The purpose behind this issue of the
Newsletter is twofold:
1) practically beg you for donations in support of Tent of
Nations;
2) update you on what’s been happening since the end of May.
FUNDRAISING: We had a marvelous initial
outpouring of generosity from those of you who had the opportunity
to hear and meet Daoud as he made his presentations around the
country. People who have taken the initiative to visit the land
through IFPB tours and see the situation firsthand have been very
responsive. However, as you know from the ongoing onslaught of
solicitations from any worthy cause you have ever given even $10
to, it is difficult to choose which ones to support on an ongoing
basis. We only ask that you keep this in mind: Every
dime you donate goes to support Tent of Nations. Any administrative costs, and
there were some, of course, were for startup of FOTONNA and other
ongoing expenses (website, non-profit application, brochure/flier/article
copies, postage, air fare, etc.). The Steering Committee, of course,
is all-volunteer; no one is paid for his or her work, and we have
made most of our personal expenses as in-kind donations. So far
we have raised almost $50,000. Our goal for the first year has
been closer to $100,000. As you can see, we have come up a bit
short.
Our hope, and expectation, is that those of you with personal
ties to the Nassar family and who know their story firsthand
will dig
a little deeper, find that $10 or $25 or $5,000 in your back pocket,
and will send off your check as soon as possible. It will enable
you to continue your commitment to change in the area – have
a real impact on the lives of people you know – keep you in
touch with friends whose lives you have touched, and whose lives
have touched you. We also hope that you can go to your church or
mosque or synagogue and ask for some support from one of your outreach
committees. If ten groups could give $1,000 each, that’s
$10,000 more towards working for peace with justice in
the Middle East. If
you are a believer in small miracles, then you know that the work
done at Tent of Nations has a ripple effect far beyond the boundaries
of that 100-acre farm. Sometimes miracles, however, need a boost
from the realists in this world. Please be a part of that boost;
we promise that every dime will be well spent!
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU HELP TENT OF NATIONS?
If you have visited the farm, you have a compelling story to tell,
and we are here to help you tell that story. We will send you a
Fundraiser Kit that includes: DVD that tells the
Nassar story from on-site at
the farm; brochures explaining what FOTONNA is all about; maps;
Newsletter copies; donation forms; relevant articles; sign-in/sign-up
sheets;
business cards; and, anything else you can think of that would
help you with a formal presentation on behalf of FOTONNA and Tent
of Nations.
We have depended heavily on Daoud’s and Jihan’s visits
to tell their story; however, we need YOU to help
take on some of this responsibility and lighten their load a bit.
To learn more
about
us, please go to: www.fotonna.org.
Please
consider becoming a Fundraiser
for FOTONNA, enabling us to
support the Nassar family through its struggle to continue the
work of Tent of Nations.
Please contact Kay Plitt at kay@fotonna.org with questions or to
request a Fundraiser Kit.
If you are already a Member and can support FOTONNA with
an additional donation, or if you want to become a New Member,
simply use the
Donation Form found at the end of the Newsletter. It is very easy
to become
a part of a growing movement that will provide so much personal
satisfaction as you watch the seeds of peace grow – and grow – and
grow.
UPDATE: To keep you updated on events since May,
we need to start with Daoud and Jihan Nassar’s whirlwind June ’08
tour. This was Jihan’s first trip abroad without the three Nassar
children, and it was an emotionally difficult thing for her to leave
them behind. Daoud’s mother kept watch over the young ones
in Bethlehem, and there was daily communication going on, but it
was a real sacrifice on Jihan’s part to accompany Daoud on
this trip. And, that is why Jihan’s presence made
this tour a special event. Even in light of the sacrifice,
she never missed a beat. She presented her own story to people
in DC, Virginia, Maryland
and Ohio; she moved people through both laughter and tears. Her
work with the women of Nahalin came to life through her own words
and
emotions, and you could tell how dedicated she is to helping these
women improve their lives through learning computer skills and
English, having discussions on women’s health issues, creating
works of art through their needlework, and just being there to
listen
to their concerns and worries. As she told her stories, it was
clear
that she needs support for these projects, especially as she would
love to expand the scope of the programs to include the women from
the other four Muslim villages in the vicinity of the family farm.
She needs volunteers, materials, a market for the truly beautiful
products they create, computers, etc. They need a larger building
to house the programs, and would love to be able to purchase rather
than rent, as they now do. As you know, it costs about $200 per
woman for a three-month course.
They had so many women interested in attending,
they were able to double the number of classes offered. Jihan wants
to help these women produce quilts and introduce weaving techniques
as well. She picked up new ideas everywhere she went; her creative
mind never stopped working overtime! We want each of you reading
this to seriously consider giving as much support as possible to
this dynamic woman who never stops working and plays so many roles.
Dig deep – see what you can do! Can your church sponsor an
alternative gifts project for Christmas? Can you spend a month or
two on the land teaching English or computer skills or weaving or
quilting skills? Can you help teach them how to produce wind chimes,
clay pottery? What gifts do you have to share with these wonderful
people? Jihan may be ‘superwoman,’ but even she can’t
do it all alone! Let us know what you can do to help by writing
to: kay@fotonna.org.
(If you become a Fundraiser for FOTONNA, we
can get examples of the women’s handicrafts to sell, and you
can take additional orders for the beautiful bags and wall hangings
they create.)
As always, Daoud presented his family’s story with a determination
to have people hear the truth about what’s happening on the
ground. Most of you reading this have heard this story, but you
may not know how difficult it was for them to get here. Here are
some
of the facts: It took them over three days to get from Bethlehem
to Amman and on a plane to New York; they had to go through three
checkpoints and were never certain if they could continue through
or would be turned back; uncertainty gnawed at them every step
of the way; they had to spend an extra night in NYC because their
first
flight was cancelled and they got in 12 hours later than planned;
and, of course, most of this was repeated on their way home.
In addition to this difficult trek, they carried the weight of
an extra concern with them. A week or so before they made their
trip,
armed settlers arrived at their front gate and threatened to bulldoze
the Tent of Nations tent,
the shaded pen set up for the livestock, and other small structures
used for their work. The message was:
If we want to, we will come in, bulldoze it all down, and hand
you the bill for the work. The Nassars, of course, dealt with this
issue
with poise and nonviolent means. It doesn’t mean it was easy,
however. How much longer must they tolerate this situation?
While in Ohio, DC, Maryland and Virginia, Jihan and Daoud were
sponsored by a number of people, and it is essential to acknowledge
those supporters.
Special thanks go to Mike and Judy White, of Ashland, Ohio, for
coordinating the Ohio portion of the trip. They were helped by
Samir and Marlene
Mourad, Jeff Abood, Liz Lavelle, Sr. Marilyn Nichols, Pastor Mark
Oster, Linda Gotthardt, Alan Federman, Doug and Mary Ann Kerr,
Dr. Kevan Franklin, John Stratton, Pat O’Bryan and Jane Dinda.
John and Ann Loikow sponsored an evening at their home in Washington,
Pastor Chris Looker and Suzie Ennis organized an event at Annandale
First Presbyterian Church, and Steve France and Jim and Carlotta
Anderson set up the Glen Echo Town Hall for a presentation. People
were generous with their donations, and each and every effort was
appreciated by the Nassars.
The goal of educating more and more people about the situation
at Daher’s Vineyard was met quite impressively. Daoud and
Jihan spoke with representatives from the offices of several Congressmen,
including Representatives Jim Moran, Dennis Kucinich and Chris
Van
Hollen and Senator Jim Webb. Representative Jim Moran signed and
forwarded a letter that we drafted to Condi Rice asking that the
situation be looked into. Letters from every one of you could help
educate your senators and representatives about the situation and
maybe open up a few minds and souls to the realities on the ground.
Every little bit helps!
And, here is an update on where we are right now:
- Cistern – FOTONNA’s one-time-only
drive to help the Nassars purchase a good used backhoe to meet this
urgent need has met with
some success. We have received $7,500 to match the dollar-for-dollar
offer, but Daoud hasn’t been able to find a backhoe
that he can purchase and get onto the land. There was some short-term
diversion
of money in order to purchase a very large portable water tank,
however, that they are using to purchase water from Nahalin and
transport
to their own cistern. Waterfall was very scant this past rainy
season for everyone, and this essential element is in great need
right now. (Please read the article at the end of the Newsletter
for more information on the severity of this issue.) The
search for a backhoe is still
in progress, and we thank everyone who helped support this request.
As always, though, more dollars for water purchases are needed,
so….
- Olive Trees – Daoud
said they were able to plant an additional 600 young olive trees through your donations and
the work of volunteers from
around the globe. Planting trees is a powerful sign that there is still hope
for peace and justice as Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals are brought
together with a common goal. Every $10 sponsors one tree.
- Volunteers – As
always, Tent of Nations has
been flooded with multi-national volunteers who have been teaching at the
women’s center, planting,
harvesting, clearing fields, watering trees, upgrading facilities, packaging
almonds for
sale from a bumper crop, building a soccer field and playing soccer, etc.
on the farm! In June, July and August, they were all busy with the…
- Summer
Youth Camps – The Children's Music and Arts Festival was a resounding success! Children from the neighboring villages, Bethlehem,
the
West Bank and ten other countries were there, and volunteers in the arts
from Europe and the US participated in this exciting event. Two of the projects
that came out of the activities include a booklet of pictures and stories
the children
wrote, and post cards using some of the pictures taken will be produced
for sale.
Here are a few pictures of some of the activities that took place
over the summer:
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June Sports Camp
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July Youth Camp - Making Kites
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August - Harvesting Organic
Almonds |
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For more details and pictures, please go to
www.tentofnations.org.
EUROPEAN and AMERICAN TOURS
- In addition to visits to the United States, Daoud went
on tour to Zurich, Amsterdam and the UK in August/September in
an attempt to set up Friends of… projects
in those places. The more support he has internationally, the
better off Daher’s
Vineyard is. We will update you in the next newsletter.
- Finally,
Daoud Nassar will be in the United States again for an October/November
Tour! FOTONNA will be sponsoring this
trip,
along with financial support from several other organizations;
this will be an educational/ fundraising tour. He will be making
the following presentations in the DC/VA/MD area: 1) October
16 at *Busboys and Poets, Shirlington, VA, at 8:00
PM (will have
some poetry readings as well as getting updates from Daoud);
and 2) October 19 at Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church, Bethesda,
MD, from Noon-1:00 PM. There will be presentations
in the San Francisco/South Bay area (TBA – see website
for details) October 28-31. The Tree of Life
Conference, to be held in Old
Lyme, CT, will host Daoud on November 2, and there will be other
smaller events in Centerville, MA on November 3, and
4. More specific dates and places will be announced on the website (www.fotonna.org). We hope that if you live in one of the areas where presentations
will be taking place that you will make every effort to attend!
*Reservations for this event must be made in advance; cost
is $15 per ticket to be paid at the door. Email Kay Plitt at kay@fotonna.org by
October 10 if you would like to attend. Seating is limited to the
first 60 people to respond. We are encouraging everyone
to come early to have dinner at BB&P as we will only be
serving dessert and drinks.
Click
here to download the donation form to mail.
MANY
THANKS FROM: FOTONNA STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS
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Daoud
Nassar – Director
of Operations
Bill Mims – Director of Projects and
Planning
Steve France – Director of Communications
|
Mark Braverman – Executive
Director
Bill Plitt – Director of Community Outreach
Kay Plitt – Director of Finance |
Ma'an News Agency
Severe Water Shortage in West Bank; Some Homes Without Water for
Weeks
Date: 09/07/2008
Bethlehem – Ma'an – A coalition of Palestinian and
international NGOs issued a statement on Friday calling the water
shortage across the West Bank a "humanitarian crisis" and
said they were "gravely concerned." The coalition said
that there was a reduction in water supplies from rainfall averaging
45% across the West Bank, which has left 200 communities not served
by the municipal water sources at a loss. There is not enough water
for cooking, cleaning, agricultural irrigation, or basic food-producing
plant watering. Even in cities and villages connected to water
mains, reduction in supply means frequent cut offs for homes and
offices. It is common in many areas to not have water for a week,
and others only receive water once in a fortnight.
Several aid organizations have been providing emergency water resources
so the basic needs to Palestinians can be met. The coalition, however,
said it doubted whether even with the emergency support, that all
basic needs would be met. The group said that unless Israel increases
the current water supply to the area, health and hygiene, crops
and fruit trees would suffer.
When wells dry up or water mains stay shut for long periods of
time, homes and businesses regularly turn to water tanker services
to fill the gaps in service. Most buildings have several water
canisters on their roofs, used to store water when lines are full.
The tanks are filled up by water tanker services, but cost 30-40%
more than the municipal service. For one tank of water (10 square
meters), residents pay around 250 shekels, which will provide water
for five homes, which lasts a family anywhere from 2-6 days. Even
when families can buy water, tankers often have to travel long
distances to wells or "filling points." Many of these
are obstructed by Israeli military checkpoints, or physical obstacles
like mounds of earth piled onto roads near the wells, or concrete
blocks placed by the Israeli army to prevent traffic on a given
route. As a result, tankers have to travel circuitous routes to
get to the wells, using more gas and time, and ultimately costing
the customer more. Many West Bankers spend between 3-5% of their
monthly income on water, and more when families depend on crops
and livestock for their livelihoods.
The coalition of organizations now providing emergency service,
say that approximately 10% of West Bank communities are surviving
on less than ten liters of water per person per day. This figure
is well below the World Health Organization estimate of what average
water usage should be for proper health and hygiene to be maintained,
which is 50-100 liters per person per day. According to the water
coalition, "lack of economic and physical access to safe water
is increasingly leading poor families to consume water from unprotected
sources, such as agricultural wells, posing serious concerns about
water quality and potential public health effects. The current
water shortage is also increasing the levels of food insecurity
among rural communities, herders in particular, raising the risk
of displacement."
The organizations in the coalition issued a call for the international
community to respond with funds and aid for immediate relief, and
the long term building of more wells and filling points for communities
off the municipal grids. The group also called on Israel to issue
permits for the construction of such wells, and immediately increase
the amount of water West Bankers have access too. Finally, they
called on the Israeli and Palestinian governments to come to an
equitable decision on the sharing of water resources so that catastrophe
and humanitarian crises can be avoided in the future.
The participating organizations are:
PARC - Agricultural Development Association, PREMIERE URGENCE,
G.V.C - Gruppo di Volontariato Civile, LifeSource, Palestinian
Hydrology Group, Centre on Housing Rights and Eviction, The Applied
Research Institute-Jerusalem, The Swedish Cooperative Centre, Palestine
Farmer Union. Oxfam International, and Asemblea de Cooperacion
Por la Paz.
PERSONAL THANK YOU FROM DAOUD:
Dear Friends,
We
are glad to see the work of the Tent of Nations growing and bearing
fruits. We want the Tent of Nations to be a light and a sign of
hope for the ones who are losing their hope for a better future. It
is wonderful to have Friends of Tent of Nations who are sharing
the same vision with us and supporting the work we are doing. Thank
you for your support, for keeping the spirit of the Tent of Nations
high and for keeping hope alive. It is a big encouragement for
the Tent of Nations to feel the support of people all over the
world. Thank you all for this solidarity. |