Refugee Week fundraiser continues to support education projects in Hebron

Posted on August 31, 2014 by hebronleichhardt

The world has witnessed over the last seven weeks the unbearable horrors of the bombardment and whole scale destruction of the Gaza Strip. UNOCHA confirms the deaths of 2,104 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, of whom 495 are children and 253 are women. These people are not a list of numbers, or statistics or faceless individuals. Please see this link that lists the names, ages of the children that have been senselessly and so ruthlessly killed in the bombardment of Gaza, and may we keep remembering forever the sound of their joy and mischief, captured so beautifully in this poem:

“Oh rascal children of Gaza. You who constantly disturbed me with your screams under my window. You who filled every morning with rush and chaos. You who broke my vase and stole the lonely flower on my balcony. Come back, and scream as you want and break all the vases. Steal all the flowers. Come back..Just come back..”

— Khaled Juma, a Palestinian poet from Gaza

The sheer scale of the devastation is overwhelming, and over 350,000 children in Gaza require specialised psycho-social support to deal with the high levels of trauma they are experiencing. An estimated 230 schools have been damaged and around 500,000 children will be unable to start the school year.

In all this devastation, we are constantly reminded of the strength and sumud (steadfastness) of the Palestinian people. Through this time, our partner Hamed from the Hebron International Resource Network has been working tirelessly to bring countless projects come to fruition, including the ongoing support for the Tel Rumeida kindergarten and the Dkaika education project.

As a result of the Festival Fundraiser, Leichhardt Friends of Hebron have been able to provide some assistance to Hamed’s projects. Hamed writes:

“ We, the people of Hebron, do sincerely thank you for all of your efforts supporting the educational activities in Hebron City and Governorate in general. We are looking forward for continued cooperation in the short and long terms. The raised funds for this year will be used to pay the salaries of two teachers at the Shuhada Street Kindergarten, a janitor, as well as the salary of a driver from the marginalized community of Dkaika who is tasked with providing transportation to at least 8 students (mostly girls) to their school located 8 kilometers away. Your contribution is ESSENTIAL in making these small little dreams come true “

With help from local group Youth Against Settlements playground equipment was brought into the Tel Rumeida kindergarten in the middle of the night and assembled – a necessary strategy to ensure that the volunteers were not harassed and stopped by settlers. The photos below show the dedication of the people in Hebron to bring education to some of the most vulnerable children in the area, as well as some much needed equipment to play with.

Leichhardt Friends of Hebron thank all our supporters who assist us in these vital projects. These projects are two of many that HIRN is involved with, and through your generosity we can continue to ensure we are supporting young children and their right to education.

Festival of Friendship Refugee Week Event 2014

Posted on May 25, 2014 by hebronleichhardt

Refugee Week Festival Sat 21 June 2014

Only one week to go!
The Refugee Week Festival starts
12 noon in Leichhardt Town Hall, next Saturday, 21st June.
More about the Festival…

The 2014 Refugee Week Festival will support a school transport programme to help teenage girls in the remote community of Dkaika finish high school. Currently the students have to walk for almost an hour, must walk 7km along a rough 4WD mountain track to the nearest high school

The situation in Dkaika
The students have to walk for almost an hour to reach the nearest junior high school and even further to a school where they complete year 12.This has lead to high dropout rates, especially for girls.

Chidren study in front of their classroom – demolished by the Israeli occupation forces.

The solution identified by the community is a school transport plan and with your support, we can help them achieve this.

You can help support the students of Dkaika by coming to our Refugee Week Festival, which will be held on Saturday, 21^st June, in Leichhardt Town Hall. The money raised will pay the wages of a driver and we hope, the running costs of the vehicle, to take students to high school and university.

To read a full report about the village and our proposed project to support education access to the community click here.
For Festival details, email hebronleichhardt@gmail.com.
Donations are welcome and can be made here.

Leichhardt Friends of Hebron have been successful in supporting the establishment of three kindergarten facilities in Hebron and the South Hebron Hills. Through our partnership with the Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN) we are working with some of the most impoverished, vulnerable and threatened communities in the area.

Dkaika is one of these, an isolated and vulnerable community in the far south of Palestine, only metres from the boundary with Israel. Sadly, the community faces a targeted campaign of isolation and destruction from the Israeli Army.

The Israeli authorities are threatening to demolish 35 homes and buildings, including at least one classroom. At least 4 homes and one classroom have already been demolished.

They also prevent the community from accessing the most basic services, including electricity and running water although these are provided to Israeli residents of nearby illegal settlements. Despite the hardship this causes, people feel able to remain on their traditional lands as long as their children have access to education, which is highly valued in Palestine people.

Since 2009, Leichhardt Friends of Hebron have been successful in supporting the establishment of three kindergarten facilities in Hebron and the South Hebron Hills. Through our partnership with the Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN) we are working with some of the most impoverished, vulnerable and threatened communities in the area.

Trivia with a Cause 2014

Posted on January 2, 2014 by hebronleichhardt

Exciting news! We have two fantastic people to act as our Trivia Hosts: social justice advocate and media personality Jane Caro and spoken word artist Candy Royalle will be our Trivia Hosts at this fundraiser for pre-school education in Hebron, Palestine.

Looking forward to seeing you all there – it promises to be a great night out. and All funds raised go to support our preschool projects in the Hebron district. Our famous Aeronautical Origami just adds to the fun. We’re planning to finish the evening with dabke dancing for young and old.

TIME & DATE:  6 for 6.30 pm Friday 31 Jan 2014
VENUE: Gumbramorra Hall, Addison Road Community Centre
142 Addison Rd, Marrickville, NSW 2204
BOOK NOW: click here to buy tickets
CONTACT US:  hebronleichhardt@gmail.com 0422 520 935
Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/events/579205122161364

Ceramics from Hebron

Posted on December 7, 2013 by hebronleichhardt

Wonderful news – our 5 crates of ceramics have arrived. And just in time for Christmas!

Come and choose some of these handcrafted treasures from our stall at Addison Road Markets, Sunday 15th December between 9am and 12 noon. We will be in front of the old Sidetrack Theatre building near the entrance to the markets.

More information here or check us out on Facebook: just click here

SOUTH HEBRON HILLS: Israeli military detains driver, confiscates vehicle donated for transport of schoolchildren in South Hebron Hills

Posted on November 20, 2013 by hebronleichhardt

Children being denied an education due to the restrictions on movement imposed on Palestinians in the South Hebron Hills. Due to the restrictions of movement around settlements and firing zones, Palestinians are required to make large detours to get to their destination, or are denied permits to drive vehicles. The UNOCHA report on West Bank movement and access (Special Focus) details the impacts on both urban and rural communities of these restrictions.

This story from the Christian Peacemaker Teams based in the South Hebron Hills describes the impacts on education these punitive measures are having:

On 18 November 2013 at 11:00, Mufid Abu Qbeita—the driver for the students who live in the South Hebron Hills area that the Israeli military has designated as “Firing Zone 918”—was driving children back to their homes from Al Fakheit school. Israeli Security Forces and representatives of the Israeli Civil Administration stopped him near Al-Sfai, one of the villages in the Firing Zone, while he had a child in the car.

Soldiers took his ID and detained him for thirty minutes; afterwards, they told him to follow them to Gush Etzion Police Station. Two soldiers accompanied Abu Qbeita in the car. He had to leave the child in Al-Sfai.

Abu Qbeita informed the soldiers that the jeep belonged to the Palestinian Ministry of Education and was donated by Japan, but they still forced him to drive to the settlement of Gush Etzion. After several hours, they released him, but the jeep remains at the police station. When Abu Qbeita asked why the soldiers had confiscated the jeep, they answered, “Because you were driving in the firing zone of the South Hebron Hills which is not allowed.”

CPT, EAPPI and Operation Dove take turns accompanying Abu Qbeita and the SUV from the city of Yatta into the Firing Zone during the week, in order to prevent incidents like the above occurring, but until recently, once in the zone, he had not faced problems. On 27 October, eight Israeli soldiers detained him, verbally abused him, and then beat him on his abdomen, face, and back. Afterwards, they forced him drive over spikes used to stop vehicles at army checkpoints to puncture the SUV’s tires.

Restrictions on movement mean Al-Hathaleen villagers increasingly unable to access health care

Posted on November 17, 2013 by hebronleichhardt

As the villages in the Mount South Hebron Hills continue to suffer under the restrictions enforced upon them due to their status as a village in Area C, the ongoing construction of illegal settlements near the villages acutely threatens their safety and survival. The article contains a video with heartfelt pleas from the villagers for authorities and policy makers to take action and allow them their rights. These villagers are refugees from 1948 and originally hailed from a village nearthe town of Beersheba. They were driven off their land during the Nakba. Our first kindergarten is named after this village: the Al-Hathaleen kindergarten.

HEBRON (Ma’an) — Palestinian Bedouins historically moved freely across the land, and their lifestyle and survival depended on their mobility. The Israeli occupation, however, has changed all of this. Continue reading here

Despite settler aggression, children are steadfast in their pursuit of education

Posted on November 10, 2013 by hebronleichhardt

As the kindergarten in Tel Rumeida comes to completion, children are reminded of the constant hostilities against them by the neighbouring settlers. They are greeted every day by the graffiti “Death to Arabs” that has been sprayed at the entrance to the school.

Israeli settlers vandalized a Palestinian kindergarten in Hebron, spray-painting “Death to Arabs” on its wall, it was discovered this week. This is the only kindergarten in the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron to which Palestinian parents can send their three- to five- year-old children without them having to pass through an Israeli checkpoint. This is what the children saw when they arrived: Read the full article here

Soldiers’ refusal to abide by open-fire regulations result in serious injury to children

Posted on October 4, 2013 by hebronleichhardt

The ongoing use of force against children continues in occupied Palestine, with children continually falling victim to serious injury. A young boy, South of Hebron, loses an eye when he is hit by a rubber-coated steel bullet in the face:

(MaanImages)

HEBRON (Ma’an) — Israeli forces shot 6-year-old Musab al-Sarahneh in the eye in al-Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron early last week, his family reported.

The boy lost his right eye after Israeli forces opened fire on the car he was traveling in with rubber-coated steel bullets, according to the family’s account.

At the time, last Friday, Musab was sitting in a car holding his mother’s hand as they made their way home, his family says. Read more here.

Defence for Children International – Palestine interviewed a number of children that have been injured through the lax enforcement of open-fire regulations by the Israeli military. As serious injuries continue to be inflicted on children, there is little recourse to seek justice when soldiers disobey their regulations. In fact, of all complaints filed against the army, only 5% have led to indictments. The following article goes into more depth about the rules of engagement, and tells the story of Atta, who was shot directly, while retrieving his school bag, and the tragedy that unfolded:

The bullet struck Atta Sabah, 12, in the stomach and exited through his back, severing his spinal cord and causing paralysis from the waist down.

With high numbers of demonstrations occurring throughout the West Bank during the first six months of 2013, lax enforcement of the Israeli army’s open-fire regulations has led to increased violence against Palestinian civilians and has perpetuated impunity.

The regulations allow soldiers to use live ammunition “only under circumstances of real mortal danger,” according to a recent report by B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights group.

Israeli forces are prohibited from firing rubber-coated metal bullets at women and children. Where firing rubber-coated metal bullets is allowed, police and military procedures state that they must only be fired from a distance of 50-60 meters (165 – 195 feet) and at the legs of people.The regulations prohibit directly targeting demonstrators with tear-gas canisters. Read the full story here

Tel Rumeida renovations continue

Posted on September 16, 2013 by hebronleichhardt

The ceaseless work of volunteers has continued in Hebron, and the new kindergarten is taking shape. The donated building has been undergoing some serious renovations and the derelict building has two clean and rehabilitated rooms, and the outside of the building is bursting with colour.

To see the progress of the building to date, click here

Tell U.S. Secretary of State: Heed Israeli Jurists’ and Writers’ Petitions Against Forced Evacuation of Firing Zone 918

Posted on August 27, 2013 by hebronleichhardt

Map of “Firing Zone 918,” courtesy of B’Tselem

More than 1,000 Palestinian herders — including 452 children — need your support to stop the Israeli military from forcing them permanently out of their homes in the southern West Bank. Israeli military helicopters and troops frequently raid villages, harass and arrest herders and their children at night, and block their roads. The Israeli military intends to demolish homes, cisterns, outdoor toilets, solar panels, wind turbines and the only two schools in the area, denying children their right to education. Israel’s High Court of Justice is set to hear and decide upon this case on September 2, 2013. Israeli writers and law professors have demanded justice by launching to two petitions below. They request your support. Tell U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to listen to these Israelis and press Israel to let the villagers live in peace. Read more and sign the petition here.