Part of my struggle with this blog is telling the stories of people I meet AND keeping you updated on my life. Today I will try and do both (again)
At Sidreh, we have a wonderful relationship with BYU in Jerusalem. Not only are they having an exhibition at their gallery of our carpets, but they also just generously gave us 1000 school kits to be distributed in schools in the unrecognized areas! Today, they came down to deliver these goods and help distribute them. I went along as the resident photographer (Hanan has my camera...photos will come up soon!).
What an experience. We were mostly rushing around all day because of time constraints with the truck. When we finally got a chance to sit and talk at the Alsira village, I was touched by the head of village, Khalil Alamour's, story.
First: unrecognized villages, as a reminder, have no government services. This includes, roads, water, electricity etc. Additionally, it also includes the threat of demolition of their homes. Khalil was kind enough to invite us to his house. They have an electric generator,solar panels and laid down their own pipes to distribute water in the village. They even have their own system to get wifi in the village. Like many Bedouins, he has his own chickens and turkeys to help provide food for the family/not rely too much on buying groceries. These small acts were acts of rebellion, showing that not only will they stay here, but also that they will sustain themselves.
Khalil then told us about their 6 year fight with the government over housing demolition. Recently, a court ruled that they could not demolish their houses, the first victory of its kind! He told us how his mother could finally sleep at night, because she no longer feared that soldiers would come the next day. To this day, Khalil has the sign, notifying the residents that their houses will be demolished. They don't use names on these forms: but numbers signifying each house.
I was impressed: his resilience, his courage, and determination to face such odds were incredible. They even used humor in the face of it all: creating their own signs for the village, and a mock warning sign (the traditional white triangle outlined in red) of houses being demolished. I'm happy that they no longer have to worry about their houses being demolished and hope that I too will have the courage to stand up for justice like them!
So: that was my day today. On a humourous note: still couldn't go anywhere without getting something to eat or drink. Even when we were rushing out and didn't have time to sit, they gave us drinks for the road! Very funny... and very Bedouin.
Also: OUR WEBSITE IS FINISHED!!! take a look at sidreh.org. We have a great catalog that shows a lot of our pieces and tells so much more about our organization. I'm so proud to have helped with it. If you have any comments/concerns about the website please let me know!
Much love,
KAS
At Sidreh, we have a wonderful relationship with BYU in Jerusalem. Not only are they having an exhibition at their gallery of our carpets, but they also just generously gave us 1000 school kits to be distributed in schools in the unrecognized areas! Today, they came down to deliver these goods and help distribute them. I went along as the resident photographer (Hanan has my camera...photos will come up soon!).
What an experience. We were mostly rushing around all day because of time constraints with the truck. When we finally got a chance to sit and talk at the Alsira village, I was touched by the head of village, Khalil Alamour's, story.
First: unrecognized villages, as a reminder, have no government services. This includes, roads, water, electricity etc. Additionally, it also includes the threat of demolition of their homes. Khalil was kind enough to invite us to his house. They have an electric generator,solar panels and laid down their own pipes to distribute water in the village. They even have their own system to get wifi in the village. Like many Bedouins, he has his own chickens and turkeys to help provide food for the family/not rely too much on buying groceries. These small acts were acts of rebellion, showing that not only will they stay here, but also that they will sustain themselves.
Khalil then told us about their 6 year fight with the government over housing demolition. Recently, a court ruled that they could not demolish their houses, the first victory of its kind! He told us how his mother could finally sleep at night, because she no longer feared that soldiers would come the next day. To this day, Khalil has the sign, notifying the residents that their houses will be demolished. They don't use names on these forms: but numbers signifying each house.
I was impressed: his resilience, his courage, and determination to face such odds were incredible. They even used humor in the face of it all: creating their own signs for the village, and a mock warning sign (the traditional white triangle outlined in red) of houses being demolished. I'm happy that they no longer have to worry about their houses being demolished and hope that I too will have the courage to stand up for justice like them!
So: that was my day today. On a humourous note: still couldn't go anywhere without getting something to eat or drink. Even when we were rushing out and didn't have time to sit, they gave us drinks for the road! Very funny... and very Bedouin.
Also: OUR WEBSITE IS FINISHED!!! take a look at sidreh.org. We have a great catalog that shows a lot of our pieces and tells so much more about our organization. I'm so proud to have helped with it. If you have any comments/concerns about the website please let me know!
Much love,
KAS
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