مركز  العمل التنموي -معا يتبرع بمجموعة مميزة من الكتب لمكتبة فيصل الحسيني

ضمن التعاون المشترك ما بين مركز العمل التنموي -معا- و مركز جمعية برج اللقلق المجتمعي في القدس، فقد قام مركز معا يوم الخميس الموافق 13/12/2012 بالتبرع بمجموعة مميزة من الكتب و الموسوعات القيمة لصالح مكتبة فيصل الحسيني في مركز جمعية برج اللقلق . و ذلك بهدف المساهمة في اثراء المكتبة و تحفيز الاطفال و الطلائع للتواصل مع عالم القراءة و الادب و تسهيل وصولهم الى المعلومة المكتوبة.

Promoting climate change adaptation in the Jordan Valley

Figure 1: Monitoring visit with AECID

MA’AN is currently implementing in Bardala and Al Farisiya the project “Fostering Adaptation to Climate Change among Farming Systems in the northern Jordan Valley”, funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. The increasing scientific certainty over future projections of human-driven climate change and its adverse impacts on the southern and eastern Mediterranean point to a dire need to strengthen high-risk local farming communities' awareness and capacities to mitigate the worst effects of future climatic disruptions. The climate is already changing and mitigation efforts to diminish the causes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and reduce their concentrations in the atmosphere will only happen gradually. In the meantime, adaptation strategies are vital for the survival of local risk-exposed farming communities if future food security is to be guaranteed. As a result of a lack of access to information, low adaptation capacity and restricted access to technical and financial assistance, small-scale farmers will be particularly exposed. It is in this context that MA'AN is working to foster climate change adaptation among farming systems in the northern Jordan Valley through awareness rising and ecologically sound adaptation strategies. The aim of this intervention is to inform communities about the risks of climate change, while assisting farmers to build their resilience and develop sustainable agro-systems. This will contribute to buffering high-risk farmers against climate variability within the framework that is both environmentally sustainable as well as economically viable.

Figure 2: Solar cooker	Figure 3: Greywater workshop

Promoting climate change adaptation in the Jordan Valley

MA’AN is currently implementing in Bardala and Al Farisiya the project “Fostering Adaptation to Climate Change among Farming Systems in the northern Jordan Valley”, funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. The increasing scientific certainty over future projections of human-driven climate change and its adverse impacts on the southern and eastern Mediterranean point to a dire need to strengthen high-risk local farming communities' awareness and capacities to mitigate the worst effects of future climatic disruptions. The climate is already changing and mitigation efforts to diminish the causes of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and reduce their concentrations in the atmosphere will only happen gradually. In the meantime, adaptation strategies are vital for the survival of local risk-exposed farming communities if future food security is to be guaranteed. As a result of a lack of access to information, low adaptation capacity and restricted access to technical and financial assistance, small-scale farmers will be particularly exposed. It is in this context that MA'AN is working to foster climate change adaptation among farming systems in the northern Jordan Valley through awareness rising and ecologically sound adaptation strategies. The aim of this intervention is to inform communities about the risks of climate change, while assisting farmers to build their resilience and develop sustainable agro-systems. This will contribute to buffering high-risk farmers against climate variability within the framework that is both environmentally sustainable as well as economically viable.

مؤتمر صحفي حول الانبعاثات الغازية الإسرائيلية العسكرية والمدنية السامة والمدمرة للمُناخ في فلسطين

في إطار فعاليات الإعلام البيئي لمركز مركز العمل التنموي/معا وشبكة المنظمات البيئية الفلسطينية- أصدقاء الأرض فلسطين، الهادفة إلى تشكيل لوبي إعلامي بيئي وطني ضاغط ومؤثر على راسمي السياسات وأصحاب القرار محليا ودوليا، نظم مركز معا، وشبكة المنظمات البيئية الفلسطينية في 21 تشرين ثاني مؤتمراً  صحفيا كشف عن حقائق ومعطيات ساخنة حول الانبعاثات المكثفة لغازات الدفيئة السامة من مصادر عسكرية ومدنية إسرائيلية، ما يتسبب في تدمير المُناخ في فلسطين وسائر أنحاء المشرق العربي، وخاصة على ضوء العدوان الإسرائيلي العسكري الهمجي المكثف الأخير ضد أهلنا في قطاع غزة.  وكشف المؤتمر الصحفي الذي شارك فيه وزير شؤون البيئة د. يوسف أبو صفية عن طرق التضليل وتزوير الحقائق التي يتبعها الاحتلال الإسرائيلي للتغطية على جرائمه الحربية الملوثة والمدمرة للتوازن المناخي.
وهدف المؤتمر الصحفي الذي غطته العديد من وسائل الإعلام المرئية والمسموعة والمقروءة إلى حشد وتحريك الإعلام المحلي والعربي والدولي، كي يرفع صوته عاليا ويشكل قوة ضاغطة باتجاه فرض تدخل "المجتمع الدولي" في الأراضي الفلسطينية المحتلة عام 1967، من أجل وقف التدمير الإسرائيلي المخيف للتوازن المُناخي، وإنقاذ المُناخ والبيئة في فلسطين من العبث الإسرائيلي والتلويث والتدمير.
لمشاهدة وقائع المؤتمر الصحفي إضغط على الرابط التالي:

A Call for the Immediate End to Israeli War Crimes in the Gaza Strip

The international community remain silent and in some cases, has perpetuated the state of Israel’s latest series of brutal attacks on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. As Israeli Occupation Forces’ F-16 fighter jets and bombs rain down on the besieged Gaza Strip, the carnage in Gaza continues, moving into Day 8 of Operation Pillar of Defense. Israel’s most recent offensive has taken the lives of over 140 Palestinians and injured over 1100, most of which are children. This is coupled with the complete destruction of  basic infrastructure, including homes, public buildings, and agricultural land.
This press release is written following  US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s arrival in annexed Jerusalem on November 20, 2012 where she reiterated President Obama’s faithful support for the state of Israel, refusing to condemn Israel’s attack on Palestinian civilians, and defending Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people. Clinton said she would work with Israel and Egypt on brokering a truce in Gaza “in the days ahead.” She is now in Ramallah where she will be meeting with representatives from the Palestinian Authority.
Last night, the United  National Security Council announced that its meetings regarding the attacks on Gaza were inconclusive and no definitive action will be taken as of now. Efforts to submit a UN Security Council statement condemning the attacks were blocked by the US as well.
In the meantime, the Gaza Strip is facing several shaking explosions in what Israeli spokespeople call “surgical operations,” supposedly targeted killings that have seen the death of four generations of the al-Dalou family killed, ages 1 to 84. Eleven members of the family were killed when their apartment complex was blown to pieces by Israeli Occupation Forces on November 19, 2012.
Three journalists have also been killed in Israeli airstrikes. Last night, Israeli forces directly targeted towers housing both journalists and Palestinian civilians, directly and intentionally impeding the ability of the media and press to report the situation on the ground in the region.
Israeli attacks on the besieged, civilian population in the Gaza Strip are inexcusable, an atrocious display of Israeli authorities’ systematic dehumanization of this population through massive collective punishment and the use of brutal disproportionate force, and a gross affront to international law. It is incumbent on the international community to face these facts and act upon them now.
MA’AN projects and staff have been directly impacted by these belligerent attacks in Gaza. The lives of staff and their families, and the infrastructure of major programs and projects have been put in jeopardy.
In light of the egregious Israeli attacks and the international communities’ completely inadequate response to this crisis, MA’AN Development Center demands that:

MA’AN Conducts its Seventh Tour of the Jordan Valley for Internationals and Palestinians

On 11 November 2012, MA’AN, with support from the Norwegian Representative Office, conducts its seventh tour of the Jordan Valley for internationals and Palestinians. The attendants were brought to four different communities in order to raise awareness about the gross restrictions placed upon Palestinians by the Israeli government and army.
Before the trip, all attendees were given a reference packet containing relevant publications and material regarding the challenges currently facing Palestinian residents in this extremely marginalized region. En route to the tour’s first stop, MA’AN coordinators illustrated the situation in the Jordan Valley and the various issues that would be discussed throughout the day. Attendees were free to ask questions and further talk about these topics as they came up.

The tour then brought participants to the community, Fasayil al-Foqa. Here, they visited a school that MA’AN built in 2008 to discuss the challenges to education for Palestinian children in the Jordan Valley. In a meeting with the school principal, participants learned of the serious lack of support, monetarily and otherwise, from the Palestinian Authority. This includes the PA’s minimal provision of basic resources, which fail to meet the school’s needs. In Fasayil al-Foqa, the tour also visited a number of houses that MA’AN has built and renovated in cooperation with the NRO and Spanish Cooperation.  The visit to Fasayil al-Foqa revealed another aspect of life for Palestinian in the Jordan Valley – a continually disenfranchised and marginalized youth, who will also reach adulthood under occupation.

Tour attendees then proceeded to the Palestinian village of Zbeidat, where they met and discussed the community’s paralyzing building and water restrictions.  The arbitrary nature of Israeli restrictions through Area A, B, and C designations in Zbeidat clearly highlighted the tour’s major themes. Underlying the issues presented in these visits is the separate and unequal development of Palestinian and Jewish settlers in the Jordan Valley, supported and institutionalized through Israeli policies.

MA’AN Conducts its Sixth Jordan Valley Tour for Internationals and Palestinians

On 14 October, 2012, MA’AN led its sixth tour of the Jordan Valley for internationals and Palestinians. The tour was conducted as part of MA’AN’s Voices to be Heard project, funded by the Norwegian Representative Office. The tour brought 16 people to four different Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley in order to raise awareness regarding the living conditions of Palestinians under the Israeli occupation.

The first stop on the tour wasRas al-Auja, where participants were able to meet and listen to the elder of the community. The elder discussed Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access to water and land and the impact of these restrictions on the Palestinian herders of Ras al-Auja. Second, participants were taken to Fasayil al-Foqa to see the houses and school that MA’AN has built in order to benefit the herding community. The principal of the school provided a brief history of the school and an overview of his role there. Third, the tour headed north to the village of Zbeidatto have lunch and to discuss issues of building restrictions and their impact on the Palestinian population. The final stop on the tour was in the northern Jordan Valley, where the head of the al-Maleh village council led an hour-long discussion about what life is like for the 3,000 Palestinians in the area. After al-Maleh, the tour headed back to Ramallah where participants were given MA’AN factsheets about the Jordan Valley in order to further expand their knowledge of this marginalized and impoverished area.

Five Houses Created in Fasayil al-Foqa as Part of MA’AN’s Voice to be Heard Project

As part of MA’AN’s ongoing house renovation project funded by the Norwegian Representative Office (NRO), five houses and sanitation units were built in order to support five families who recently came to Fasayil al-Foqa due to a conflict within the family, which resulted in destruction and harassment. MA’AN provided all the necessary building materials and the beneficiaries were more than willing to contribute their labor to the houses’ construction after the difficulties they faced at home, which included harassment and the burning down of their home in a village near Bethlehem. In total, 86 Palestinians were direct beneficiaries of this component of our larger house renovation project in the Jordan Valley. One of the beneficiaries, Abu Assad, had this to say:
“After we were forced to leave our village due to the burning of our house and destruction of our property, we found ourselves coming to Fasayil al-Foqaand living in a rickety tent with a couple of mattresses and blankets. This was not enough. We had to drastically change our situation for the better. Then, we got in contact with MA’AN and they were eager to assist us as fast as possible, considering winter was just around the corner.”
MA’AN will continue to carry out this project in the upcoming year in order to minimize the suffering of herders in the Jordan Valley who face harsh restrictions imposed by Israeli authorities. At the same time, MA’AN wants to emphasize the deplorable conditions that led these five families to move to Fasayil al-Foqa in the first place. Under no circumstances is the burning of homes or destruction of property an acceptable action.

بناء خمس منازل وبعض الوحدات الصحية لخمس عائلات لجأت الى منطقة الفصايل الفوقا

وضمن واجبنا الانساني والوطني وبعد النداءات التي سمعناها في وسائل الاعلام.  قمنا في الأسابيع القليلة الماضية ببناء خمس منازل بالاضافة الى بعض الوحدات الصحية لخمس عائلات لجأت الى منطقة فصايل الفوقا. حيث قام المركز بتوفير كل مواد البناء اللازمة بالاضافة الى الأبواب ةالنوافذ وكل ما يلزم لاتمام البناء, وقد ساهم المستفيدون بجهدهم الشخصي كأيدي عاملة بدلا من المساهمة بسبب ظروفهم الصعبة وحالتهم الطارئة.
ان هذه المنازل أنقذت 86 امراة وطفل ورجل مسن لجؤوا الى قرية فصايل الفوقا من منطقة الرشايدة في بيت لحم بعد شجار عائلي أدى الى خروجهم من بيوتهم التي تم تدميرها وحرقها بالكامل من قبل عائلة أخرى.
يقول أبو أسعد:" بعد أن خرجنا هاربين من بيوتنا التي تم حرقها وبعد أن تم تدمير كل ممتلكاتنا في منطقة الرشايدة قرب مدينة بيت لحم. لجأنا الى هذه المنطقة علنا نحمي انفسنا وأطفالنا من الثأر الذي قد تطالب به العائلة الأخرى."
ويضيف: " وجدنا أنفسنا بين السماء والأرض في منطقة جبلية هنا. قام بعض الاهالي من فصايل الفوقا باعطائنا خيمة متهالكة وبعض الأغطية والفراش ولكنها كانت بالكاد تكفي لأطفالنا. حتى جائنا موظفوا مركز العمل التنموي معاً. وأخبرونا بانهم سيقومون ببناء بيوت بسيطة لنا بمساعدتنا لتؤينا وأطفالنا خاصة وأن الشتاء على الأبواب."
اننا نتدخل من أجل التخفيف من حجم الالم الذي يعانيه المتضررون من خلافات الثأر المتفشية في مجتمعنا الفلسطيني للأسف. محاولين قدر الامكان المساعدة في التخلص من تبعات هذه المشكلة الاجتماعية.
واننا ندعوا أبناء مجتمعنا الفلسطيني الى تحكيم القانون في حل النزاعات العائلية بدل تشريد العائلات والاطفال والنساء الذين لا ذنب لهم.

MA’AN Conducts a Two-Day Capacity Building Training for 20 Teachers

As part of the capacity building component in the Child Resilience Project, MA’AN Development Center conducted a two day capacity building training for 20 teachers. The purpose of the training was to introduce the teachers from the participating schools to the child resilience manual, in order to equip them with the necessary knowledge and tools to implement the twelve sessions in the schools.
The child resilience manual is divided into twelve chapters where each chapter tackles an issue such as violence, conflict transformation, our community, how to deal with different feelings, and how to manage anger, communication means, and skills.
The first day of the training was conducted on 14 September 2012 at Rawdet Zohoor Al Mokhayam at Shu’fat refugee camp where 20 teachers and councilors attended the training. The second day was conducted at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Ramallah.
At the end of the training, the teachers expressed that it was very useful to attend the training and stressed the point that there should be monthly follow up meetings with the mentors to deal with any issues that arise during the implementation of the child resilience sessions.

MA’AN Development Center conducts an orientation workshop for the participating teachers in the child resilience project.

In partnership with Save the Children International, MA’AN started the third cycle of the Child Resilience Project. This part of the project will be conducted from 1 August 2012 until 31 December 2012. The project will be implemented in eight schools in Jerusalem:

This workshop took place in Bethany on 6 September 2012. The purpose of the workshop was to meet with potential teachers from the above listed schools and to introduce the project for them, as well as to test the suitability of the interested teachers to implement the project. Yoad Ghanadry, from the Palestinian counseling center, helped in facilitating the meeting. The meeting lasted for three hours and was very fruitful.

MA’AN Conducts Parents’ Meeting at the YMCA in Jerusalem

As part of the activities of the Child Resilience Project, MA’AN development center conducted the first parents meeting at the YMCA in Jerusalem. The meeting took place on 27 September 2012.

The meeting started with welcoming remarks by the project manager, and then followed by a presentation on the project. One of the mentors then presented the child resilience manual.
An open discussion between the parents and the project staff took place. Several points were discussed and stressed by both parties such as:

-The importance of the involvement of the parents in such activities
-The complementary role of school, home, and community
-The importance of positive enforcement and support of the parents
-Plan for future activities with the parents

افتتاح حديقة دار الإيمان لرعاية الأيتام في قلقيلية

من محمد صبري مراسل موقع بانيت وصحيفة بانوراما

19/09/2012 14:37:36

نظم المجلس الثقافي البريطاني بالشراكة مع مركز العمل التنموي - معا وبالتعاون مع محافظة قلقيلية حفل افتتاح حديقة دار الايتام في قلقيلية ضمن مشروع المواطنة الفاعلة ، والذي ينفذ في كافة محافظات الوطن ، بحضور كل من العميد ربيح الخندقجي محافظ محافظة قلقيلية، محمد خضر نائب رئيس بلدية قلقيلية، محمود ولويل امين سر حركة فتح ، الدكتور يحيى ندى رئيس جامعة القدس المفتوحة في قلقيلية، الن سمارت مدير المجلس الثقافي البريطاني، سعد الدين الحلواني مدير البرامج في المجلس الثقافي البريطاني، اضافة الى سامي خضر المدير العام لمركز معا، السيدة غادة القدومي مديرة المشروع، والانسة شروق حجاوي مسؤولة برنامج المرأة في المركز، الانسة حنان الغشاش مديرة دائرة الطفل والمرأة في المحافظة، الاجهزة الامنية والمواطنون الفاعلون المتدربون والقائمون على الحفل في قلقيلية. والعديد من المساهمون في المبادرة وعدد من افراد المجتمع المحلي اضافة الى مشاركة الاطفال النزلاء في الدار. تخلل الحفل كلمات لمحافظ محافظة قلقيلية العميد ربيح الخندقجي بالإضافة إلى كلمة حسن شريم مدير دار الايمان لرعاية الايتام وسامي خضر مدير مركز معا ومحمد خضر نائب رئيس بلدية قلقيلية وتوزيع شهادات التقدير على المساهمين والقائمين على الحفل ضمن البرنامج.
يذكر أن المجلس الثقافي البريطاني كان قد أطلق برنامج المواطنة الفاعلة العام الماضي بالتعاون مع مركز العمل التنموي- معا في جميع محافظات الوطن في فلسطين بهدف تطوير قدرات الأفراد من أجل تحديد الاحتياجات المجتمعية والتمكن من تطوير مشاريع لمعالجة هذه القضايا والمشاكل. وقد عملت المؤسستان على تحقيق الأهداف من خلال توفير الفرص والأدوات اللازمة للشباب الفلسطينيين المشاركين، للتواصل المباشر والتواصل عبر الانترنت مع أقرانهم في المملكة المتحدة ومناطق مختلفة أخرى من العالم وذلك بهدف دفع التفاعل الايجابي ومبدأ التشارك وتبادل الأفكار والخبرات والمعارف بالإضافة إلى بناء علاقات جديدة وتحقيق فهم أشمل لدور الفرد في المنظومة العالمية ومن ضمن المشاريع المقدمة لمركز العمل التنموي/ معا ضمن مشروع المواطنة الفاعلة مبادرة ساحة دار الايتام في قلقيلية ، والتي كانت من افضل المبادرات المقدمة الى مركز معا وقد حصلت على المرتبة الاولى في التصميم والتنفيذ والحشد والحراك المجتمعي الذي اظهرت الكفاءة العالية التي يتمتع بها القائمين على المبادرة من المواطنين الفاعلين.
يشار إلى أن برنامج المواطنة الفاعلة الذي يقوم عليه المجلس الثقافي البريطاني وينفذه في عدة مناطق حول العالم منها ست دول في منطقة شمال أفريقيا والشرق الأدنى هي الجزائر ومصر وسوريا ولبنان والأردن وفلسطين، هو عبارة عن شبكة عالمية تتكون من قادة المجتمعات وشركاء المجتمع المدني المحليين في البلدان المشاركة. ويهدف المشروع إلى بناء الفهم والثقة بين المجتمعات عن طريق إنشاء شبكة عالمية مستدامة لقادة المجتمعات الذين يمكنهم العمل معاً من معالجة القضايا العالمية في القرن الواحد والعشرين. ويستخدم مشروع المواطنة الفاعلة العلاقات الثقافية الدولية للمساعدة في معالجة التحديات الرئيسية. وتشمل هذه قضايا تنتج عن الاختلافات في العرق أو الدين أو الثقافة، والتلوث والحماية البيئية، والصحة والفرص التعليمية، والمشاركة الديمقراطية إضافة إلى الاستبعاد الاجتماعي، ومشاركة النساء وفرص العيش الكريم.

Population statistics of Israeli settlers living in the occupied Palestinian territories

The Israeli Ministry of the Interior recently released, in Hebrew, the new population statistics of Israeli settlers living in the occupied Palestinian territories, not including East Jerusalem. The statistics speak for themselves. Currently there are 350,143 settlers in the West Bank alone. More than 15,000 Israeli Jews have become settlers in the past year, 48,389 in the past three years, and 159,937 since 2000. According to the official population registry, almost 300,000 Israeli Jews live in settlement neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. Overall, the settler population grew by 4.65% in the past year, which is more than double the overall Israeli average birthrate. Here is a breakdown of the population of settlers by bloc.

MA'AN Development Center, in cooperation with Save the Children, organized an open day for children in Al-Jahhalin School

On Sunday, September 2, MA'AN Development Center, in cooperation with Save the Children organized an open day for children of Al-Jahhalin. Unfortunately, Al-Jahhalin School has been given an eviction order providing members of Al-Jahhalin with no choice other than moving to a new city if they wanted their children to pursue their basic right - education - indifferent of the family's needs for survival and their lifestyle, considering they are Bedouins. Hence, children of Al-Jahhalin were in need of an open day to put away their troubles and problems and benefit from a social and emotional outlet that they are deprived from.  
Around 70 children attended the open day and were fully engaged in the activities which were organized by MA’AN Development Center, Bisan Center and Popular Arts Center. The day was initiated with simple warm up and ice breaking activities. It was followed with games and fun activities like face painting, giant soap bubbles, balloons, painting, and other sport activities.

Children, adults and volunteers alike enjoyed the activities, as you were able to hear their laughter from a distance. In this small space and during these small activities, there is a lot you can tell through the sparkle in the eyes of the children and their laughter. In each corner, a different story was observed. In one corner, children were splattering paint on the volunteers, and trying to stamp their fingerprints on the white paper; while in another corner, you could see children running with balloons in their hands, observing it fly high in the air. Finally, anticipating children were observed scared to be engaged, yet looking for a warm smile and someone to encourage them to dance to the music and play and be engaged in the activities.

An open day won't be able to solve the problem; yet it obviously meant a lot to the children as you could spot their laughter and the way they were able to break the ice with the volunteers and play with them. By the end of the day, gifts were distributed to children as they were leaving the doors of the school with wide smiles drawn on their faces.

July 2012 Settler Attacks in the West Bank
(not including Jerusalem)

(Source: Haaretz, http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/lambs-to-the-settlers-slaughter-screaming-and-unheard.premium-1.455937)

Child Resilience Project Activities

As part of the Child Resilience Project, MA’AN organized seven summer camps to engage children in enrichment activities following the end of their school year. These summer camps included various activities such as drama, animation training, sports, arts, crafts, photography, and computer skills. In addition to providing children with an emotional and social outlet, these activities enhanced children's skills and provided them with multiple means to present their own views and opinions, thereby improving their self-confidence and analytical abilities. All of the summer camps were followed by a culminating trip to Ein Al Hammam in Birzeit. 

Around 250 children participated in these seven summer camps. The first three summer camps, were for the schools of Silwan, Al Nahda, and Shufat Girls School, and took place from June 16-20 2012. Another two camps took place between June 23-27 in Dar Al Awlad and Shufat Boys School. Finally, from July 7-11 another two camps were conducted for the Jerusalem Boys School and Al Aytam School.

Child’s Rights Summer Camp

In partnership with Save the Children, MA’AN Development Center conducted a three day child’s rights summer camp in Beit Sahour. The camp was implemented by the child resilience team in MA’AN and a specialized team from Defence for Children International/Palestine Section. The camp was conducted at the Murad Tourist Resort in Beit Sahour from July 15 to July 17 2012 and in total, 38 children participated in the camp, of which 10 were female, and were coached by 10 trainers and volunteers.

During the first day of the summer camp, the children were asked to write their expectations for the summer camp. Next, they started their day with activities meant to break the ice and brief the children on which activities they would be involved in. The leaders then divided the children into three groups with each one either focusing on arts, drama, or rights. In order to ensure all students received the holistic benefits, each group rotated through the different sections. After lunch, a speaker from the Working Health Committees spoke to the children about the importance of the rights for children with disabilities.  After the lecture, children had free time to swim and enjoy the facilities of the resort. In addition, they had field visits to Sulaiman pools in the village of Artas and the Nativity Church in Bethlehem. In the evening, the children watched a film on the detention of children, which was followed by a discussion. They then enjoyed a performance conducted by children from the Child Center in Jericho, and then ended the day with a reflection and evaluation of their first day.  

It was very interesting to see the development in the children just after the first day. There was noticeable reflection amongst them regarding what they had been involved with. To further emphasize the points made and get the kids excited for day two, they played a game called “Know your Country.” After this, the children started a project called Jerusalemite Paintings. With the help of an artist, the children painted murals and paintings that expressed their aspirations and feelings about Jerusalem. In order to provide a change of pace from this artistic and reflective activity, some sport activities were conducted. After lunch, a guest speaker from Badil Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights spoke to the children about the rights of the refugees.

Following this, the children enjoyed swimming and playing sports. Later, the children visited Al Noman village, a village that is isolated and deprived by the occupation. After this activity, the children enjoyed dabkeh training at The Phoenix Charitable Society in Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. The second day ended with a film on violence in schools and a discussion among the participants took place. This was done so the children could not only reflect upon violence in their own lives, but also reflect on how this camp has changed them.

The third day of the camp started with warm up activities and sports. The main topic on the agenda of the third day were issue pertaining to rights and protection of children. The children worked with the artist on a rights mural. The day culminated with the children having an open discussion on the rights of children and what role they personally could play in improving their rights and the rights of other children.

 "Jordan Valley Youth for Change"

On July 17th, July 18th and July 19th, MA'AN Development Center, in partnership with Save the Children International, has conducted three kick off workshops in Tubas, Nablus and Jericho to launch the new project "Jordan Valley Youth for Change" for the local communities. Main objective, goals, and activities were discussed during the workshop along with the initial steps of the project.

"Jordan Valley Youth for Change" funded by the EU, mainly targets youth through eight youth clubs in the Jordan Valley - Jiftlik Club, Zbeidat Club, Fasayil Club, Al-Auja Club, Tubas Club (including Bardala, Kardala and Ein El-Bayda), Al-Hilal Club, Al-Duyuk Club and Al-Aghwar AlWusta Club. "Jordan Valley Youth for Change" is a three years project that aims to ensure socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable Palestinian youth in the Jordan Valley, targeting at least 2,300 youth. MA'AN and SCI aspire to achieve their objective through various activities that will incorporate a holistic approach targeting both economic empowerment and social development. This is necessary to create positive lasting changes in the lives of vulnerable youth. All activities were design to enhance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of youth towards their own potential, the job market and TVET field.

Throughout the project, youth will be linked with the private and public sector along with available TVET centers through visits, internships, apprenticeships, job fairs, and TVET fairs. "Start you Own business" courses, "Interactive Career Development" courses as well as awareness raising meetings for parents and key community members will also be conducted. Moreover, in order to develop personal and social potential of youth and enhance their participation to play positive roles in their communities, a Jordan Valley youth network will be created and supported through trainings. Along with advocacy workshops, youth will carry out initiatives and rights awareness campaigns together with attending seminars and roundtable discussions, in the presence of Palestinian society's key decision makers, to set forth their problems as well as proposed solutions and changes in national policies to support the Jordan Valley society in general, and Jordan Valley Youth in particular.

Within the scope of this project, youth in conflict with the law or otherwise at risk in the eight communities will be identified. Consequently, youth in conflict with the law will be approached and targeted to participate in the activities as well as encouraged to become active members and positive players in their communities.
Finally, MA'AN will seek to form an advisory group consisting of Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labor, TVET League and employers to ensure their support throughout the implementation of the project.

مركز معا يستضيف مدير الوكالة الاسترالية للتنمية

استضاف مركز العمل التنموي معا المدير العام لوكالة التنمية في الحكومة الاسترالية (AusAid ) السيد بيتر باكستر في زيارة ميدانية لمنطقة الكفريات في طولكرم يوم الجمعة الثالث عشر من تموز الجاري. جاءت هذه الزيارة الميدانية، وهي الأولى لفلسطين للسيد باكستر، في سياق برنامج تطوير الأمن الغذائي وبناء قدرات المؤسسات المجتمعية (أمينكا) الذي ينفذه مركز العمل التنموي معا بالشراكة مع مؤسسة أفيدا الاسترالية وبدعم من الحكومة الاسترالية. قام باستقبال السيد باكستر مدير مركز العمل التنموي معا السيد سامي خضرورئيس بلدية الكفريات السيد فاروق غنايم وعدد من طاقم البرنامج في مركز معاً، بالإضافة إلى أعضاء ومنسقي اللجان المجتمعية للبرنامج  في منطقة الكفريات.
بعد استقباله في بلدية الكفريات، قام كل من مدير عام مركز العمل التنموي معا ورئيس البلدية بالترحيب بالضيف والوفد الاسترالي واستعراض أهم انجازات البرنامج والأثر الايجابي الذي يتركه في حياة المزارعين والأهالي في منطقة الكفريات.  حيث شدد رئيس البلدية على "الأثر الايجابي الكبير الذي يتركه البرنامج في حياة المواطنين" بالإضافة إلى التخفيف من الأثر السلبي للجدار في منطقة الكفريات من خلال تأهيل الأراضي وبناء الآبار الزراعية. كذلك أشاد رئيس البلدية بدور مركز العمل التنموي معا في تحسين وتطوير القطاع الزراعي والمؤسساتي في منطقة الكفريات بشكل كبير من خلال برنامج أمينكا.

بدوره رحب السيد سامي خضر بالضيوف وتحدث عن الشراكة التاريخية بين مركز معا ومؤسسة أفيدا الاسترالية وعلى شراكتها منذ العام 1989 وشكر الحكومة الاسترالية على دعمها للقطاع الزراعي وللشعب الفلسطيني عبر المشاريع المتعددة التي تقدم للسلطة ولوكالة غوث وتشغيل اللاجئين وللمؤسسات الأهلية. وأوضح السيد خضر أن برنامج أمينكا هو مشروع مميز في دعمه للقطاع الزراعي الفلسطيني، حيث يستند المشروع على احتياجات المجتمع وعلى شراكة حقيقية تجمع جميع الأطراف المشاركة في المشروع،  مما يساهم في تنمية القطاع الزراعي الفلسطيني وتحسين الأمن الغذائي على المستوى الاسري والمجتمعي، كما يتميز بكونه مشروع يمتد على فترة خمس سنوات مما يساهم في خلق تأثير تنموي جدي في المناطق التي يستهدفها. وأكد السيد خضر "أن مركز معاً يعمل بطريقة شمولية حيث يتم تطوير الأراضي وزيادة الحصاد المائي، وتمكين المزارعين من الصمود فوق أراضيهم، وزيادة إنتاجهم، اضافة الى توفير الدعم والتدريب للنساء، وتقديم المساعدات المالية والمنح لتطوير مشاريع مدرة للدخل بهدف تعزيز الاعتماد على الذات، على المستوى الأسري وكذلك بالنسبة الى المؤسسات القاعدية. "  كما رحب السيد ماثيو هيلتون ممثل مؤسسة أفيدا الأسترالية الذي يعمل مع طاقم مركز معا، بالمسؤول الاسترالي والوفد المرافق له وأكد على أهمية المشروع وشكر الحكومة الاسترالية لدعمها للشعب الفلسطيني.  بعد ذلك قام مدير البرنامج السيد وهبة عصفور بتقديم تلخيص لأهم مخرجات وآثار البرنامج الايجابية في الضفة والقطاع.

بدوره شكر السيد باكستر الحضور على الاستضافة، وأوضح أن اهتمامات وكالة التنمية في الحكومة الاسترالية تتركز في ثلاثة اتجاهات إستراتيجية: دعم السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية، ووكالة غوث وتشغيل اللاجئين الفلسطينيين، وتعزيز الشراكة والعمل مع المجتمع المحلي الفلسطيني. وبالتالي قال السيد باكستر أن عمل الحكومة الاسترالية مع مركز العمل التنموي معا ومؤسسة أفيدا يأتي في سياق توجه حكومة وشعب استراليا للعمل مع المجتمع المحلي الفلسطيني وشركائه الاستراتيجيين. بعد ذلك قام الوفد الاسترالي بجولة ميدانية في منطقة الكفريات حيث زار العديد من المشاريع التي نفذت والتقى بالمزارعين وشاهد البيوت البلاستيكية التي اقيمت، وآبار الجمع الزراعية، والأراضي التي تم تأهيلها، ومشاريع النحل. وقد أشاد السيد باكستر بالعمل الذي يقوم به مركز العمل التنموي معا وهنأ الجميع على الانجاز الذي يحققه المركز على الأرض مع المزارعين والمواطنين في المنطقة. 

يهدف البرنامج إلى تحقيق هدفين تنمويين هما :  تحسين الأمن الغذائي للأسر الفقيرة في منطقتين طولكرم وخان يونس وتعزيز وتطوير قدرات المؤسسات الأهلية والقاعدية في المجتمعات المحلية المستهدفة لتتمكن من خدمة مجتمعاتها وأعضائها بشكل أفضل .  يستهدف البرنمج قرى الكفريات في طولكرم: شوفة، الراس، كفرصور، كور، كفر عبوش، كفر زيباد، وكفر جمال . ومناطق في خان يونس في غزة: عبسان، خزاعة، والفخاري. منذ بداية البرنامج في 2009 حتى حزيران 2012، تم مساعدة حوالي 2000 عائلة فلسطينية في منطقتي الكفريات وخان يونس من خلال نشاطات البرنامج المختلفة التي شملت: استصلاح وتأهيل 951 دونم من الأراضي، بناء 369 بيت بلاستيكي، حفروتأهيل 140 بئر زراعي وفرت 10,500 متر مكعب من المياه للزراعة إضافة إلى استفادة 28 مزارع من بركة المياه الزراعية، توزيع أكثر من 480 وحدة من خلايا النحل،  و 295 وحدة من الثروة الحيوانية وخلايا النحل، تجهيز 139 حديقة منزلية بمساحة تزيد عن 70دونم، كما نفذ المشروع أكثر من 369 ساعة تدريبية للمؤسسات المجتمعية المستهدفة في البرنامج في مجالات ادارية ومالية وزراعية. كما قدم المركز 22 منحة للمؤسسات القاعدية  اضافة الى مساعدات مالية ل 15 من الأسر لإنشاء مشاريع مدرة للدخل. كما نفذ المشروع 3 حملات لدعم مزارعي الزيتون في الكفريات. وقد خلق المشروع خلال السنوات الثلاث الماضية أكثر من 35,000 يوم عمل. 

MA’AN Development Center Initiates Educational Tours of the Jordan Valley

As part of its advocacy initiative, MA’AN is now conducting tours of the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank. The first tour was on May 13th  and was made possible through a gracious donation from the Norwegian Representative Office (NRO) in Ramallah. In total, 18 internationals and Palestinians attended.

Before the trip, all attendees were given a reference packet containing relevant publications and material regarding the challenges currently facing Palestinian residents in this extremely marginalized region. En route to the tour’s first stop, MA’AN coordinators illustrated the situation in the Jordan Valley and the various issues that would be discussed throughout the day. Attendees were free to ask questions and further talk about these topics as they came up.

Ras al-Auja was the first stop in the all-day tour. Here, participants spent 40 minutes with the head of the community, who is also a refugee. They discussed the most pressing issues in the village, specifically debilitating restrictions on movement, and access to the most basic resources including water, land, and electricity. The story of Ras al-Auja is one that is common throughout Palestinian communities in the Jordan Valley. Discussing the experience here, with a prominent leader of the community, gave participants the opportunity to gain unique insight and a personal impression of the realities of occupation in the region.

The tour then brought participants to the community, Fasayil al-Foqa. Here, they visited a school that MA’AN built in 2008 to discuss the challenges to education for Palestinian children in the Jordan Valley. In a meeting with the school principal, participants learned of the serious lack of support, monetarily and otherwise, from the Palestinian Authority. This includes the PA’s minimal provision of basic resources, which fail to meet the school’s needs. In Fasayil al-Foqa, the tour also visited a number of houses that MA’AN has built and renovated in cooperation with the NRO and Spanish Cooperation.  The visit to Fasayil al-Foqa revealed another aspect of life for Palestinian in the Jordan Valley – a continually disenfranchised and marginalized youth, who will also reach adulthood under occupation.

Tour attendees then proceeded to the Palestinian village of Zbeidat, where they met and discussed the community’s paralyzing building and water restrictions.  The arbitrary nature of Israeli restrictions through Area A, B, and C designations in Zbeidat clearly highlighted the tour’s major themes. Underlying the issues presented in these visits is the separate and unequal development of Palestinian and Jewish settlers in the Jordan Valley, supported and institutionalized through Israeli policies.

The last stop on the MA’AN Jordan Valley tour was the herding community of al-Waleh, located in the northern part of this region. There they met the head of the village council, Arif, who detailed the various challenges in the community, specifically attacks and aggression from settlers and the Israeli Defense Forces. He showed the participants a number of important village sites, including a former Ottoman well, that was denied renovation permits by Israeli authorities.

This tour was undoubtedly a success, allowing both internationals and Palestinians to see the Jordan Valley in an informed, and critical manner. Such initiatives are crucial to prioritizing development and rights advocacy initiatives for Palestinian in the Jordan Valley moving forward, and also emphasize the gross illegalities of Israeli policy in this region.

MA’AN Development Center Hosts International Students for a Weeklong Educational Tour of the Occupied Palestinian Territories

From 11 to 15 June, MAAN  Development Center hosted a group of students from the prestigious King's Academy in Jordan. The weeklong trip focused on learning more about Palestine and, specifically, the Palestinian Jordan Valley. Eight students from King's Academy were joined by five more students from Friends School in Ramallah to learn more about the lives of some of the most marginalized Palestinians. The international trip gave students from the United States, China, Nigeria, Jordan, and Palestine an opportunity to meet see Jerusalem, meet Palestinian families, tour the Jordan Valley, and spent time in Palestinian communities volunteering to improve preschools.

After spending the first day in the Palestinian capital, the group spent the second day touring the Jordan Valley, visiting the villages of Ras al-Auja, Fasayel, Jiftlik, and Mak-hul as well as the Hamra check point. The last two days were dedicated to volunteering at a preschool in the village of Zbeidat. The students from Jordan and Ramallah spent the day painting tires and walls in order to improve the preschool and to enhance the safety of the play area for the Palestinians living in the village. Working with children from the Zbeidat community, the volunteer effort made the preschool a safer and more pleasing learning area. The group also donated three packages of educational supplies and toys to the schools located in al-Maleh, Zbeidat, and Fasayel.

MA’AN Carries Out a Teachers’ Meeting through the Child Resilience Project

On May 31st, MA’AN convened teachers, principles, and counselors in the village of Burham in Ramallah. This is a part of the Child Resilience Project in coordination with Save the Children which has been in force since June 2011. Altogether 20 participants were involved and conducted meetings from 2pm-5 and the meetings focused primarily on SWOT analysis.

In the meetings, the participants were divided into subgroups and they discussed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges in their schools. At the end of the meeting, the participants listened to music performed by the band Dar Qandeel over lunch.

Baby Greenhouses for Organic Farming Initiated through the AMENCA II Project

In May 2012 the MA’AN-APHEDA AMENCA II project, funded by AUSAID, established a baby greenhouse in the village of Kufr Zayoub in the Tulkarem governorate. The initiative was voted on by the women’s committee and the youth sport club based in the village.

The greenhouse is 100m2 and produces healthy pesticide-free food for a high school in the Tulkarem governorate. Ministers from the Palestinian Authority attended the opening day ceremony.  The project is now being considered for the “Citizenship Project Award,” given out for initiatives that help the Palestinian people.

The decision to carry out this project was presented after a number of workshops and needs assessments were done with farmers and local organizations in the area. Trainings provided practical skills on how to maintain an environmentally conscious, organic farm, including proper maintenance, production, and proper techniques for plants in greenhouses. Trainees were also given reference manuals as study guides throughout the training workshops.

Twenty students in the 9th and 10th grade of the Kufr Zayoub high school were put in charge of the greenhouse, almost half of which are girls. They were supervised by teachers, parents, farmers, and leaders within the community and MA’AN extensioin engineers through AMENCA2 project. They further utilized skills acquired through their local youth club, established to teach the children issues related to agriculture. Students also created a Facebook group for their club to keep the public updated and informed on their progress and their greenhouse. 

Active Citzens Cermony

May 9th, 2012, Wednesday - The British Council, in partnership with MA’AN Development Center, has organized the graduation ceremony for the Active Citizens Program which was implemented in the Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem, Salfeet, Qalqiliyeh and Tubas Governorates. The ceremony was held under the auspices of the Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Salam Fayyad, Dr. Mohammed Abu Zaid, Deputy for MOEHE, British Council Director, Ms. Sandra Hamrouni, MA’AN’s Director General Mr. Sami Khader, in addition to a number of governors and 245 participants in the program.

In his speech, Dr. Mohammed Abu Zaid stressed the importance of youth participation in building a Palestinian state through their active participation at their communities. He also stressed on the important role of youth in leading the policy setting process for national institutions in order to improve the status quo. He thanked all involved parties and wished for success in third stage this year.

Ms. Hamrouni thanked Mr. Sami Khader, the trainer, Ghada Kaddoumi, the local committees and governorates, especially the late Musa Qadorih, Jenin Governor for his active role.
She as well commended the efforts made to implement a range of projects within the program, such as the renovation project for the orphanage school in Qalqilya, the establishment of a bus stop in Jenin, the children library project in Burqin village, the formation of a volunteer group in Nablus, and the youth group which works with special needs in  Tulkarem.

The British council initiated the Active Citizens program last year, in cooperation with MA’AN Development Center, in marginalized areas in order to identify community needs and develop initiatives to solve such issues. Both institutions have worked on such objectives through providing the needed support and opportunities for youth to communicate with other active citizens worldwide. Such networking enhances positive communication, share experiences and contacts so as to increase the citizens influence in his/her community.
Mr. Sami Khader commended the partnership with the British Council which has contributed in developing a role model project which can motivate community leaderships to take an active role at their communities and in developing initiatives which are community driven and respond to the different needs.

The Active Citizen Program is being implemented by the British Council and six countries in North Africa and the Middle East which include Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine. The program represents a global network which is made of leaders and civic engagement partners at the different countries. The Active Citizens is a non-profit programme that promotes communal cohesion and improvement. This is done through civic engagement or volunteering, and it works with people who have demonstrated they have local social responsibility, including youth workers, women’s groups, educators and faith leaders. Working together, these local influencers build trust and understanding, develop skills, and deliver projects on urgent themes such as poverty, literacy, democracy and climate change while connecting local and international agendas through the programme.

Computer Lab

As part of the “Voices to be Heard Project” funded by the Norwegian Representative Office and the “Increasing Resilience Project” funded by Cordaid, MA’AN Development Center has completed the rehabilitation of the Zubeidat Upper School computer lab in the Jordan Valley. As part of a program aiming at increasing and improving the services available to the youth of Zubeidat, MA’AN provided the Upper School with 10 new computers in addition to new computer tables. The rehabilitated computer lab will increase the quality of computer education in the school. Moreover, the computer lab will be available for coordinated use by the Zubeidat Youth Club.

As part of the “Voices to be Heard Project” funded by the Norwegian Representative Office and the “Increasing Resilience Project” funded by Cordaid, MA’AN Development Center has completed the rehabilitation of the Zubeidat Upper School computer lab in the Jordan Valley. As part of a program aiming at increasing and improving the services available to the youth of Zubeidat, MA’AN provided the Upper School with 10 new computers in addition to new computer tables. The rehabilitated computer lab will increase the quality of computer education in the school. Moreover, the computer lab will be available for coordinated use by the Zubeidat Youth Club.

The Health Crisis in Idhna: E-waste and the Occupation

April 19 - The Palestinian NGO, Sunflower, organized a tour of the Palestinian village, Idhna, located just west of Hebron in the occupied West Bank and home to 20,000 residents. A MA’AN representative took part in the tour to not only support the critical work of a fellow Palestinian NGO, but to also gain a more nuanced understanding of the challenges this particular village faces.

The tour itself focused on the severe health hazards caused by the extraction of material from disposed technical equipment, such as computers, and e-waste trafficking.

Israelis, including Israeli settlers, are currently permitted to transport truckloads of old appliances, including refrigerators, computer monitors, cell phones, to the village of Idhna, where several dozen Palestinian workshops burn plastic or glass to extract minerals for subsequent sale. The village of Idhna has essentially turned into an e-waste dumping ground, where local residents are exposed to the hazardous chemicals that come from the workshops’ massive fires. These workshops also employ children, without safety regulations, to work in highly dangerous conditions. Idhna’s main school is surrounded by these toxic workshops, which work almost 24 hours per day, exposing the village’s children to poisonous chemicals and constant noise.

Perpetuating the unregulated handling of e-waste, there also exists ‘traveling’ workshops in Idhna. Palestinians, who are not connected to established workshops in the village, simply bring e-waste to open field owned by other Palestinians, and create fires to extract material.  These fires last many hours and spread over large areas of land. Minerals are extracted and the trash is left on the land. These incidents have grown in number due to the expenses of owning a shop and the ability to hold a larger profit margin with ‘traveling’ workshops.

خبر اختتام برنامج "المواطنون الفاعلون" في محافظات الشمال

نظم المجلس الثقافي البريطاني بالشراكة مع مركز العمل التنموي-معاً يوم الأربعاء الموافق 9 ايار 2012 وللعام الثاني على التوالي حفل تخريج المشاركين في برنامج المواطنة الفاعلة الذي ينفذ في محافظات نابلس وجنين وطولكرم وسلفيت وقلقيلية وطوباس وذلك وذلك تحت رعاية رئيس الوزراء الفلسطيني د. سلام فياض وبحضور د. محمد أبوزيد وكيل وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي بالنيابة عن رئيس الوزراء ومديرة المجلس الثقافي البريطاني السيدة ساندرا حمروني والمدير العام لمركز العمل التنموي- معاً السيد سامي خضر ومحافظو المحافظات المعنية و245 مشاركا في برنامج المواطنة الفاعلة.

وفي كلمته للحضور أكد د. محمد أبو زيد على أهمية مشاركة الشباب بعملية بناء الدولة الفلسطينية عن طريق مساهمتهم الفعالة بخدمة مجتمعاتهم، وشدد كذلك على دور الشباب في قيادة عملية وضع السياسات للمؤسسات الوطنية من أجل الارتقاء بالواقع الفلسطيني، وثمن الجهد الذي قامت به المؤسستان بالشراكة من أجل تنفيذ المشروع متمنياً لهما النجاح في تنفيذ المرحلة الثالثة هذا العام.

وقد شكرت السيدة حمروني كلا من السيد سامي خضر والمدربة غادة القدومي بالإضافة إلى اللجان المحلية والمديريات في المحافظات المختلفة وخصت بالذكر الراحل موسى قدورة محافظ مدينة جنين على دوره الفاعل.
كما وأثنت على الجهود التي بذلت في سبيل أن تتحقق مجموعة من المشاريع ضمن برنامج المواطنة الفاعله وذكرت منها مشروع ترميم مدرسة الأيتام في مدينة قلقيلية وانشاء مواقف حافلات في جنين بالإضافة إلى مشروع مكتبة الأطفال في قرية برقين ومشروع حركة العمل التطوعي في نابلس ومجموعات العمل مع فئات ذوي الاحتياجات الخاصة في مدينة طولكرم.

ويذكر أن المجلس الثقافي البريطاني كان قد أطلق برنامج المواطنة الفاعلة العام الماضي بالتعاون مع مركز العمل التنموي- معاً في المناطق المهمشة في فلسطين بهدف تطوير قدرات الأفراد من أجل تحديد الاحتياجات المجتمعية والتمكن من تطوير مبادرات لمعالجة هذه القضايا والمشاكل. وقد عملت المؤسستان على تحقيق الأهداف من خلال توفير الفرص والأدوات اللازمة للشباب الفلسطينيين المشاركين، للتواصل المباشر والتواصل عبر الانترنت مع أقرانهم في المملكة المتحدة ومناطق مختلفة أخرى من العالم وذلك بهدف دفع التفاعل الايجابي ومبدأ التشارك وتبادل الأفكار والخبرات والمعارف بالإضافة إلى بناء علاقات جديدة وتحقيق فهم أشمل لدور الفرد في المنظومة العالمية.
ومن جهة أخرى أشاد مدير عام مركز العمل التنموي – معاً سامي خضر بالبرنامج وبالشراكة التي تحققت بين معاً والمجلس الثقافي البريطاني، والتي أسهمت في تطوير برنامج نموذجي ساهم بشكل كبير بتشجيع القيادات المجتمعية على المشاركة الفاعلة في مجتمعاتهم المحلية وعلى تطوير مجموعة من المبادرات التنموية التي انطلقت من احتياجات مجتمعاتهم وعملوا مسترشدين بالتدريب العملي الذي حصلوا عليه على تنفيذ تلك المبادرات.
وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن أهمية اختيار المحافظات تنبع من أهمية تفعيل دور المواطنين للمشاركة في رصد وتحديد الاحتياجات الأساسية فيها. وقد استفاد من المرحلة الأولى من البرنامج 245 شاباً فلسطينياً تمكنوا خلال المرحلة الماضية من تصميم مجموعة من البرامج المجتمعية لمعالجة القضايا المرتبطة باحتياجاتهم داخل المجتمعات ليستفيد أكثر من سبعة آلاف شخص من تنفيذ المشاريع التي صممت لتلبية احتياجاتهم.
ويشار إلى أن برنامج المواطنة الفاعلة الذي يقوم عليه المجلس الثقافي البريطاني وينفذه في عدة مناطق حول العالم منها ستة دول في منطقة شمال أفريقيا والشرق الأدنى هي الجزائر ومصر وسوريا ولبنان والأردن وفلسطين، هو عبارة عن شبكة عالمية تتكون من قادة المجتمعات وشركاء المجتمع المدني المحليين في البلدان المشاركة. ويهدف المشروع إلى بناء الفهم والثقة بين المجتمعات عن طريق إنشاء شبكة عالمية مستدامة لقادة المجتمعات الذين يمكنهم العمل معاً من معالجة القضايا العالمية في القرن الواحد والعشرين.
ويستخدم مشروع المواطنة الفاعلة العلاقات الثقافية الدولية للمساعدة في معالجة التحديات الرئيسية، وتشمل هذه قضايا تنتج عن الاختلافات في العرق أو الدين أو الثقافة، والتلوث والحماية البيئية، والصحة والفرص التعليمية، والمشاركة الديمقراطية إضافة إلى الاستبعاد الاجتماعي، ومشاركة النساء وفرص العيش الكريم.

MA'AN Celebrates Palestinian Child's Day in Bardala

In cooperation with UNICEF and Save the Children, MA’AN Development Center conducted an open day for the children of Bardala, Kardala, and Ein al-Beida. More than two hundred children participated in the event. This event was done as part of the events celebrating the Palestinian Child’s Day and it took place on the 29th of April 2012 in Bardala.
Activities included moonwalks, music and dance, distribution of helium balloons for every child, gifts for the children, and hospitality. The  children all wore hats and t-shirts that were designed and procured by MA’AN. All of this is extremely important to these children. Children in the Jordan Valley are not able or allowed to enjoy many things that other Palestinian children are able to enjoy. Unemployment and poverty are at their highest in the Jordan Valley, hence this sort of recreation is extremely beneficial to the children there. Also, considering recreational space and activities are minimal at best, these children especially appreciated this activity.

One of the children, Maha Foqaha, 12 years old has a broken leg but was really excited about the event. Although she could not play she told a coordinator of ours that we must come back after her leg is healed so she can enjoy all the carnival activities next time we come.

MA’AN Development Center Sponsors a Sports Day at Al Nahda School in Jerusalem

As part of the community initiatives in the Child Resilience Project, a project that is being implemented in cooperation with Save the Children International, MA’AN Development Center conducted a sports day for more than 150 children between the ages of  6 and 12. This event took place at Al Nahda “A” school on 29 April 2012. The children who have been participating in the Child Resilience sessions came up with the  idea to network with children in other branches of Al Nahda in an effort to introduce them to the concept of child resilience and the activities they are doing in that project.
“I am benefiting a lot from this project and I am having fun at the same time. I feel privileged to be part of such a project and I want to spread the word to other girls in other Nahda School branches”, Reem 12 years old.

MA’AN Holds a Volunteer Day in Zbeidat

As part of the project “Voices to be Heard,” funded by the Norwegian Representative Office, MA’AN organized a volunteer day in the village of Zubeidat in order to celebrate the work that has been completed in the village through the generosity of the Norwegian government. On Sunday, May 6, 2012, MA’AN invited 25 students from the Rosary Sisters’ High School in Jerusalem to come to Zubeidat to learn more about the community and the Jordan Valley as well as to volunteer in the village.

The students from the Rosary Sisters’ High School spent the first part of the day in the two preschools in the village playing with the children and distributing sweets and small toys to the children. After playing in the preschools and touring the village, the students volunteered to paint a wall outside of the Secondary School. With support and direction from an artist from Ramallah, the students painted colorful scenery to beautify the school walls. Finally, the students from Jerusalem met and spoke with students from Zubeidat to share experiences, challenges, and to speak about life in two very different parts of Palestine. This sharing of stories between the two sets of students allowed young women from Zubeidat – many of whom had never visited Jerusalem – to learn more about each other as well as to offer support from two parts of Palestine facing very different challenges.
The volunteer day was organized to celebrate the completion of MA’AN activities in the village. Through the Voices to be Heard Project, MA’AN has built a new outdoor play area for one of the preschools in the village and provided toys, books, and other educational materials to both of the village preschools. The improvement of the preschools in Zubeidat was greatly needed; 45% of the village are youth and the village previously lacked an adequate play area.
In addition to the rehabilitation of the village’s two preschools, MA’AN has equipped the Zubeidat Youth Club with furniture, essential management equipment, and, importantly, a library for both youth and children. Finally, MA’AN has also installed a new computer lab in the Zubeidat  Secondary School that will serve not only the school, but will also be available for use by the Youth Club and the greater community. The work in Zubeidat, thanks to the Norwegian Representative Office, is a testament to the importance of youth throughout the Jordan Valley and, indeed, Palestine.  The rehabilitation of the preschools, the equipment provided to the Youth Club, and the installation of the computer lab will help the community better serve the needs of the youth of Zubeidat.

MA’AN Development Center Commemorates Palestinian Prisoners’ Day

Every year on April 17th, Palestinians commemorate Palestinian Prisoners’ Day. This year, through the Child Resilience project carried out by MA’AN in partnership with Save the Children Sweden, a full commemoration event was organized. As part of their community initiative, the children of al-Aytam School in Jerusalem participated to express their solidarity with all prisoners in an event that took place on the 23rd of April 2012 at their school. Children specifically honored the sacrifice of Sana’ Shihada, a former prisoner.

100 children and 30 parents took part in the activities including, sport competitions, taekwondo, cultural competitions, a sketch by Fanakeesh group on discrimination between boys and girls, and a separate sketch on the importance of maintaining the Arabic language. At the end, gifts were distributed to the children who attended.

MA’AN Commemorates Orphan Week

On April 8, as part of MA’AN Child Resilience Project, a community initiative was implemented in the neighborhood of Izariyeh  in Jerusalem. Thirty girls from Jerusalem Girls School in Silwan visited a total of 120 children in the Jeel al-Amal Boys’ orphanage and Zuhoor al-Amal girls’ orphanage. The students from the Silwan School brought gifts with them, provided from MA’AN and Save the Children, to give to the children. Activities included moonwalks, various games, and a clown.

MA’AN Development Center Celebrates Palestinian Child Day

Palestinian Child Day is celebrated every year on April 5th. In commemoration of this event, over 400 children were brought to Al Hakawati theater in occupied East Jerusalem. The event was organized and prepared for over a month by national and international institutions working in Jerusalem on child related issues. Some of these organizations include Save the Children, UNICEF, Juzoor, Palestinian Counseling Center, and Al Maqdese for Society Development.

The event, “Step by Step to Fulfill our Rights” emphasized the issues of discrimination that children face, and will inevitably continue to face, unless initiatives are put in place to promote and protect their rights.

The children were accompanied by 80 parents and walked to Al Hakawati theater. Before the event at the theater began, there was a moment of silent to give respect to all Palestinian martyrs. At the theater there were snacks, a face painting stand, balloons, and a clown. Short films, poetry readings, songs, art pieces, and more were presented by children for children.

Palestinian Students of Jerusalem Commemorate Arab Orphan Week

On April 5, 2012, Palestinian children from the al-Nahda school in occupied East Jerusalem visited Dar al-Tifel school for orphans, also in East Jerusalem, as part of the Child Resilience project with Save the Children. This initiative, put forth by the girls of al-Nahda to commemorate Arab Orphan Week, raised awareness and support for  Palestinian orphans in the area.

One hundred orphans and 50 girls from al-Nahda participated in the event. Moonwalks were provided for the children, as well as games, dancing, and dabkeh. At the end of the event, gifts were distributed to the participating children.

Open Day at Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem for Children with Cancer and Kidney Failure

MA’AN Development Center recently organized an open day at Augusta Victoria Hospital in Occupied East Jerusalem on 3 April 2012. This event was part of the Child Resilience Project’s community initiatives, coordinated with Save the Children.  Through positive and engaging activities, the open day aimed to  provide support for the 100 children with cancer and kidney failure at the hospital.

This initiative was proposed by al-Nahda school, one of the seven schools currently partaking in the Child Resilience Project. An additional40 girls from the sixth and seventh grade of al-Nahda school participated in the open day.  The students spent the day with the children, participating in various activities. They then brought gifts to the children, as well as a clown who specialized in entertaining children with illnesses.

The open day provided the children at Augusta Victoria Hospital with important time to interact with other youth, in a positive and engaging environment. The activity was equally enriching  for the students of al-Nahda, who collectively worked to prepare and implement the open day, while also contributing to the betterment of young children’s lives in their own community.

Parallel Realities: Israeli Settlements and Palestinian Communities in the Jordan Valley

MA’AN has recently completed its newest publication entitled “Parallel Realities: Israeli Settlements and Palestinian Communities in the Jordan Valley.” This factsheet describes in detail how and why Israeli settlers live in the Jordan Valley. It documents the incentives that Israeli settlers receive in order to move to the Jordan Valley settlements, including tax breaks, unlimited water resources, and numerous grants for the starting of a business. At the same time, this publication documents how Palestinians live in the Jordan Valley and details how the State of Israel is attempting to entice Jordan Valley Palestinians to leave the Jordan Valley through an oppressive occupational regime, such as those issues relating to water and building restrictions. Furthermore, there are specific case studies involved where services and rights are put side by side to highlight the stark contrast that is a direct result of Israel’s policies in the Jordan Valley. Please visit http://www.maan-ctr.org/pdfs/FSReport/Settlement/content.pdf for this important report.

MA’AN Hosts Heinrich Böll Stiftung Co-President and Ramallah Office Director

On Tuesday, April 3rd, MA’AN hosted a number of high ranking members of Heinrich Böll Stiftung for a field visit to the Jordan Valley. This included the co-President Barbara Unmüßig, the Director of Heinrich Böll’s Ramallah office, Dr. René  Wildangel, and Heinrich Böll’s Project Coordinator, Lama Hourani.
The visit began at MA’AN’s office where MA’AN gave an hour long introductory presentation on the current situation of the Jordan Valley in regards to the Palestinians. This included a short history of the region, current challenges facing its Palestinian inhabitants, as well as relevant images to further illustrate these issues.  Questions were taken throughout the presentation. Afterwards, the group was then taken to the Jordan Valley to visit a number of important sites of interest.
The first field visit was to the Bedouin community of Ras al-Auja where Heinrich Böll representatives had the opportunity to speak with Abu Hathem, a chief of the community. Abu Hathem explained in great detail,  the various problems that Palestinian residents in the community face, such as water shortages, lack of electricity, and harassment from the Israeli army and settlers. The representatives walked through the  community to view the water sources that originally allowed the residents to more prosperously  live and herd their animals. They then viewed one of the deep wells the state of Israel has built in recent years in an attempt to monopolize water supplies for settlements.

From Ras al-Auja, the group traveled north to the Palestinian community of Fasayil al-Foqa. In Fasayil, they were shown numerous houses renovated by MA’AN through various projects. They had a discussion with Khalid, a local resident whose house was renovated by MA’AN. He discussed the current challenges in his community, including flying checkpoints, lack of roads, lack of water, and military harassment.

After their visit to Fasayil, the group was brought to Zbeidat for lunch and a brief overview of the situation in the village. On the way, representatives also visited the Massu’a dump site to see the Israeli government’s mismanages of  settlement waste in the region. In Zbeidat, discussions were held with the head of the village council, and the leader of the women’s committee. They discussed issues pertaining to land confiscation, settlement labor, building restrictions, and agricultural strangulation.

Lastly, the delegation was brought to the herding community of Ein al-Hilwe in the al-Maleh region of the northern Jordan Valley. They were hosted by the head of village council, who gave a walking tour of the region while pointing out historical sites along the way. Israel forbids Palestinian’s from accessing or restoring these historical sites. Surrounding the community were Israeli soldiers engaged in military exercises, stationed just 400 meters from Ein al-Hilwe. The village council head discussed the problems with military harassment, settler land confiscation, water restrictions, and issues pertaining to construction.

MA’AN hopes to host more meetings and potential projects with Heinrich Böll in order to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in the Jordan Valley.

MA’AN Conducts a Camp for Palestinian Adolescents in Zbeidat

On the 29th and 30th of March, MA’AN Development Center conducted a camp seminar for Palestinian scouts in the village of Zbeidat, in the Jordan Valley. The days were chosen for their significance, as Land Day and Earth Day fall on these dates. The camp theme “Staying in the Jordan Valley,” was coordinated with the Palestinian Ministry of Education.  The camp was created to support and bring attention to Palestinians living in the Jordan Valley, and to also allow children from throughout the West Bank to interact and socialize in an enriching and positive space.

Overall 60 children from Hebron, Jerusalem, Ramallah, and the Jordan Valley were present in this camp. The ages of the children ranged between 13-16. They engaged in workshops throughout the two days. These workshops revolved around topics related to identity, culture, and teamwork within their communities and especially within their scout troops.

Overall, the children gained important skills in the topics covered by trained professionals from MA’AN. In the context of  the celebration of Earth Day and Land Day, these children developed skills that will contribute to their ability to remain steadfast on their land in the face of extreme restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation.

NDC Youth Club Project Update
April, 1 2012

Youth clubs are meant to help youth, offer them a safe place to gather, and exercise their energy in recreational, social, and cultural activities in a positive manner.  Also they are meant to empower youth and imbue them with the confidence and skills needed to flourish in their schools, jobs, relationships, and life in general. As such, clubs must be used as a means to effect change for development in communities.  Throughout the NDC project, it has and will continue to offer a full spectrum of activities that will help Palestinian youth mature and grow.

The following has been achieved so far:

Open Day and Graduation Ceremony in Jerusalem

On the 23rd of March, there was an open day and graduation ceremony at the Dar al-Tifel school in Jerusalem. This is as part of the Child Resilience Project implemented by MA’AN in cooperation with Save the Children Sweden. Seven schools were included in this, including Dar al-Awlad, Dar al-Aytam A, Al-Nahda A, Shu’afat Boys’ School, Shu’afat Girls’ School, Jerusalem Boys’ School, and Jerusalem Girls’ School.

In total, 175 children, 15 parents, and ten teachers attended the event. The children, in addition to celebrating their graduation, were actively playing around and enjoying the day. There were two clowns who spent the day painting faces, singing, and making balloon animals. Also there were moonwalks for the children to play and jump around in.
While all of this was going on, mothers were given a lecture on healthy nutrition for children by a doctor specialized in the field. At the end of the day, all the children received small gifts and certificates were given to the children who participated in the first cycle of the child resilience project. Overall, it was a great day for the children, the parents, and the teachers of the seven schools and was a positive influence on the communities involved.

MA’AN Development Center Hosts Program Directors and Regional Directors from Save the Children

On the 23rd of February MA’AN Development Center was pleased to host eight regional and program directors from Save the Children for a tour of the Jordan Valley. MA’AN’s guests included, Annie Foster, Regional Director of the SCI MEEE region, Tom Krift, Vice President of SCUS, Tom Tauras, Regional Director of SCUS, Greg Ramm, Director of Global Programmes at SCUK, Arun Muttreja from the transition team in London, Anniken Elisson, the Global Programme Director of Save the Children Sweden, Sanna Johnson, the Regional Director of Save the Children Sweden and Herluf Madsen, the Global Programme Director of Save the Children Denmark.

Before arriving in the Jordan Valley, the delegation visited the Save the Children project currently carried out by MA’AN and the Palestinian Counseling Center regarding child resilience and protection programs in Jerusalem. Upon reaching the Jordan Valley, the guests were first brought to the Palestinian Bedouin community of Khan al-Ahmar. They listened to a presentation given by the head of the community, Abu Khamees, followed by a Q&A with the principal of the school.

After departing Khan al-Ahmar, the directors were brought to the school in Fasayil al-Foqa, another Palestinian Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley. At the school they were acquainted with the difficulties of education in the Jordan Valley for Palestinians living in Area C. They had an initial presentation by the advocacy coordinator of MA’AN on education and living conditions of children in the Jordan Valley. This was followed up by a roundtable style discussion with the principal of the school and the leader of the community. They went meticulously through the list of difficulties, but also the potential of the children in the community if given the proper opportunities. Beginning in May, a new project with support from Save the Children Denmark will be launched that is aimed to support youth in the Jordan Valley. This will be done by providing vocational training sessions aimed at the local job market and establishment of youth clubs.

Norwegian Representative Office Visits MA'AN Project Activities in the Jordan Valley as part of "Voices to be Heard" Project

On Wednesday, the 25th of January 2012, MA’AN Development Center welcomed the Norwegian Representative Office (NRO) to the Jordan Valley to tour various activities that MA’AN has been able to implement due to the support of the Norwegian government. MA’AN’s Director General and program staff met with Hans Jacob Frydenlund, the official Representative of the Norwegian government to the Palestinian Authority, the NRO First Secretary Lars Christie and Muntaha Aqel, the Program Advisor from the NRO headquarters in Jerusalem. Mr. Frydenlund, Mr. Christie, and Mrs. Aqel were given a presentation on the current state of the Jordan Valley and were able to tour the Palestinian villages of Zubeidat, Fasayel and Jiftlik.

During their visit, the representatives from Norway visited several houses that MA’AN has renovated in Fasayel and Jiftlik and two preschools in the village of Zubeidat that will be rehabilitated as part of the the Voices to be Heard project. The representatives also had the chance to meet with Hassan Jermy, the head of the Zubeidat village council, and Salam Zubeidat, the head of the Zubeidat Youth Club.

A Day of Fun, Service, and Culture:
Youth Volunteering and Cultural Networking Day in the Jordan Valley with the FADOC “Partnership for Development” Project
December 23, 2011

On Thursday, December 23, the MA’AN Development Center, the Popular Art Center, and the Bisan Center for Research and Development implemented a full day of activities in An-Nassariya in the Jordan Valley as part of the FADOC project "Partnership for Development.” More than 90 young people from nine youth clubs based in the governorates of Ramallah and Nablus participated in activities ranging from volunteer service, to networking, to cultural performances.

The youth carried out a number of voluntary activities in and around the area schools including cleaning, rehabilitating infrastructure, painting walls and murals, planting trees, and helping farmers harvest their crops. In addition, the youth provided entertainment for local children, playing games, painting faces, and putting on plays.

According to Rami Massad, the project coordinator, "This day has achieved the goals that were planned by youth volunteers from the Jordan Valley region, and integrated the exchange of experiences and ideas with volunteers from outside the region. They all partnered together in the volunteer and cultural activities, which captured the attention of government and private institutions in ​​the Jordan Valley.”

Emad Hamdan, president of the club that organized this volunteer activity, said that this event was "a milestone in the history of local sports clubs and the region in general."

The event concluded with an evening of art and performances jointly presented by youth from the Jordan Valley and visiting youth volunteers. Youth from the area took the lead and performed traditional folk arts of dabkeh dancing, zajel singing, and poetry to an audience of approximately 150 people, showcasing these participating institutions and their effectiveness.

MA’AN Celebrates the 22nd Anniversary of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child as Part of the Child Resilience Project in East Jerusalem Schools

Palestinian children are exposed to several forms of violence and discrimination on a daily basis, most of which are directly or indirectly related to the Israeli occupation. Settler and military violence, detention, house demolition and deficient access to services are some of the concerns affecting Palestinian children and weakening family and community structures. In East-Jerusalem about 11,900 children were not registered in any public or private educational Institutions (Save the Children education fact sheet) because of a lack of adequate schools and high fees of private schools. The separation wall makes it difficult for at least 6,000 children and 650 teachers to access schools. The average household is 7.2 persons, which leads to overcrowding, violence and abuse. According to OCHA, 407 children have been displaced in 2010 as a result of house demolitions and evictions. A further 536 demolition orders have been issued, putting another 1,499 children at risk.

To start off the day, the UNRWA welcomed the attendants. Children from Shu’fat camp gathered to participate in various activities such as handicrafts, face paint, dancing and singing, racing competitions, capoeira and theatre.

During the event special emphasis was put on the articles 19, 28 and 31 of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child that explain children’s right to be protected, the right to education and the right to play in a safe and adequate environment. Participating organizations have come together to emphasize the need to work in order to end the spiral of violence Palestinian children are exposed to, especially in East Jerusalem, and to encourage more organizations to continue to fight for the respect of children’s rights.

“We want to learn and play in a safe environment”

MA’AN Conducts New Trainings within the Active Citizens Program

The British Council’s global “Active Citizens” program is currently being implemented in 20 countries around the Middle East, central Asia, and Europe. The vision of the program is for people to recognize their potential and exercise their responsibility to engage in positive sustainable development of their communities at both the local and international level. The program aims to contribute to positive social change locally within their communities, as well as globally through large-scale sustainable development. To accomplish this, participants establish an enduring global network of leaders influence dialogue in their communities, learning and acting together to address global and local issues.
MA’AN, in coordination with the Jenin district venue where the trainings were held, and with the participation of the Governor of Jenin, Mr. Qadora Mousa], conducted 30 hours of this new training in November 2011. The first training took place from November 21, through November 24, with an additional session on the 29th, for a total of five training days. The project will extend to five new districts –, Salfeet, Qalqilya, Nablus, Tubas, and Tulkarem – and will continue in Jenin as well. To complete a total of 210 hours, an additional 180 training hours will be held in 2012.

The sessions were positive and focus on constructively using the assets of the community rather than focusing on the problems – “solution finding” rather than “problem solving.” Training topics included the following:

MA’ANs Holds its 2011 Annual General Assembly Meeting

On November 19th, 2011 MA’AN Development Center held its annual general assembly meeting for the year 2011. 43 out of 66 of its board members participated in a video conference held jointly between both MA’AN Ramallah branch staff as well as that of Gaza.
The Chair Person, Dr. Raji Musleh, presented the annual report of the board of directors to the general assembly. This was followed by the Director Generals, Sami Khader, presentation of the annual progress report for 2010. During his detailed presentation he pin pointed some of MA’ANs most prominent achievements for 2011, which included the following:

Ernst and Young, the financial auditors, presented the audited financial statement which was followed by an open discussion with active participation from the general assembly members. Reports, both financial and narrative, were approved by the general assembly and recommendations were given and discussed for the upcoming year of 2012.

MA’AN Ramallah:

MA’ANs Press Conference on the Israeli Crimes Committed Against Palestinian Water Resources

As part of MA’ANs Environmental Online Magazine activities, a press conference on the Israeli crimes against Palestinian water resources was held on 22 November 2011. This conference aimed to uncover Israel’s theft of underground water sources (aquifers) as well as surface water, in addition to their destruction and pollution of these sources. The organized, systematic “parching” policies of Israel in the West Bank and Gaza are particularly targeting the Western basin as well as the Jordan River basin. 

The press conference was conducted to mobilize local, Arab, and international media to form a lobbying force in support of the interventions of international communities in the occupied Palestinian territories in hopes of halting Israeli’s theft of various Palestinian water sources.

Spokespersons included Jameel Mtour, Vice President of the Palestinian Environmental Quality Authority (EQA), who presented a general yet intensive viewpoint on the most prominent Israeli violations committed against the Palestinian environment. Ahmad Al Hindi, Director General of the National Water Council, spoke about how the occupation exhausts the supply of Palestinian underground and surface water by illegal pumping.

Dr. Ayman Al Rabi, Executive Director of the Palestinian Hydrology Group, presented data that prove Israeli theft of Palestinian water in accordance with Israel’s water-hoarding policies. Finally, George Kurzom, Editor-in-Chief of MA’AN’s Online Green Magazine, addressed Israel’s policies of systematic destruction in the Jordan River basin. He presented information about misleading, forged facts by Israel related to the amounts of and access to Palestinian water resources. Furthermore, he discussed the overexploitation and drought of the Jordan River and Dead Sea, as well as the Israeli waste water and factories that are polluting the Jordan River basin.

Recommendations included urging environmental and human rights institutions to focus their work on legal aspects concerning environmental humanitarian issues, and for the media to provide additional coverage of such initiatives. There is a need to highlight the Palestinian water crisis in order to work towards change.

Additionally, it was strongly recommended that a neutral, international team of scientists and technology experts be formed in order to test water contamination levels caused by Israeli pollution in the Jordan River basin and the Palestinian aquifers. There are many dangerous effects of such pollution, which create significant health hazards that affect the local population, about which the community needs to be aware. Raising awareness is crucial in order to bring Israel to justice for its offenses against Palestinians with regard to its abuse of Palestinian water resources.

MA’AN Supports Youth and Sports in the Jordan Valley

As part of the “Voices to be Heard” project, funded by Cordaid, MA’AN is continuously supporting the Jordan Valley Popular Committees’ (JVPC) in their responsibilities towards the Jordan Valley communities. This project aims at:

To support youth in the Jordan Valley area, MA’AN provided Ain Al Sultan Club with new uniforms for their football team on November 21st, 2011. This contribution came after noticing a growing interest in sports in Palestine, particularly in this area. MA’AN hopes to motivate youth and support them in practicing and pursuing their hobbies as well as perhaps accomplishing their dream.

On behalf of MA’AN, Ms. Abeer Abusnayna (NDC Youth and Development project manager) along with Mr. Adli Hanaysheh (NDC Youth and Development project coordinator), distributed the uniforms to the team members. Mr. Sultan Mohammed Alousta, Mr. Liqa’a Samir, and Mr. Abdel Hafez Sheikh were also present on behalf of the administrative board of Ain Al Sultan Youth Club. Finally, the Ain Al Sultan camp administration also participated in this activity in order to reflect on their concern for youth in their community as well as their needs.
Sports teach teamwork; the distribution of these uniforms is but a simple gesture to display unity amongst these young players. It is worth mentioning that the Ain Al Sultan’s football team is very strong, working hard towards achieving great success on a local level. The team deserves accolades for its successes and requires the support of the community in order to further reach its goals.

MA’AN Addresses Children’s Psychosocial Issues in Seven East Jerusalem Schools within its “Child Resilience” Project

In East Jerusalem, schools are facing many access and protection issues; they are threatened with sealing and demolition orders and are often prevented from opening their doors to students. Also, a shortage of over one thousand classrooms exists. In 2009/2010, approximately 12,000 out of 93,633 compulsory school-aged children were not registered in any educational institutions. Not only are children denied access to their schools, they also have to deal with the over crowdedness of their classrooms, the lack of recreational and extracurricular activities, as well as the dangerous environment around them.  This is mainly due to these schools infrastructure and the schools existence in an environment that is in direct contact with settlers or soldiers, prohibiting them from accessing safe play areas.
Since April 2011, MA’AN Development Center along with Save the Children Sweden, with funding from Save the Children Denmark, have been implementing the “Emergency Response to School Based Psychosocial Intervention as Means to Secure Children’s Right to Education and Protection in Occupied Palestinian Territories” or “Child Resilience” project in seven East Jerusalem schools. The overall objective of this project is to enhance East Jerusalem families and children’s psychosocial wellbeing and coping strategies as well as create a protective learning environment for the targeted children.

A set of 16 structured workshops are planned based on an activity manual with 30 optional activities. These workshops take place during, or after school hours. These workshops are:

• Getting acquainted and working together
• My life
• Our community
• Children’s rights
• Children in our community
•  “What is violence?”
• “Keeping safe from violence”
• “Normal reactions to abnormal events”
• “Exploring feelings”
• “More feelings”
• “My body is mine”
• “Friendship”
• “Understanding conflict”
• “Solving conflict”
• “A world with peace”
• a. “My future”  or b. “Our future”

The participatory approach the project is using has brought to the children’s attention to the importance of their important role within their community. The students are expected to acquire a number of life skills techniques and tools (strengthening confidence, healthy coping, stress-handling, peaceful interaction, problem-solving, concentration and motivation, as well as playfulness) that will assist them in their everyday lives, becoming positive and active agents in their community.

Indirect beneficiaries of this project include teachers and field coordinators who have also been trained to carry out and support the children during the implementation of these workshops. A four day workshop- targeting 18 teachers, principals and counselors, took place in order to train these individuals on the proper way to carry out the different project activities. The teachers were introduced to the principles and the application of the Child Resilience techniques. Furthermore, four mentors were trained to co-facilitating the 16 sessions with the teachers. Parents have also been targeted though parent meetings and gatherings to ensure that the lessons learned within the workshops are supported by the parent’s reinforcement at home.

Furthermore, an introductory training on existing referral pathways in East Jerusalem was held during the month of September with the stakeholders (Juzoor, PCC and SC) along with MA’AN. Participants from each organization shared their experiences in the psychosocial field and the procedures taken when they came across cases that had to be referred to specialist for further assistance and support. Therefore, the most appropriate and qualified bodies in such cases were to be determined.

 

Progress in MA’ANs Project “Land Reclamation in Jerusalem District”

On the 1st of July 2011, MA’AN Development Center along with UNDP began the implementation of a land reclamation project specifically targeting the North-western locations in Jerusalem. These locations include: Al Jib, Biddu, and Qatana. The projects activities are to be completed by June 2012. In the upcoming period, the project aims to improve food security with minimum cash input and maximum results through sustainable methods of land development and without doing harm to the environment. There is a major focus on heavy land reclamation as well as other activities, mentioned below,  to improve the income of small holder famers by granting them access to improved productive natural resource assets (land and water).

• Project Activities:

1. Land reclamation
2. Land rehabilitation
3. Distribution of seedlings
4. Construction of cisterns

The project will ensure that the most vulnerable and marginalized villages in the area are supported and given a good foundation to build and develop their resources. The direct beneficiaries (42 families) will mainly be small-holding farmers with limited income, and large sized household whose main provider works in agriculture. Priority will be given to families that have members with special needs and those headed by women with at least a member being able to work in agriculture.

• The project plans to achieve the following:

1. Land reclamation of 152 dunums of agricultural land
2. Land rehabilitation of 36 dunums of agricultural land
3. Construction of 20 agricultural cistern (total capacity: 1300 cubic meters)

MA’AN Launches its New Project “Empowering Youth in the Jordan Valley”

On Monday, October 3rd, 2011, MA’AN Development Center launched its new project, “Empowering Youth in the Jordan Valley,” funded by Agence Francaise Developpment through the  NGO Development Center (NDC) and implemented by the NGO Development.  This project targets the 15-29 age group in 8 youth clubs in area C, namely Al Aghwar Al Wusta Club, Tubas Youth Club will act as an umbrella organization for the villages of -Kardala, Bardala and ‘Ein el Beida-, Zubeidat Youth Club, Jiftlik Sports Club, Al Hilal Sports Club, Fasayel Youth Club, Al Auja Youth Club, and Duyuk Sports Club.

The overall objective of the project is to empower youth in the Jordan Valley in order for them to become active citizens who can effectively and proactively shape their communities. The project specifically aims to achieve this through enhancing building the capacities of the participating CBOs so that they become more efficient and effective in providing quality services that meet the needs of youth in the Jordan Valley. The projects outputs will benefit more than 2,300 club members, youth participants, and will assist in the formation dabkeh dance groups and boy scouts. In addition to this, the distribution of 1,200 books and 51 computers on the participating clubs will take place. Moreover, the project will work on building the capacities on youth, both genders, by providing them with a number training courses and workshops.

This event was hosted by Jericho’s Municipality Theatre in the presence of all the partners. A number of officials and representatives (Jericho & Jordan Valley’s Mayor Representative- Mr. Jamal Rjoub, Jericho’s Municipality Director- Mr. Hasan Saleh, the General Director for Adolescents and Childhood Department of the Ministry of Youth- Mr. Fathi Khader,  Jericho’s Education and Higher Education Director of Directorate- Mr. Mohammed el Hawwash, Director of Directorate Jericho (Ministry of Youth)- Mr. Jamal Abu Zayed, Director of Directorate Tubas (Ministry of Youth)- Mr. Arafat el Masri, Agence Francaise Development Representative- Mr. Hani Tahhan, Grants and Programs Unit Director (NDC)- Ms. Jameelh Sahliyeh, NDC Programs Officer- Mr. Saed Quzmar, and MA’ANs Director General- Mr. Sami Khader) ,who were also present, gave speeches highlighting the current situation in area C as well as youth and women’s  role in community development.

Project manager, Abu Abu Snenieh, followed this by a presentation which introduced the 90 participants to the project by covering the following topics:

• Needs assessment conducted in the area
• Project goal, specific objective, targeted age group, and targeted area/club
• Implementing organizations
• Project activities (physical improvements, capacity building component, cultural activities, youth initiatives, and advocacy campaigns).
• Project outputs
• Open discussion
• Closing words

October 6, 2011

Group meeting for AMECNA2 Partners with the external consultants to discuss the primarily findings of the Mid-Term External Evaluation

Palestinian NGOs and consultants are discussing the primarily findings of the external evaluation at MA’AN Development Center.

MA’AN Development Center hosted special meeting to present and discuss the primarily results of the external evaluation for the Australian Middle East NGO Cooperation Agreement, Phase 2 (AMENCA2). The five-year AMENCA Program is implemented in Gaza Strip and the West Bank through partnership between Palestinian and Australian NGO’s. This Mid-Term external evaluation was conducted in the previous weeks by external international consultants in coordination with the AusAID, Palestinian, and Australian NGO’S partners including: MA’AN, ActionAid, Institute for Community Partnership at Bethlehem University (ICP), World Vision, CARE, ARIJ, ASALA, and Economic & Social Development Center in Palestine (ESDC).
The AMENCA2 partners discussed the status of their partnership as well as the primarily findings in the evaluation. The two consultants, appointed  by AusAID, reflected on the results of their evaluation of Year 2 of the AMENCA program, several weakness and strong aspects of the program were discussed and mechanism of future collaboration were also highlighted.  It is expected that a final conclusions of the evaluation will be resealed to all partners in the coming few weeks, the recommendations will also be presented to the AusAID in Australia.
Worth mentioning that the international consultation team was denied entry to Gaza Strip to carry on the evaluation there because the team was not granted the required ‘entry permit’, issued by the Israeli Authorities, to enter Gaza Strip.

The Successful Completion of MA’ANs “Towards Food Sustainability in Gaza” Project

MA’AN Development Center – Gaza Branch has completed the implementation of its 3 years project titled “Towards Food Sustainability in Gaza” which is funded by Cordaid. This project aimed to alleviate poverty through sustainable income-generating activities by strengthening the self-sufficiency of some of the poorest households in six villages in the middle area governorate in Gaza strip which include Wadi Assalqa, Deir Al Balah, Al Zawaida, Al Nuseirat, Al Maghazi, and Al Buraji.
In the first two years, the project achieved distinct progress in the main activities, including but not limited to the following specific achievements:

Moreover, great achievements have been made throughout the third year and final year of the project (October 1st, 2010 through July 31st, 2011). Some of this periods main achievements include, but are not limited to, the following activities:-

1. Enhancing Farmers Capacities:

2. Increasing the Availability of Cultivated Lands

3. Promoting Animal Husbandry

4. Additional Activities:

MA’AN Completes the Rehabilitation of Two Schools in Area C

MA’AN along with OCHA began the implementation of their “Emergency Rehabilitation of Four Schools in Area C of the West Bank” project in July 2011. This project targets facilities benefiting 200 students in Fasayil Al Fauqa, Khallet Sakariya , Ka’abneh, and An Nabi Samwel schools. Its aim is to create a safer and more accessible environment for students in order to receive a rich and comprehensive education. During the month of October 2011, the project has completed the rehabilitation of two schools- Khallet Sakariya and Al Ka’anbeh schools.
Rehabilitation activities included the following:

- Khallet Sakariya School

During the work of the gate	The gate
Part of the fence

- Al Ka’abneh School

A classroom before the insulation work	A classroom after the insulation work
Before painting	After painting
The bathrooms before the rehabilitation	The bathrooms during the rehabilitation works
Part of the fence	The gate
Cement works on ground and the containers after the painting work

A Palestinians Incomplete Success Story

Najah Qudeih, a previous beneficiary of the AMENCA project; one of MA’ANs food security projects implemented in partnership with the Union Abroad- APHEDA and part of the AMENCA program funded by the Australian Government. She had a large family- eight children in addition to her husband. Her eldest daughter, a 21 years old young woman, was engaged to be married on the1st of May, 2011. Najah was very delighted when she was selected to be part of the animal husbandry activity (rabbits) within the AMENCA project. She became even happier when she received training on the proper ways to breed her rabbits after receiving two cages with eight female and male rabbits. During MA’ANs repeated visits to this small project, they noticed her dedication and ability to transform it into a farm with more than 100 rabbits.  

The rabbits were also used for the family’s food consumption and sold to neighbors for additional income for her family. During the field coordinators visits, they noticed Najah’s determination to grow and develop her project. She would constantly question the possibility of being granted a loan through the AMENCA Project to expand her humble project into the largest rabbit farm in the area. Najah and her husband have been very persistent with their care for the rabbits; they fed them and looked after them on a daily basis. Najah felt as if they were her own children.  

This family’s house lacked the most basic requirements that enabled them to live a decent life; the walls of their house, close to the Israeli borders, were previously burned by the white phosphorus bombs they were attacked with during the Israel military offensive on the Gaza Strip. The family was forced to flee their house to evade continued tank fire. During on of MA’ANs field visits, Najah was cooking on wood fire for lack of cooking gas. Sadness filled her eyes at that moment, but her dignity and pride overpowered as she stated, “maybe I don’t have cooking gas and I don’t have much of what other families have, but I am happy because my kids are outstanding students, thank God. This gives me great hope that they would be able to provide a better live for their own families.”

The bereaved husband says that he lost everything in just one moment, his wife, his daughter, and even their source of living – their small rabbit project. The rabbit cages were damaged by the shelling and many of the rabbits died; the farm returned to its starting point. The husband said with tears in his eyes: “I hope that God will indemnify our family for its loss.” Of course this is only one of many tragedies that have affected Palestinians, especially Gazans.

MA’AN is looking for ways to support the family in this critical time. We urge international organizations, especially AusAID, who was also affected by this disturbing occurrence with the attack on their beneficiary, to take a step towards supporting and making Palestinians voice be heard across the world. This woman and her two daughters were only trying to live a comfortable and peaceful life.

MA’AN Makes Progress with the Implementation of Activities within the NRO “Voices to be Heard” Project

As part of the “Voices to be Heard“ project,  funded by the Norwegian Representative Office ( NRO), MA’AN is continuously  supporting the Jordan Valley Popular Committees’ (JVPC) in their responsibilities towards the Jordan Valley communities . This project aims to contribute to the protection and stead fasten the Jordan Valley citizens most basic human rights. Empowering the Jordan Valley CBOs and LPCs to better and effectively serve their own communities so as to strengthen their own voice and remain resilient in the face of forced systematic displacement and exclusion concludes the projects purpose.  

MA’AN has implemented three main activities thus far:

• Olive Tree Planting Solidarity Campaign

Local and international supporting bodies (e.g. The British Council, The World Council of Churches (ICC), Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI), The Spanish Cooperation, as well as American, Brazilian, and French solidarity individuals and groups) joined MA’AN and the Jordan Valley Solidarity Campaign (JVSC) in an organized volunteer activity on June 26th, 2011. This activity was an  awareness raising campaign held in solidarity with families threatened with displacement after their homes in Al Fasayel Al Wusta were demolished  (refer to the following press release for more information: MA’ANs Emergency Response to House Demolitions in Fasayil and Al Hadidiyeh, Jordan Valleyhttp://www.maan-ctr.org/press.php#fassayil ). It was also a means ofprovidingsupport to Fasayel Al Foqa resident’s right to exist on their land.

The occupations continuous violations against the Jordan Valley residents have been seen as an ongoing Nakbeh. Therefore, as part of the campaign, 300 olive trees were planted; each tree was named after a village that was demolished by Israeli forces to symbolize that these villages will never be forgotten. Furthermore, they symbolize the resistance of Al Fasayel village, who has remained steadfast in the face of the occupation; they are willing to sit under the trees for shelter from the blistering summer heat so long as they don’t have to leave their land, crying “WE WILL NOT BE UPROOTED !"

JVSC plants olive trees in the village of Fasayel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RL3gED9UGQ

• MA’AN Supports the Organization of the Jordan Valley’s 3rd Football Tournament

For the third year, MA’AN supports the Jordan Valley Popular Committees in the organization of their 3rd football tournament. This project aims to contribute to the protection and stead fasten the Jordan Valley citizens most basic human rights.

The main focus of the tournament was to highlight the importance and right of the Jordan Valley citizens to have such tournaments to take place in their area. Moreover, to bringing attention to the sport facilities poor conditions and stress the needs of these clubs. Most importantly, the tournament targets the activation and participation of the Jordan Valley sports clubs football teams, specifically those in Al Uja, Fasayel, Zbeidat and Jiftlik. Two guest teams, Anata and Dahiet El Bareed- from Jerusalem- have also been hosted for this event. The tournament was launched on the 10th of July and will continue on for nine days, until the 25th of July in Al Uja playground.

• MA’AN Implements 20 House Renovations in Al Jiftlik, Jordan Valley

House renovations were also conducted by MA’AN targeting 20 families in Abu El A’ajaj area working as farmers living under bad conditions in an inadequate environment. These house renovations were organized by the Jordan Valley Popular Committees who work closely with the communities in this participatory process, coordinating and implementing this activity with the residence. The purpose of this activity is to support the families in building their own houses; providing building material and technical supervision, in addition to promoting the use of mud brick buildings.

MA’AN Supports the Jordan Valley Popular Committees (JVPC) in Organizing Workshops within the CORAID “Voices to be Heard” Project

Throughout MA’ANs many projects which are implemented in the Jordan Valley (JV), the main goal is to support JV citizens through empowering Local Popular Committees (LPCs) to better advocate on behalf of residents and to mobilize international solidarity. It is obvious, however, that residents of the Jordan Valley have little or limited human and material resource. Therefore, implementing capacity building trainings for the LPC is very crucial in order to develop their lobbying and advocacy skills.

Under the CORDAID funded project, “Voices to Be Heard, “MA’AN supported the Jordan Valley Popular Committees (JVPC) in organizing two workshops last month. The first workshop titled “Media and Dealing with the Press” was attended by 30 participants who received 6 training hours on this topic. The second workshop, “Photography and Documentation of Human Rights Violations” was attended by 15 participants who received a total of 12 training hours.

These workshops were directly implemented by the Jordan Valley Popular Committee (JVPC) targeting active local community members, activists, and members of the Jordan Valley Solidarity Campaign. The focus of these workshops was to invest in linking the JVPC to the local communities in order to build their capacities as well as raise awareness on the day to day violations facings Area C residents.

 The Successful Completion of FADOC’s “Enta Wein” Summer Camp

During the month of June, a new networking and capacity building activity was carried out by the partner organizations, MA’AN Development Center, Bisan Center for Research and Development, and the Popular Art Center (PAC) to strengthen the youth’s role and commitment to their new responsibilities as advocacy, capacity building, networking, and youth mobilization committees within the Partnership for Development Project (FADOC). FADOC’s second summer camp, this year’s entitled “Enta Wein,” took place in Salah Khalaf Center- once a detention center (1967) in Al Fara’a, Nablus. The summer camp lasted a period of 5 days (June 28t till July 3rd 2011) with a total of 60 youth participants, both males and females. The events carried out mainly consisted of training workshops, lectures and discussions, in addition to cultural evenings.

Each day had a theme connected to social change within the Palestinian context.  

The participant’s day would start at 6:30 am, where the youth would wake up to get dressed for the morning assembly held at 7 am. During this time, a 15 min morning exercise would take place as well as the raising of the flag and singing the national anthem. Each of the 5 groups (“A’aoud” –Return, “Huriyati Lan Tamout” –My Freedom Will not Die, “Watan” – Home Land, “Al Mustaqbal” – The Future,  and “Tabahwa”), would then yell their group shout. After breakfast, two consecutive training workshops divided by a short coffee break would last till 1 pm. The youth would then have their lunch break, followed by their attendance of a lecture/discussion based on participatory approaches (group work and presentations).

The topics of the trainings and discussions for each day went along with the overall themes. The purpose of the trainings and seminars conducted was to install the individual, collective, and national identity of these young Palestinians and develop the spirit of volunteerism in them so that they will be able to take on initiatives on their own. Furthermore, the approaches used within these sessions aimed to develop their teamwork skills as well as their ability to advocate and lobby for issues that concern them on the national and international level. And for this reason, the summer camp was titled “Enta Wein,” meaning “where are you” or “where do you stand?” The rationale behind this question was to urge youth to think about their individual place and role as youth in the process of development and change.

For the evening activities, representatives from each group would meet with the cultural activities    coordinator in order to plan the cultural evening activities planned for any given night within the summer camp. Talent shows, singing, dancing, charades, competitions and challenges would take place till 11:30 pm and sometimes would last up till 12 am. On the third day the participants were able to take a field trip to an amusement park in Tulkarem, as well as visit a local CBO- Dar Qandeel working in theater and music. The youth were also able to visit a home based “museum” filled with Palestinian artifacts and historical pieces, as well as beautiful citadel where they had a scavenger hunt.

This camp was a great success and it was filled with active youth who were willing to learn and develop their capacities in order to contribute to the process of change. Their efforts were recognized during Enta Weins’ closing ceremony were each participant received a certificate. We were pleased to have a representative from our Solsoc partner, François Sarramagnan, with us for the first two days of the summer camp, and we are hoping to have him back with us in September in order to witness more of the youth clubs activities.

MA’ANs Emergency Response to House Demolitions in Fasayil and Al Hadidiyeh, Jordan Valley.

Demolitions of 18 tent structures in Fasayil Al Wusta as well as 6 tents in Al Hadidiyeh took place in the Jordan Valley on the 15th and 21st of June. 24 families, including their young children, were left without a home in the squirming heat where their belongings were scattered along the area or ruined by Israeli settlers. Demolition orders were only sent three days previous to these treacherous acts, only to occur mid-day where workers are outside the area and the women and children are left alone. The area was sealed during this time and the working men were not able to enter to be with their families. Their water tanks were damaged, and electricity cords confiscated. High level of psycho-social distress could be diagnosed within the children in the families from the continuous attacks that occur in these areas.

MA’AN, in partnership with the Jordan Valley Popular Committees (JVPC), and supported by the DanChurchAid (DCA), have been the first to make an emergency response to these attacks. Meetings with the families who have been affected by the demolitions were facilitated by the JVS in order to conduct an assessment of the damage that occurred on the 23rd of June. The emergency response team was able to talk to the families and discuss their needs.

These needs included:

MA’AN focused on supplying the families with human shelters since this was seen as the families’ main concern and immediate necessity. There were specifications for the type of tent structures and their sizes, and therefore families were included in the rehabilitation process with the supervision of MA’AN and JVPC. They were given the chance to participate in the design, purchases, distribution, and installation of tents.

Tents were put up in the first week of July where Fasayil was supplied with eighteen structures and Al Hadidiyeh with six. Each tent’s area was 30 m2 and the structure and covers were custom made taking into consideration the specifications requested by the residence.

• Visit the following link to perceive the communities reaction to the demolitions that occurred last month in Al Hadidiyeh, as we as view JVPC volunteers install new tent structures for affected families: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKkDE2uEVxA

MA’ANs Implementation of Training Workshops in 90 Youth Centers in the Palestinian Territories

Within the Adolescent Friendly Spaces project funded by UNICEF, MA’AN Development Center in partnership with Tamer Institute for Community Education, the National Committee of Summer Camps (NCSC), and under the umbrella of the Ministry of Youth and Sports conducted a set of training workshops in order to build the capacities of this projects beneficiaries. Adolescents from 90 youth centers in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip participated in these trainings along with the centers coordinators and board member’s. Furthermore, the youth centers local committees (focusing on youth participation) were formed in order to ensure the sustainability of participating CBOs and were also able to benefit from this activity.

85 youth center coordinators have received 60 training hours in communication skills, leadership skills, community work skills, as well as management of campaigns and other initiatives. Furthermore, Members of the centers local committees received 11 training workshops- a total of 136 training hours benefiting 125 adolescents within these committees. Topics covered within these trainings included leadership skills (positive and systematic thinking), community work, critical observation techniques, teamwork, planning, time management, communication skills, and appreciative inquiry.

MA’AN Contributes to the Improvement of the Jordan Valley Residents Living Conditions through House Renovations

Following the Oslo accords, 90% of the Jordan Valley became Area C, controlled by Israel and considered a military fire zone. Demolition and removal orders have been affecting this area’s most vulnerable communities- Bedouins. Difficulties accessing water, poor health care, and hygiene issues are all major issues that they face. An evident deterioration of the structure of Palestinian living conditions has been most alarming threatening the existence of hundreds of communities on their land leading to forced displacement. Solidarity with vulnerability communities as such is very crucial in order to reduce the aftermath of Israeli policies on Area C residents. Furthermore, this is an urgent need to look for affordable solutions using their knowledge as well as exiting materials within the community.

MA’AN has been very supportive of the Jordan Valley Solidarity Movement Campaign “To Exist is to Resist;” a network of Palestinian grassroots from all over the Jordan Valley as well as international supporters aiming to protect Palestinian existence in addition to supporting communities on the ground. Together they have been able to implement many projects to support the Jordan Valley resident’s right to live on their land. They are currently implementing a project funded by the Spanish Cooperation titled “Improvement of Life Conditions of the Palestinian Population in the Rural Areas of the Jordan Valley”- an emergency project taking immediate action to improve the socio-economic conditions, as well as create a sanitary habitat for the most vulnerable Bedouin populations in the Jordan Valley. 

MA’AN Jenin Office Conducts a Workshop Covering One of the Most Effective Non-Toxic Pest Controls–Yellow Sticky Traps

During the month of June, MA’AN Jenin Office conducted a workshop in Al Kafriyat introducing farmers to one of the most effective non-toxic pest controls, yellow sticky traps, and their importance in combating olive fruit flies. This workshop was part of this year’s Olive Campaign activities within the AMENCA project “Rural Livelihoods and Food Security through Capacity Development” implemented in both Tulkarm and Khan Younis by MA’AN in partnership with the Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, and funded by the Australian Government- AusAid.

About 60 farmers from the area attended the workshop. Engineer Hassan Abu Lord- Director of MA’ANs Jenin branch, along with Engineer Alaa Jomma- Project Coordinator, were also present for this activity. The main focus of the workshop was to inform farmers about the olive fruit fly and the damage it could cause to their production in terms of quantity and quality as well as to introduce them to one of the most environmentally sound techniques used to eliminate this pests adverse effects on their produce. Engineers displayed how farmers could develop their own yellow traps instead of buying them from the market, which could be very pricey.

Finally, the participants thanked MA’AN for the efforts undertaken by the center in supporting the olive sector in addition to the agricultural sector in general. MA’AN ensured farmers that it will continue to support both sector in the upcoming period in order to develop their skills and production.

MA’AN Conducts [ToT] Life Skills Workshops for Facilitators of the Adolescent Friendly Spaces Project

MA’AN Development Center, in partnership with UNICEF, Tamer Institute for Community Education, the National Committee of Summer Camps (NCSC), Al Nayzak, as well as the Palestinian Family Planning Association (PFPA), have contributed to providing standardized adolescent friendly services  within the Adolescent Friendly Spaces Project. This project falls under the umbrella of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and plans to reach to adolescents in 90 spaces in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza.

As a training establishment, MA’ANs role in the project has been to equip the most qualified facilitators and animators with knowledge and experience in different life skills topics so that they would be able to provide these services for the project’s direct and indirect beneficiaries. The Life Skills Manual will be used as reference for the training materials.
Training topics conducted during this month include:

• Facilitation Skills
• Communication Skills
• Gender
• Advocacy, Lobbying, and Networking
• Negotiation Skills- Conflict Transformation.
• Problem Solving  
• Creative Thinking- Positive Thinking.
• Appreciative Inquiry
• Team Building
• Change Management
• Time Management/ Decision Making

Twenty seven training days, targeting the Life Skills facilitators, took place in the month of May and June. Nine training days in the south (six centers in Hebron, four in Bethlehem, and five in the Old City, Jerusalem); nine in the central region (three centers in Tubas, six in Jenin, six in Nablus, five in Tulkarem, three in Qalqiliya, and three in Salfeet); and nine in the north (two in Jericho, five in Jerusalem, and six in Ramallah). Facilitators demonstrated increased knowledge and skills in providing quality services for youth, as well as being able to distinguish between applied techniques based on age when working with both children and adolescents.

The Development of a Life Skills Manual within the Adolescent Friendly Spaces Project

The Adolescent Friendly Spaces project has contributed to providing standardized adolescent friendly services reaching adolescents in 90 spaces in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza.
This project is implemented by MA’AN Development Center, in partnership with UNICEF, Tamer Institute for Community Education, the National Committee of Summer Camps (NCSC), Al Nayzak, as well as the Palestinian Family Planning Association (PFPA), falling under the umbrella of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

In April 2011, MA’AN published its Life Skills manual following UNICEF and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) classification of life skills, by compiling resources and educational materials from experts in the field. The main purpose of developing this manual is to promote a comprehensive behavior change approach that concentrates on the development of adolescents skills (communication skills, conflict management, cooperation and teamwork, etc).

Content: The manual contains five sections which include:- Section I: Defining “Life Skills” Section II: Appreciative Inquiry Section III: Cognitive Abilities Critical Thinking Skills Section IV: Personal Abilities Skills for Increasing Internal Locus of Control Section V: Skills for Managing Feelings Anger Management Skills for Managing Stress Interpersonal Abilities Interpersonal Communication Skills Negotiation and Refusal Skills Negotiation and Conflict Management Empathy Cooperation and Teamwork Advocacy Skills Networking and Motivation Skills Gender

A variety of exercises, pictures, quotes and techniques are displayed in the manual, enabling an interactive learning system. After conducting the ToT workshops, facilitators are sure to possess the needed tools required in order to offer both children and adolescents crucial life skills supporting their healthy transition from childhood to adulthood.

MA’AN Launches Year Three of the AMENCA2 program, “Rural Livelihoods and Food Security through Capacity Development” Project

On Tuesday June 7th, 2011, MA’AN Development Center launched its third year of the AMENCA 2 Program in the areas of Tulkarem and Khan Younis. This project is being implemented in partnership with the Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA and Funded by AusAid. The projects two main objectives include: A: Improving food security for vulnerable households in two clusters in Tulkarem and Khan Younis. B: Increasing the capacity of local partner NGO and CBOs working with target communities to better serve their constituents, especially women.

A general meeting took place in Al Kafriyat Municipality which was attended by the project team from MA’AN, the project Village Support Committee (VSC) members who were representing all of the villages in the targeted cluster of Al Kafriyat area.

During the meeting, the project team presented the VSCs with the projects achievements for the previous two years as well as the activities that are to be implemented in the West Bank – Tulkarem, Al Kafriyat area, during year three. Activities planned consist of rehabilitating 140 dunums of land, installing 25 plastic houses, and constructing 50 agricultural cisterns and rehabilitating 20. In addition to this, there will be an implementation of 50 animal husbandry activities as well as establishing a water pond for irrigation. Finally, an Olive campaign will be conducted for this year of the project as well.

Whereas in Gaza – Khan Younis area, the projects activities during its third year will rehabilitate 120 dunums of land and will implement maintenance work for 120 green houses which will include the rehabilitation of secondary irrigation networks and distribution of fertilizers and seedlings  . Furthermore, the project will distribute 65 rabbit units and provide a total of 700 labor days for workforce participation.

As for the year three plan for the capacity building program within this project, the team informed the attendants that there will be four trainings conducted which will target members of the beneficiary CBO’s targeted in the project. Moreover, 10 grants will be provided in addition to 10 revolving funds. The beneficiary selection process was also discussed during the meeting with the village support committee members and they were asked to provide the project team with any further suggestions or recommendations they may have to make year three as successful as year one and two.

MA’AN Releases Four New Environmental Reports Covering a Variety of Ecological Issues Facing Al Kafriyat Area

During this month, MA’AN has released four new environmental reports in its Green Magazine. With the support of MA’AN’s environmental expert, our media reporter covered news and updates on the environment in Al Kafriyat area.

These reports discussed a variety of environmental issues facing Al Kafriyat area. For instance, Issue 5 talks about the transformation of a waste dump into a beautiful green field used as a garden/park for the people in the south region of Palestine. This dump had been placed in this location for the past three decades without any strategic planning; located on the main road leading to Tulkarem, residents of the area have complained about the scene and smell for the past couple of years. Only now have they been able to enjoy a pleasant, sanitary park after the dumps content was transferred to Zahrat Al Finjan dump station in Jenin.

The development of Al Juneidy nursery in Nablus was put forth in Issue 6. After gaining some experience in the agricultural field, the nursery was moved to a different location in Nablus in 1994 away from irrigated trees in order to prevent contact with contagious plant diseases. The nursery has reached great success with its environmental methods, using organic compost and minimal use of pesticides. They have been able to develop over 30 million seedlings currently distributed to nearby villages and cities. They have also used genetic engineering methods to improve the quality of different fruits and vegetables in hopes to develop pure Palestinian plant breads.
Issue 7 covered some of the complaints put forth by farmers near the Cappy soft drink factory in Kufur Zibad. Farmers are mainly complaining about the water smelling like plastic; it maybe even be polluted since many of their olive trees located near the spring have been dying. Our reporter made a visit to inspect the factory. She noticed that the factory was fully equipped with the newest technology enabling them to complete a great amount of work without a large number of workers.

Finally, Issue 8 talks about the disappearance of certain animals which used to be very evident on Palestinians lands years ago. Rarely do Palestinian resident of the West Bank get to see a wild rabbit, partridge, or deer in their natural habitat. The report goes in depth on how there are a variety of reasons for this phenomenon: 1. over haunting these animals by Palestinians, 2.the abundant use of chemical pesticides and compost affecting the animals food source, 3. The Apartheid Wall which not only trapped Palestinians but also their animals, 4. an increasing number of fox in comparison to wild rabbits, etc.   

Solidarité Socialiste Supports Palestine through Brussels 20K Run

Since 2003, MA’AN has been working with Solidarité Socialiste (Solsoc) on projects targeting youth, women and agriculture. Solsoc is a non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1963 by the Action Commune Socialiste party working towards development, democracy, and equality. Solsoc fights for a fairer distribution of power and equitable distribution of wealth throughout 12 countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.

The first FADOC program launched in Palestine, “Partnership for Development” was in 2004. Solsoc partnered with MA’AN, Bisan Research and Development Center, as well as Popular Art Centre (PAC), working with close to 50 youth clubs in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus, and Gaza. In January 2011, the project entered its third phase, which will last till 2013, extending its network to include the Nablus area. The projects objective is to enhance and strengthen the role of youth organizations on the local, district and national level in social community development and social change. Building the capacities of CBO’s and youth will be done through providing them with a variety of trainings to enhance service provision and community service, advocacy and lobbying , as well as networking skills. This will also give them the chance to interact with other CBO’s within the project and exchange experiences as well as learn from previous successes.

On May 29th, 2011, the Solsoc team, composed of 15 volunteers, participated in Brussels’ 20 km Run as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people and, more particularly, the partner organizations in Ramallah, Nablus, and Gaza through the FADOC program. Solsoc has always remained steadfast of the Palestinians rights and has made it clear during their visit to Palestinian in late 2010 that they would support vulnerable groups to advocate for their rights, and have shown this help not only through finical means.

The team, including the former project officer Gladys and the present Francois, trained for two months in order to prepare for the run. The idea was to capture the attention of the 30,000 guests who attended this event with the teams shirt logo; a male and female running with the colors of the Palestinian flag which read “Running for Palestinian” on the top and FADOC on the bottom. Solsoc has also launched an appeal on their website, email, in addition to their Facebook page to call for the support of their public for the joint program in Palestine. Individuals were invited to support Solsoc’s efforts by donating a desired amount for a good cause. They have managed to raise money and it will be used to finance the 20% of the program budget.

Installation of Fridge Container for Farmers in the Jordan Valley

During the month of April, MA’AN Development Center in partnership with Jordan Valley Popular Committees installed a fridge container (90 m3) designed to store dates as well as other fruits and vegetables for farmers in the Jordan Valley. This project was supported by the Association France Palestine Solidarite (AFPS) to assist farmers specifically located in Al Jiftlik area.

Originally, the Jordan Valley has rich agricultural land, a warm climate and abundant water sources offering economic and political prospects. But with the violation of the Israeli occupation of these citizens’ basic human rights and the isolation of this region, it is hard to prosper and flourish. For this reason, and as a part of the “To Exist Is To Resist” Project, MA’AN works to empower citizens of Area C and especially farmers working towards achieving financial stability.

Farmers in the area will benefit from this initiative helping them work towards solving a major economic issue. Prior to the installation of the fridge, farmers would sell their produce to the Israeli market for cheap for fear that their perishable products will go bad since without any means of storing them. Purchasing their own products for personal consumption obliged them to pay double the price that they sold it for. For instance, a farmer would sell his dates to an Israeli merchant for 13 NIS a kilo, a week later he would have guests over and would have to buy his own dates for double the price.

Farmers in Al Jiftlik area will no longer have to rush to vend their products; they will be able to store and sell them past their picking season. Finally, they have the ability to determine and control the price they want to sell their products for, and who they want to sell it to.

The farmers gratefully welcomed this initiative; workers from the village helped prepare the ground for installation, in addition to putting up shields to protect the fridge from changes in the weather. MA’AN has arranged for a committee to take charge of, run and manage the fridges. These specific farmers were nominated for this task since they were available in the area and will be able to follow up and cooperate with other farmers in getting the most of this project.

Later in the project, farmers were be supplied with 1500 plastic boxes for storing products along with  1000 carton boxes for marketing them. Furthermore, the project will work with the farmers in maintaining and caring for the fridge and their products. The Jordan Valley Solidarity Campaign field workers will also be of continuous support to these farmers and will be able to monitor and follow up with their progress as well as provide any further technical assistance if needed.

Distribution of School Supplies to Jordan Valley Schools

MA’AN Development Center, supported by the Grassroots International Organization, has distributed school materials to three schools in the Jordan Valley during the month of March, 2011. These schools include Al Kabana School in Jericho, Khalid Bin Al Waleed School in Fasayil Fuqa (which was mainly constructed by MA’AN along with the Jordan Valley Solidarity Campaign), as well as Fasayil Tahta School. Students received stationary and educational tools (paper, pens and pencils, markers, folders, calculators, paint, chalk boards, maps, in addition to sport supplies such as footballs and basketballs, etc) to provide them with a more conducive learning environment as well as to engage them in different school activities.

This is not the first time that MA’AN distributes such supplies to the schools in the Jordan Valley. In fact, MA’AN has been extremely supportive of education over the years and especially in this area. This is mainly as a result of the harsh conditions these vulnerable groups live in, where they are denied the right to their most basic needs due to their location in Area C which is subject to and under the constant threat of the demolition of their schools and other public services. MA’AN will continue to work in partnership with other NGOs, different ministries, as well as local and community based organizations to encourage the steadfastness and existence of these populations with great focus on youth in the occupied Jordan Valley.

MA’AN Participates in the Palestinian National Food Security Council

For the first time, the Ministry of Agriculture established the Palestinian National Food Security Council. Its elections were conducted on March 22nd, 2011 where MA’AN was nominated to represent the Agricultural NGO’s.
Its Board of Directors is currently made up of 11 members. Qualified individuals were elected to fill in the four positions of President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. MA’ANs Director General, Sami Khader, was nominated and on the 13th of April the positions were announced; Mr. Khader was chosen as the Treasurer.
This council consists of representatives from all stakeholders; its structure displayed below:

Students from the London School of Economics visit MA’AN

20 students from the London School of Economics (LSE) visited MA’ANs Ramallah branch on 26th of March, 2011. These students are a part of the Political Science and Political Economy (PSPE) research group at the university who come from different parts of the world including Norway, America, Sweden, Switzerland, China, Cypress, Germany, France, and Britain.

This year a faction of the PSPE group visited Palestine. During their stay, a meeting with MA’AN was arranged for and the students were presented with two general presentations introducing them to the most prominent issues facing Palestinians in the NGO sector as well as vulnerable areas in Palestine such as Area C and Gaza.
The director general of MA’AN, Sami Khader, gave a presentation about the Palestinian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the West Bank and Gaza. This presentation described the developmental role of these organizations, the way they are funded, as well as the challenges that they face in their work on both internal and external levels. Such obstacles consist of:

During the second presentation, the Resource Development and Advocacy Coordinator, Cecilia Smith, introduced the students to one of the most vulnerable areas in the West Bank (Area C), the Jordan Valley. She provided them with background information on the geographical location and population of this area. In addition to this, she discussed the political, economic, and social issues facing its Palestinian residents focusing on the serious implications caused by the Israeli occupation violation of human rights in relation to water, and its effect of the environment leading to the growing epidemic, desertification. The demolition of homes, schools, and public service areas is a constant worry. Land is constantly confiscated and grazing areas are closed causing adverse effects on their livestock, production, and consumption patterns.

The student’s field visits to different parts of Palestine- such as Al Amari refugee camp, Jalazoun camp, Bilin, the old city in Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus- provided them with a glimpse of the difficult circumstances that the Palestinian people face under the occupation. Some of the stereotypes that have been developed over the years in the minds of these students as a result of misinforming media sources have been removed. This has been possible due to meetings with different NGOs who work with the poorest and most marginalized communities. MA’AN especially clarified the issues faced by vulnerable groups in the Jordan Valley and Gaza, opening their eyes to the many violations of Palestinian human rights. Furthermore, meetings with Palestinian citizens allowed the students to let go of the false image they previously possessed regarding Palestinian social reality in terms of Palestinian customs, traditions, and even culture- viewing it more positively.

MA’AN Distributes Beehives, Signs Grant & Revolving Funds Contracts with Women and CBOs in Al Kafriyat Area

The “Rural Livelihoods and Food Security through Capacity Development” project is funded by AusAid and carried out by MA’AN in partnership with the Union Abroad-APHEDA.
Its two main objectives include:

On April 11th, 2011, MA’AN began its distribution of 240 beehives to 80 beneficiaries in Al Kafriyat, as well as an addition 100 beehives in the Oxfam Novib project to 20 beneficiaries in Tubas. This was done after the women received the proper training in addition to a specialized intensive breeding course. The capacity building workshops that the women received equipped them with the needed skills and tools allowing them to care for, and combat any diseases that they may come across in the future.

MA’AN and OCHA finalize the “Additional Classrooms & Renovation of Rawa’iin School” Project

March 15th, 2011 marked MA’ANs completion of its “Additional Classrooms and Renovation of Rawa’iin School” project in Al Rawa’iin Community located 18 km south east of Bethlehem. The main objective of this project was to create a safe environment, conducive to learning for the children of this community.

Education for children is the backbone of development; hence, to offer proper educational facilities leading to the possibility for the children to receive a well rounded education is a definite urgent matter. Due to the community’s extremely poor conditions, the possibility of providing a proper education to its children was a very difficult responsibility to carry on their own. The inadequate number of classrooms which were further not insulated properly left the children sitting in sweltering heat or shivering cold depending on the season. During raining periods the rain was pouring in through broken ceilings and windows.
Following the assessments conducted by MA’AN together with OCHA and HRF, the project was proposed as a strategic measure for a humanitarian response rather than directly saving lives or livelihood. It is crucial for children to have a proper and stimulating learning environment where they can feel safe and have the possibility to develop into educated and creative individuals.

Activities implemented through this project include:

• Providing insulation of existing containers
• Adding yet another container
• Completely replacing inadequate existing container
• Providing four additional classrooms
• Repairing of ceiling
• Providing an additional sanitation unit
• Improving the school yard
• Improving the fencing and the school gate
• Improving the flooring in the containers
• Implementing maintenance work for the existing water fountains

Before	After

The children, teachers as well as parents are happy with the new facilities which have improved the overall aesthetics and outdoor environment, materializing a more conducive learning environment for these children. The principal and the teachers of the school are committed to work for that the level of drop-outs will decrease and promote the benefits of completing secondary school.
Increasing the number of classrooms has provided the students with additional classroom space so as to avoid cramping students of the same age group in one classroom. There is also an expected increase of attending students at the start of the new school year in September, with children joining from outside of the community as well as around 10 new children for first grade. Furthermore, through adding more sanitation units, the school does now not exceed the maximum number of 25 children per sanitation unit as stated by the MoE.
This rehabilitation and extension was a first in what the principal outlined as a long term plan to eventually facilitate the possibility for the children to be able to do the Tawjihe at the school. This would have a huge impact in increasing the steadfastness of the community. Moreover, this intervention is expected to increase the educational level of the girls in the community as these tend to study fewer years than boys. The principal anticipates that this will influence the behavior of the girls as to stay in longer in school.
Overall, the principal, the teachers as well as the project staff at MA’AN are very happy with the outcome of the intervention. The objective of the project is well achieved and has lead to further improvement of the school, which will work in favor for an enhanced educational experience for the children of Al Rawa’iin community.

 

Australian Delegation Visits MA’AN

Given MA’ANs strong relationship and working partnership of 22 years with the Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (APHEDA) and the Australian government (AusAid), many Australians are aware of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). They are very supportive of Palestinians, their identity, and their resilience in the face of the Israeli occupation.

Following two successful study tours to APHEDA’s Middle East program in 2010, a growing interest in the issues of the region pushed the organization to plan yet another Middle East Study Tour for 2011. This tour was organized to visit Lebanon, Jordan, and the oPt (West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem). Australian trade union officials, staff and members had the opportunity to move beyond the regular tourist trail, where they were provided with a unique opportunity for to see, hear, inquire and learn about the myriad contemporary, and historical, issues of the Middle East.
The tour had two aims:  

On March 31st, 2011, an Australian delegation of 13 individuals came together from different labor unions in Australia to visit MA’ANs offices in Ramallah. MA’ANs Director General, Sami Khader, discussed the social, economic, and political situation in both the West Bank and Gaza explaining the various internal and external challenges that face Palestinian NGOs, thus impacting the way these organizations operate.

Sandra Rasheed, MA’ANs Program Manager, gave a comprehensive presentation discussing MA’ANs work in the past 22 years, focusing on the different projects that are currently being implementing. She thoroughly discussed the AMENCA project, now in its second phase of implementation, titled “Rural Livelihoods and Food Security through Capacity Development.” This project is funded by AusAid and carried out in partnership with APHEDA.
Ms. Rasheed made clear the projects attempt to reduce the level of vulnerability through enhancing food security and building local capacities, particularly for women. She further discussed its focus on 10 villages from the northern West Bank area (Tulkarem), as well as the southern Gaza Strip (Khan Younis) where there are high levels of food insecurity and poverty. The project is proposed to last five years, April 2009-March 2014, with a total budget of approximately AUD$6 million. Its two main objectives are:

A scheduled visit to MA’ANs Gaza branch office will look further into the actual on ground implementation of this project, visiting women and farmers targeted in the Rural Livelihood project. This delegation will also visit other key areas in West Bank to gain further knowledge on the situation in Palestine.
In all, those who return from this tour will acquire a better understanding of the many obstacles that face the Palestinians, especially those caused by living in a state of ongoing conflict. A participant in a previous tour, Sally McManus- secretary in the Australian Services Union NSW/ACT branch- stated:   

MA’AN Honored as an Active NGO in Enhancing Food Security and Developing the Agricultural Sector

On March 30th, 1976, six Palestinian citizens were killed, one hundred wounded, and hundreds of others were arrested by Israeli forces while protesting against the illegal confiscation of their land. Israel has expropriated thousands of dunums for "security and settlement purposes” in the land occupied during the 1948 war, and this was nothing new to their regime. Land symbolizes more than just property to Palestinians; it represents their identity and existence. Till this day, Palestinians commemorate this day, “Land day”; a day that marks both tragedy and hope of return.
This year, under the auspice of the Palestinian Prime Minister, Dr. Salam Fayyad, the Ministry of Agriculture held a festival announcing the operational structure of the agricultural sector and the establishment of 10 agricultural and national councils for food security. Furthermore, diligent NGO organizations were recognized for their role in the food security and agricultural sector, and therefore awarded with a certificate honoring their hard work and efforts over the years which have contributed to the protection of Palestinian land. Their work with grassroots to achieve sustainability and support the resistance against the occupations confiscation of land used for Israeli settlements was also acknowledged.
These organizations included: MA’AN Development Center, the Farmers Union, Union of Palestinian Farmers Association, Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC), Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC), as well as the Land Research Center. The Chairman of MA’ANs Board of Directors, Dr. Raji Musleh, accepted this certificate on behalf of the organization as a whole. Currently, MA'AN is working on 45 projects running in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 50% of which are in the agriculture and food security program. 
These projects incorporate MA'AN’s mission of working within the poorest and most marginalized areas focusing on agricultural sustainability, food security, and community development. Activities implemented include land rehabilitation and reclamation, water harvesting, and working with the fishery sector. MA’AN also works on establishing home gardens, maintaining green houses, and constructing agricultural roads. In addition to this, MA’AN supports Palestinian farmers through best practice training as well as conducting environmental awareness workshops to confirm the importance of protecting our environment.

Active Citizens encouraged around the world and in Palestine

The British Council is currently implementing a global program called Active Citizens in 20 countries around the Middle East, central Asia and Europe. The vision of the program is for people to recognize their potential and exercise their responsibility to engage with others together in the positive sustainable development of their communities at local and international level. The program is developed in the frame of intercultural dialogue and global citizenship with a guiding principle globally connected, locally engaged.
The fundament of the program is the people - their competencies and their will and striving for an improved community, to strengthen the assets available. To have individuals realize that they themselves are the biggest assets of all and that much can be achieved with a positive focus and work with the assets of ones own community.
With this focus, the program aims to contribute to positive social change within communities and to global sustainable development. To accomplish this, individuals are trained to establish an enduring global network of leaders who as influencers in their communities’ dialogue, learn and act together to address global and local issues.

The training targets individuals who already play a role in their local communities, through civic engagement or through volunteering and build on their own skills and models to mobilize the citizens and create community cohesion. The interactive training encourages group work knowledge sharing and focus on global citizenship. Moreover, how individuals can work effectively with difference to achieve better understanding of the local community and global interdependency. The sessions are positive and focusing on constructive results using the assets of the community rather than focusing at the problems – ‘solutionfinding’ rather than ‘problemsolving’. It is further an excellent possibility for active individuals to network and come together in developing solutions for shared difficulties. These trainings will produce what is called Master Trainers who then will conduct workshops in their respective countries and thus transfer the knowledge acquired.
In the occupied Palestinian territory, four persons have been trained as master trainers and facilitators. These four persons are from MA’AN and have conducted workshops in Hebron as well as in the Jordan Valley. The number of participants in Hebron is 90 and 60 in the Jordan Valley whereof 15 respectively 10 individuals are developed into Community Motivators who then have the opportunity to develop professionally and to be more involved in implementing project and support positive development.
The Active Citizen program started in June and its initial training phase has just been completed which will be followed by project implementation. In the workshops that have been carried out, the participants was, besides the topics mentioned above, also trained in project planning and has been encouraged to hand in project proposals. The accepted projects will be delivered by the participants based on what they learned and where they feel they can make a positive impact in their own community and communities they interact with.
In order to ease the knowledge sharing and success stories as well as difficulties, the Active Citizen program has an online social forum for its participants. This strong IT component will facilitate the participants to easier put themselves in a global context and feel more encouraged to produce success stories from their own communities based on the values of being an active citizen – to be able to take usage of the assets and components already available in their community and build for a sustainable development.

Active Citizens graduate with honors

On Thursday March 17, 131 Palestinians graduated trough the Active Citizen Program funded by The British Council and implemented in Palestine through MA’AN Development Center. The program promotes an intercultural dialogue and a global citizenship for persons around the world and encourages people to work with the biggest asset available – themselves.
 

The graduation of the 131 participants who have been trained in Hebron and the West Bank through the Active Citizen program took place in Ras Al Auja community in the Jordan Valley and concluded the first phase of the implementation of the program. The graduation took place under the auspices of Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, and was attended by many community members including the Director General of MA’AN Development Center, Sami Khader, the British Council Directors, the Governor of Jericho, the Jordan Valley Solidarity Campaign, and the Minister of Agriculture.

The Director of the British Council, Mrs. Sandra Hamrouni, gave a brief overview of the Active Citizen program and confirmed the importance and success of the program in the Jordan Valley and Hebron area. She proposed the possibility of the programs future expansion to several areas in the West Bank including Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin, and Qalqilya. Mr. Sami Khader took the opportunity to raise the problems in the Jordan Valley with emphasis on the situation of schools, lack of access to water, settlements etc.
Finally, Mr. Salam Fayyad expressed his gratitude and happiness towards this excellent initiative in developing the youth’s capacities who will contribute to the development of our society. He emphasized the impact that the occupation has left on the lives of the Jordan Valley residents who are located in Area C. He further assured that there will be political investment in the Jordan Valley focusing on developmental projects as well as including them in the government’s development plan. As active citizens, the graduates are more aware of their rights, and will be able to encourage other youth in their community to work together to create positive social change.

MA’AN Signs Partnership with Heinrich Boll Stiftung

Sami Khader, Director of MA’AN Development Center, signed a new contract with Heirnrich Boll Stiftung Palestine on (Jan 20, 2011). MA’AN will implement a 3 year project entitled "Keeping Green: Raising Awareness on the Palestinian Environment," jointly with the Heinrich Boll Stiftung.
Currently, there is a lack easily accessible information available to the researchers and the public regarding environmental and agricultural issues and a lack of practical and accessible reference guides in Arabic. This project’s overall goal is to contribute to the protection of the Palestinian environment and to continue raising the awareness of the Palestinian public regarding environmental and development matters.

This will be achieved through the implementation of the following activities:

The project aims to provide researchers, students and those working in the field of development with new knowledge regarding environmental and agricultural issues. This will enable them to influence policy and law makers regarding the regulation of practices which impact the environment. Specifically, the project is committed to informing the general public by providing them with new knowledge, which in turn will benefit and sustain their communities while allowing them to take a larger role in the development process. This in turn will encourage and nurture a sense of ownership of the environment. The project will also have an immense impact in terms of environmental sustainability. The new found awareness the community will gain will contribute to an ongoing process of shared learning and pride in the contribution to the maintenance of keeping their communities environmentally safe.

Expected Results:

1. Awareness and capacity among stakeholders at all levels is enhanced to support national and local environmental policies.
2. Public and decision makers are more informed on issues that pertain to the environment.
3. Marginalized sector participation in the environmental process especially of women and young people is enhanced.
4. Dialogue is created to inform the Palestinian Authority so as to create environmental protection policies to safeguard the environment and protect it from exploitative protection.

This is not the first contract MA’AN signs with HBS and certainly not the only environmental project they have worked on jointly. This relationship has been strong for over than a decade and MA’AN is excited to be working with HBS once again.