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- West Bank/Gaza, 06/05: Kafa Kids Get a New School
[pdf, English
/ Arabic]
- Egypt, 05/05: First Lady Laura Bush Meets Egypt's
Alam Simsim Muppets [html]
- West Bank/Gaza, 05/05: USAID Invests $6 Million
in Job Creation [pdf, English
/ Arabic]
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Windows of Hope
Suheir, a 29 year old woman with a baby in her arms, was
the first to speak. "I'm the mother of five children,
and I can't wait any longer for my husband to find work."
Previously employed in Israel, Suheir's husband had not worked
for close to two years. Since the Intifada began in September
2000, the small West Bank village of Kufar Dan had been under
siege, making it impossible for Suheir's husband - in fact,
all men from the village - to travel outside to find work.
Soon the family savings were depleted, forcing Suheir to sell
the gold jewelry given to her at her wedding to buy food for
the family. Now that money had run out, too. Desperate, Suheir's
hopes for the future were placed on a public health training
program funded by USAID.
This was the first story I heard, visiting an emergency
employment generation program in Kufar Dan run by the International
Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). As the Country Representative
for the IOCC, that morning I had traveled from Jerusalem to
meet with the participants of a new public health and environmental
awareness training program. My drive had taken me through
the Jenin Valley, carpeted with a profusion of purple, white,
yellow and red flowers - their beauty a stark contrast to
the strained and anxious faces now in front of me.
Nuhad, 33 years old, stood up next to speak. "I'm married
with one child, a six year old son" she said. Her words
surprised me, since families in rural Palestine are large,
composed of six or more. I asked Nuhad why she had only one
child. "My husband hasn't worked in three years,"
she answered. Her face suddenly red, she turned away from
me before continuing. "We used up the family savings
the first year, for food and medicine. Then my husband began
sneaking out of our village early each morning to try to find
work. I was so frightened. There was closures and checkpoints,
he could have been shot and killed! Had it not been for God's
protecting hands, I would be a widow now."
Offered a job at a kindergarten in Kufar Dan, Nuhad accepted
the work gratefully. The monthly salary of 410 shekels ($85)
was enough to buy food for the family, but not more. "I
dreamed of having another child, but how could I?" Nuhad
asked sadly. Describing these events, Nuhad broke into tears.
I couldn't believe my ears, knowing how important children
are for the status of a village woman. Yet, despite such heartbreak,
Nuhad - and Suheir, and the other woman gathered together
this morning to meet with me - hadn't given up. They were
here, learning a new skill, determined to make a better life
for themselves and their families. This public health training
course, part of USAID's emergency employment generation program
throughout the West Bank and Gaza, represented a "window
of hope" to a better future.
The $28,000 given by USAID to IOCC for this village-based
emergency employment program provided 287 public health and
environmental awareness training sessions and 1,252 employment
days for unemployed West Bank Palestinians, the majority of
them women. But I am sure the most valuable thing that it
provided was hope.
By: Nora Kurt, IOCC Representative
See also:
USAID in West Bank-Gaza: http://www.usaid.gov/locations/asia_near_east/countries/wbgaza/westbank-gaza.html
WBG Mission Website: http://www.usaid.gov/wbg/
IOCC in WBG: http://www.iocc.org/wheredoes_frameset.html
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