Hi everyone, I’m really excited to share with you the news that I went to Palestine in November 2019 with the award winning charity Penny Appeal.

5 PROJECTS:

1 - Supporting The Resilience Of Farmers

2 - Educational Sponsorship For The Visually Impaired (Blind children)

3 - Rooftop Greenhouses For Refugee Women

4 - Development & Expansion Of The Medical Imaging, Radiology X-Ray & The Neonatal Unit At Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital

5- Orphan Girls Education At Dar Al- Tifel Al-Arabi School In Jerusalem

Project Details:

1 - Supporting The Resilience Of Farmers

Olive trees are symbolic of Palestinians’ identity and attachment to their land, resistance and resilience. The olive tree means a lot to

Palestinians; it’s as fundamental to their lives as the soil of their land, and as beloved as a brother.

Olives are also the main financial source of income for around 80,000 Palestinian families. According to UN figures, around 48% of the agricultural land in the West Bank and Gaza is planted with olive trees. Olive trees account for 70% of fruit production in Palestine and contribute around 14% to the Palestinian economy.

Palestinian farmers face several challenges in tending to their olive trees before the olives are harvested. If the land where the olives are planted lies in Area C - which is 60% of the West Bank - the farmers need permits from Israeli authorities to simply access their land. The same regulation applies to those farmers whose lands are in the “seam zone”, which is the area between the Green Line and the Separation Wall.

Over the last forty years, over a million olive trees and hundreds of
thousands of fruit trees have been destroyed. Most of these trees had
previously survived hundreds of years; that’s centuries of Palestinian
history and livelihoods uprooted, burnt and demolished.

The uprooting of centuries-old olive trees has caused tremendous losses to farmers and their families. More than 80,000 vulnerable families of small scale farmers depend on the olive sector. Olive farmers and olive oil production is the main source of living for poor families, women-led families and small farmers. But many of these already vulnerable families have now lost many of their olive farm trees, leaving them unable to support themselves and put food on the table for their children.

Palestinians have been living under severe restrictions, blockades and
conflict for generations. Treated as prisoners on their own land, the
people of Palestine endure many hardships.

2 - Educational Sponsorship For The Visually Impaired

Access to education in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) remains a struggle for many poor Palestinian families. Children with disabilities face further difficulties in accessing education.

Additionally, the cost of education for children who are blind or visually impaired is very high compared to other regular educational systems, which unfortunately prevents them obtaining good educational opportunities.

The direct beneficiaries of this initiative now continue to have access to good-quality education, thus enhancing their future prospects and allowing them to be part of a community without being isolated due to their disabilities.

Indirect beneficiaries include the children’s families and surrounding community members who benefit from their school attendance and the improvement to their future prospects. This allows some parents the freedom to work and rest as well as the staff members’ families benefiting from an increased income.

3 - Rooftop Greenhouses For Refugee Women

Urban rooftop gardening has provided a unique solution to the food crisis in Palestine.

The rooftop garden project will work in a holistic way to improve food
security as well as boost the household income of Palestinian women
refugees by establishing a network of rooftop greenhouses. This groundbreaking initiative will allow Palestinian women to grow fresh vegetables and herbs away from the threat of sabotage or damage, improving the health of their families and reducing the stress of their limited budgets.

Situated within the Deheishe Palestinian Refugee Camp, the rooftop
garden will consist of seven tubes that optimise the use of soil and water to produce a wide range of vegetables and herbs. In addition to this, a water tank with a water-drip system will supply water to the gardens.

Aside from the garden itself, which will form the main part of the project,
the package will deliver so many additional benefits, including:

• Full and comprehensive training on social and agricultural topics
• Supervision and mentoring
  
• Workshops focusing on individual empowerment
  
• Workshops on business management
  
• Seeds and equipment needed for setting up the greenhouse
  
• The greenhouse heating structure
  

4 - Development & Expansion Of The Medical Imaging, Radiology X-Ray & The Neonatal Unit At Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital

The Medical Imaging-Radiology Department at Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital is one of the most developed units in Palestine.

It has a highly qualified medical team and has the most advanced equipment for imaging, including MRI, CT Scan and several Digital Ultra Sound machines, including fetal Ultrasound equipment. The department administers Residency training and specialisation programs for doctors. This program is recognised by the Palestinian Medical board who certify graduating doctors.

The medical treatment of patients nowadays requires a complete verification and accurate diagnostic approach and the number of patients who need such services has been increasing. In 2016, 35,670 regular radiology cases, 3,500 CT, and 2,400 MRI cases ,and 2,100 cases other imaging cases. In 2017, the number has increased by over 25%. This increase of patients requires renovation of the existing facilities and expansion of the unit in order to be able to accommodate the needs of the department.

With regard to the Neonatal unit, it is the only centre in Palestine. It accommodates premature, and newborns from all geographical areas. Monthly it accommodates 35 neonates and pre matured babies. 15- 20 cases need intensive care around the clock. The Unit has recently acquired the most advanced modern equipment available. With the fertility treatment on the rise and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) techniques, there is a dire need to renovate and expand the department.

We hope to expand this by having 10 more neonatal beds (incubators). Makassed Islamic Charitable Hospital is seeking a grant for renovation of the existing space, and expanding both the Imaging and Neonatal departments.

The proposed grant also hopes to fund civil, electrical and mechanical work within the hospital. As well as furnishing the wards, acquiring medical equipment such as monitors, incubators and ventilators. This will help increase the number of patients being treated by 25% in the Imaging and Radiology departments.

5 - Orphan Girls Education At Dar Al- Tifel Al-Arabi School In Jerusalem

Dar Al-Tifel Al-Arabi School was founded in the year 1948 by the late Ms. Hind Al-Husseini.

The school started with 55 children of different ages and academic levels. Over time it has expanded, developed and become diverse. The sections were merged into one big building. It’s now one of the most outstanding and famous schools in the city of Jerusalem.

It has a social service section that provides psychological care and support for it’s students. Moreover, it increases their awareness about educational and mental health topics through scheduled lectures.

The physical health of the students is very important, that is why there is also a medical clinic run by the Palestinian Health Committee.

In addition, the students are always busy in activities supervised by the school itself such as religious and school celebrations, morning school broadcasting, open days, cultural exchange programs, summer camps and art exhibitions.

Thank you & May God bless us all..