Farkha has a long tradition of voluntary work. In the 1970s, young activists began to use voluntary work to serve their communities and build a political movement that could confront the occupation. In the 1980s, Farkha was one of the first villages to form a voluntary work committee, and its members worked across Palestine, including in voluntary work camps in Nazareth.

Voluntary work played played a pioneering role in shaping the awareness of young people, their active participation in the first Intifada. In Farkha, young men and women formed youth and women’s groups, including a branch of the Working Women’s Committee, and built a kindergarten that is still operating to this day.

Inspired by the experience of voluntary work camps in Nazareth, in 1991 people in Farkha organized a project to clean the girls’ school, followed by sports activities, a medical work day, and a festival. These efforts were the start of the Farkha International Festival. This event, held annually in the summer, is the largest gathering of volunteer work in Palestine, an exhibition for cultural exchange, and a forum for progressive thought.

Today, from maintaining public spaces, rehabilitating the old town, and organizing youth events to terracing Qamar al-Balad and defending land from settlers, voluntary work is an integral part of life in Farkha.