An-Najah National University : Collaboration with NGOs to Advance the SDGs

An-Najah National University (ANNU) collaborates as an institution with local, national, regional and international non-governmental and civil-society organisations to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These partnerships are embedded in university structures, including the Community Service Center, Deanship of Student Affairs, academic faculties, scientific centres, the Sustainable Development Office, the Innovation Park and specialist institutes. Together, they connect student service, applied research and publicly accessible education with community priorities in health, inclusion, child protection, climate action, water, food security, livelihoods, justice and resilience.

ANNU University Stakeholders

Student Volunteering Programs

ANNU enables students to translate learning into community service through organised volunteering delivered with NGOs and civil-society partners. The Community Service Center, student associations and clubs under the Deanship of Student Affairs, academic faculties and specialist units coordinate placements, campaigns, outreach activities and community learning. Approximately 2,000 students volunteer annually through university-supported channels, addressing equitable education, health, disability inclusion, environmental stewardship, cultural heritage, emergency preparedness and community resilience.

Established programme areas and partners

Health and disability inclusion with the General Union of Persons with Disabilities: Student volunteers support awareness, accessibility advocacy and services that advance SDGs 3 and 10. Partner page
Education and youth development with UNRWA: Students support education and mentoring for refugee and underserved communities, contributing to SDG 4. Partner page
Women’s empowerment with the Arab Women Union Society: Student-supported workshops address rights, equality and employability, advancing SDGs 5, 8 and 10. Partner page
Inclusive community health and well-being: First-aid awareness, blood-donation drives and mental-health peer support with health NGOs.
Refugee education support: Tutoring and learning support for students in camps and low-income communities.
Women and girls’ skills programmes: Digital literacy, English, CV writing and entrepreneurship training with women-focused NGOs.
Accessibility and assistive-technology activities: Screening, mobility-aid support and accessibility mapping with disability organisations.
Environmental stewardship: Clean-ups, planting, plastics reduction, recycling awareness and biodiversity action with environmental organisations.
Food security and humanitarian relief: Food-parcel and meal campaigns for vulnerable families with humanitarian partners.
Road safety and emergency preparedness: Public education on injury prevention, first response and household readiness.
Legal, civic, cultural and heritage service: Child protection, anti-bullying, rights education, museum support and heritage documentation.

2025 documented highlights

2026 documented highlights

Management quality and safeguarding

Coordination: The Community Service Center and Deanship of Student Affairs coordinate NGO requests, volunteer placement and logistics through university-approved arrangements and, where applicable, memoranda of understanding.
Preparation: Students receive activity-appropriate orientation covering safeguarding, inclusion, privacy, professional conduct and ethical community engagement.
Monitoring: Units document activities, participants, volunteer hours, locations, beneficiaries, outputs and relevant SDGs; partner confirmation is retained where available.
Recognition: Certificates and co-curricular recognition acknowledge students’ SDG-related community contribution.

Research Programmes with NGOs

ANNU pioneers research initiatives that drive innovation and sustainability, partnering with NGOs to tackle urgent global issues like sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and climate resilience.

Example Projects:

How We Structure NGO Research Partnerships

Formal MoUs & Workplans: Clear scopes, deliverables, and SDG targets/indicators.
Ethics & Safeguarding: IRB approvals, data-sharing agreements, and community advisory boards for sensitive studies.
Capacity Building: Training-of-trainers (ToT) for NGO staff; student internships and MSc theses embedded in NGO projects.
Monitoring & Evaluation: Logical frameworks with baseline/endline surveys; open metrics aligned to SDG targets.

Knowledge Products & Impact

Co-Authored Outputs: Peer-reviewed articles, field manuals, and policy briefs produced with NGO partners.
Open Data & Tools: Curated datasets (when permissible), GIS layers, and prototype toolkits shared for replication.
Policy Uptake: Evidence synthesized for ministries/municipalities, informing local climate adaptation, WASH guidelines, and circular-economy strategies.

Development of Educational Resources

ANNU and its NGO partners jointly develop and deliver educational resources for students, professionals and the wider community. Resources include structured courses, awareness materials, public workshops, training modules, field guides, curricula, digital tools, reusable presentations and outreach packages. This converts collaboration into sustained learning rather than one-off participation.

Established educational-resource partnerships

Public health education with Dental Health Without Borders and PMRS: Oral-health and hygiene education, student preparation and services for underserved communities. ANNU evidence
Environmental and climate-justice learning with MA’AN Development Center: Joint training and outreach modules supporting environmental justice. ANNU evidence
First-aid training with PMRS: A multi-session student course with practical training content for university and community use. ANNU evidence
Community first-aid education with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society: Certified training cycles and reusable practical learning content. ANNU evidence
PharmD first-aid course with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society: Faculty-hosted learning that provides a model for recurring safety and health workshops. ANNU evidence
Accessibility resources with the Palestinian Union for the Deaf: Cooperation on awareness, sign-language and inclusive-learning resources. ANNU evidence
Youth cooperative education with UAWC: Guidance for student cooperative projects and agricultural outreach. ANNU evidence
WASH and climate-smart agriculture curriculum review with PARC, UAWC and PHG: NGO input into curricula and labour-market relevance. ANNU evidence
She Succeeds learning track with MA’AN Development Center and PARC: Entrepreneurship workshops and student learning resources. ANNU evidence
Soil preservation and sustainable farming with PARC: Practical guidance for student fieldwork and community learning. ANNU evidence
Digital-skills pathway supported by Save the Children and Mercy Corps: Cisco Regional Academy infrastructure and durable teaching resources. ANNU evidence
Continuing health collaborations: NGO-supported public-health, school and community education. ANNU evidence

2025 documented highlights

2026 documented highlights

Wider ANNU NGO Partnership Portfolio

The following portfolio, retained from the university’s established evidence base, shows the breadth of institutional engagement supporting the three core pathways above. Partner links are provided for transparency; the dated ANNU news links in Sections 1–3 provide the strongest activity-level evidence.

Partner	Collaboration focus	SDGs	Link
UNDP Palestine	Community resilience, vocational learning and livelihoods	1, 8	Partner website
PENGON Friends of the Earth Palestine	Environmental awareness, conservation, clean-ups, waste and energy education	13, 15	Partner website
UN Women Palestine	Women’s leadership, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment	5, 8	Partner website
Action Against Hunger	Nutrition, safe water, hygiene and community health	2, 3, 6	Partner website
Palestinian Medical Relief Society	Community health, first aid, mental health and outreach	3, 10	Partner website
EcoPeace Middle East	Youth environmental education and water conservation	4, 6, 13	Partner website
Palestinian Red Crescent Society	First aid, emergency response, disaster preparedness and health services	3, 11, 13	Partner website
FAO Palestine	Food security, resilient crops, farmer training and sustainable agriculture	2, 12	Partner website
Oxfam	WASH infrastructure and safe-water education	3, 6	Partner website
Mercy Corps	Youth employment, entrepreneurship and digital skills	4, 8, 9	Partner website
Applied Research Institute Jerusalem ARIJ	Land, water, GIS and sustainability analytics	6, 11, 13, 15	Partner website
Palestinian Hydrology Group	Water-quality monitoring, rainwater harvesting and WASH education	6, 13	Partner website
Agricultural Development Association PARC	Climate-resilient agriculture, livelihoods and farmer education	2, 8, 12, 13	Partner website
Palestine Wildlife Society	Biodiversity monitoring, habitat protection and community education	4, 15	Partner website
ANERA	WASH, food security, health education and service-learning	2, 3, 6, 8	Partner website
Taawon Welfare Association	Scholarships, heritage conservation and youth employability	4, 8, 11	Partner website
Save the Children	Education continuity, child protection and psychosocial support	3, 4, 10	Partner website
World Vision	Safe education, mental health, livelihoods and family support	3, 4, 8	Partner website
Humanity and Inclusion	Inclusive education, rehabilitation, assistive devices and psychosocial support	3, 4, 10	Partner website
Norwegian Refugee Council	Rights education, legal assistance, education and WASH support	4, 6, 11, 16	Partner website
YWCA Palestine	Women’s leadership, economic empowerment and civic engagement	5, 8, 16	Partner website
Partners for Sustainable Development	Digital skills, entrepreneurship and social innovation	4, 8, 9	Partner website
Engineers Without Borders Palestine	Student-led water, energy and community engineering	6, 7, 9, 11	Partner website

The following dated examples are retained because they demonstrate continuity and show that ANNU’s NGO engagement predates the current reporting cycle.

Pink October outreach with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and Arab Women Union Society: Student-led health awareness and screening activities. ANNU evidence
First-aid and firefighting training with PMRS: Hands-on courses for students through the Community Service Center. ANNU evidence
School health education with PRCS and UNRWA: Nursing students delivered structured health sessions in Askar Girls School. ANNU evidence
PAL-GAP resilience programme with PARC and Islamic Relief France: ANNU provided field engineering and technical implementation for resilient agriculture. ANNU evidence
Agricultural inputs and farmer support: University technical work under the NGO-funded agricultural programme. ANNU evidence
Women farmers and PAL-GAP: Field training and adoption of good agricultural practices. ANNU evidence
Soil and water sampling for PAL-GAP: Sampling, farm auditing and preparation for certification. ANNU evidence
Disability inclusion collaboration: Cooperation with the General Union of Persons with Disabilities on support and awareness. ANNU evidence
Open sustainability education: Public webinar content supporting sustainability and SDG learning. ANNU evidence
Institutional agreement to operate the Red Crescent Hospital: Formal university-level collaboration with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society and Ministry of Awqaf. ANNU evidence

Additional Documented NGO Collaboration in 2025

Strategic partnership with Education for Employment: ANNU signed an institutional agreement with the Education for Employment Foundation to strengthen students’ professional skills, employability and access to innovative career-development programmes, supporting SDGs 4 and 8. ANNU evidence
Innovation and entrepreneurship partnership with Youth of Tomorrow: Through An-Najah Innovation Park, the University signed a cooperation agreement with the Youth of Tomorrow Organization to support innovation, entrepreneurship and the development of community-oriented projects, advancing SDGs 4, 8, 9 and 17. ANNU evidence
Child justice and rights partnership with Defense for Children International: ANNU established a strategic partnership with Defense for Children International to advance child justice, protect children’s rights and develop related legal and educational activities in Palestine, contributing to SDGs 4, 10 and 16. ANNU evidence
Special-needs education with Sharek Youth Forum: The Palestinian Institute for Childhood and Sharek Youth Forum delivered specialized training for parents of adolescents with special needs. The programme used a jointly developed practical guide addressing psychological, social and health needs, supporting SDGs 3, 4 and 10. ANNU evidence
Drug-prevention education with Friends of Life Association: ANNU’s Practical Training Center and Department of Psychology collaborated with the Friends of Life Association for Combating Drugs to train students in preventive awareness programmes addressing drug abuse and psychotropic substances, advancing SDGs 3, 4 and 16. ANNU evidence
Sustainable development partnership with PARC: ANNU signed a memorandum of understanding with the Agricultural Development Association (PARC) to expand cooperation in sustainable agriculture, economic and social empowerment, scientific research, capacity-building and community development, supporting SDGs 2, 8, 12, 13 and 17. ANNU evidence
AI and Law Summer School with Sharek Youth Forum: ANNU and Sharek Youth Forum jointly delivered the first Summer School on Artificial Intelligence and Law. The five-day programme provided 28 law students with practical learning in AI-supported legal research, drafting, data protection and professional skills, advancing SDGs 4, 8, 9 and 16. ANNU evidence
Legal training and field placements with the Norwegian Refugee Council: Under an institutional memorandum of understanding, law students completed specialized training on housing, land and property rights, East Jerusalem residency and humanitarian protection. Selected students subsequently undertook six-month field placements with NRC, supporting SDGs 4, 10, 11 and 16. ANNU evidence
Practical mediation education with ACT for Conflict Resolution: The Faculty of Law and Political Science and ACT for Conflict Resolution signed a memorandum of understanding and conducted a mock mediation session that trained students in peaceful dispute resolution, dialogue and restorative justice, supporting SDGs 4, 5 and 16. ANNU evidence
Disability-support training with the Palestinian Institute for Childhood: ANNU’s Disability Support Unit collaborated with the Palestinian Institute for Childhood to deliver a specialized workshop that strengthened knowledge and practical approaches for supporting students with disabilities, advancing SDGs 4 and 10. ANNU evidence
Specialized substance-abuse prevention course: ANNU concluded a structured training programme for psychology students in collaboration with the Friends of Life Association. The programme strengthened students’ ability to design and deliver preventive community-awareness interventions, supporting SDGs 3, 4 and 16. ANNU evidence
CheckTech digital verification tool with Tahaqaq Observatory: An ANNU student and the Palestinian fact-checking observatory Tahaqaq jointly launched CheckTech, an AI-supported digital-verification tool that translates university knowledge into a practical resource for information integrity and media literacy, contributing to SDGs 4, 9 and 16. ANNU evidence
Kidney-health education with the Kidney Failure Patients Association: ANNU hosted an NGO-led awareness programme featuring disease-prevention information, nutrition guidance, patient-support mechanisms, awareness leaflets and displays supporting patients’ economic empowerment, advancing SDGs 3, 4 and 10. ANNU evidence
Blue November student health campaign: In collaboration with the Global Palestinian Medical Students’ Association–Nablus, ANNU students conducted community health screenings and education on prostate cancer, diabetes and hypertension. More than 350 people were screened, with results recorded digitally for follow-up, supporting SDGs 3, 4 and 11. ANNU evidence
R.I.S.E. 2 H.E.A.L. with the Friends of Kidney Patients Association: The Palestinian Medical Students’ Association–Nablus and the Friends of Kidney Patients Association delivered interactive educational activities addressing children’s rights, kidney disease and the challenges experienced by patients and families. The initiative also included a winter clothing and supplies campaign for vulnerable beneficiaries, supporting SDGs 3, 4 and 10. ANNU evidence

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Collaboration with NGOs to Advance the SDGs

ANNU University Stakeholders

Student Volunteering Programs

Established programme areas and partners

2025 documented highlights

2026 documented highlights

Management quality and safeguarding

Research Programmes with NGOs

How We Structure NGO Research Partnerships

Knowledge Products & Impact

Development of Educational Resources

Established educational-resource partnerships

2025 documented highlights

2026 documented highlights

Wider ANNU NGO Partnership Portfolio

Additional Documented NGO Collaboration in 2025

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