the oPt with child protection, education, and psychosocial support programming — including programs in Palestinian refugee camps. Conceptually aligned with Lajee's child-centered programming model, though at vastly greater scale.
• Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC): International humanitarian organization with significant operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, providing education, legal aid, shelter, and livelihoods support to Palestinian refugees. Comparable as a refugee-services and education-focused NGO.
• UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees): UN-mandated agency providing education, health, relief, and social services to Palestinian refugees across the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Operates at vastly greater scale than Lajee and is the dominant institutional provider of services to the Aida Camp population that Lajee serves.

Regional players

• Palestinian Red Crescent Society: Palestinian humanitarian organization providing emergency medical services, primary health care, and community health programming across the West Bank and Gaza. Comparable to Lajee's Community Health Workers Program and health camps in delivering health services to refugee populations in politically constrained settings.
• Active Communities (Care and Protection): West Bank-based NGO focused on child protection and psychosocial support for children in conflict-affected communities, including refugees. Overlaps with Lajee's NGO/community-based child and youth services model in the same Palestinian context.

Direct peers

• Grassroots Jerusalem: Palestinian community-based organization in East Jerusalem supporting community-led initiatives, child protection, and education programming. Comparable to Lajee as a small, Palestinian-led, donor-funded community NGO operating in occupied territory with a multi-program approach.
• Alrowwad Cultural Center: Palestinian community-based cultural and arts center operating in Aida Camp, Bethlehem, focused on theater, dance, music, and creative arts for children and youth. Operates with a similar model of holistic programming, international volunteer engagement, and published creative output, in the same camp and on the same political constraints as Lajee.
• BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights: Palestinian NGO based in Bethlehem that operates on Palestinian refugee rights, return, and community empowerment — and is an active partner of Lajee Center on the Women's Return Project. Comparable in size, scope, and mandate as a Bethlehem-headquartered advocacy and community-development organization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lajeecenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCU74X1lVjSKxjHU05ghvQYA
• Facebookfacebook.com/lajeecenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/lajeecenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lajee-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lajee Center