________________________________________
From: Anthony Richardson [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 29 April 2011 11:02
To: Jennie Stanton; Alain Bertin; Andy Kilmister; anthony rhighi; barbara Dziala; Belinda Allan; Bill MacKeith; caroline raine; [log in to unmask]; cllr malik; [log in to unmask]; david; Gawain Little; [log in to unmask]; Heather Hull; Ian Vaudrey; Jennie Chesterton/Faringdon; [log in to unmask]; John Lister; John Storrs; Lana Al Shami; liz peretz; Lot Vanbaaren; mark ladbrooke; Mike Pixton; mohammed aruri; Mireille Court; Nikki Marriot; [log in to unmask]; Palsoc Society; pam parsons; Paul Stewart; peter cann; terry conway; ucu teachers; ed fredenburgh; Barry Lovejoy
Subject: Village Life Arura 2011
Report 3 Village Life 29- 04- 11
Went to Arura Village, North of Ramallah, yesterday, as part of the Farringdon Arura twinning (AFFA).
On the way in I stopped at the building site of the first Palestinian City since 1948. This is Rawabi, with a first stage planned population of 20,000, rising to 40,000. It is being built by a Qatari company, and the roads are being built by USAID, as a donation to the Palestinian people, but it seems that it will be the private company that will benefit. There is fence all around the site, because the people from the small Israeli settlement nearby keep attacking it. Also the company has been waiting for 4 years for permission from the Israelis for the approach roads, even though it is in an area that comes under Palestinian Authority control.
The city is only 2 hills away from Arura Village.
I have been to Arura many times, but this is the best, because it is Spring, and there are flowers everywhere. It is going to be a good Olive harvest, because the trees themselves are full of flowers. As I sit in a garden looking at the hills of olive trees I ask about the growing of vegetables, in their gardens. The biggest problem is water, they only get water from the company a couple of days a week, and so every house has to collect rainwater, which is collected beneath the house, and then pumped to a tank on the roof, this water is used for everything. As we speak it starts to rain, later in the evening this turns into a torrential downpoor, and thunderstorm.
I then go around various groups with letters from the Farringdon group, in order to facilitate linking. First the schools; as always a group of interested teachers assemble.
At the new Primary (up to 12, Sunday-Thursday) school they show great interest . Especially in help with English, because even their best pupils have difficulty with spoken English (ditto the teachers), so they would love a visitor to sit in on their classes. They promised to respond to the letter.
At the Boys School (12-16) They seem to have the same problem, but the group of teachers are keen to link with a school in Farringdon, and are sure that individual pupils email links will work. Similarly the Girls school, who say that they would have to get permission from the ministry to formally link, but can do it individually.
We then moved onto the Health Centre, which is for all N.Ramallah Villages. This was, like the primary school, built with Gulf money but has to finance its own running. They would like a direct Farringdon Link. The Nurse there said that the whole village remembers the Olive picking trip that we did, from Farringdon, in 2009. (anybody interested reading this, we are thinking of perhaps doing another one next year, October).
The Mayor who, who covers two villages was not in, but we met a Councillor who promised to pass on the letter from Farringdons Mayor.
Of course the discussions with people in the village covered the newly announced unity agreement between Hamas and Fateh. I think everybody is waiting to see what it means.
The TV showed the people who had been occupying Ramallahs Al Manara Square, demanding unity, pulling down a tent but when I went there this morning the other tents were still up.
Also on TV Abbas was explaining the agreement, and then said that all the politics are to be done by the PLO, "and thats me". So no change there then.
Tony Richardson 29-04-2011
Please circulate pictures to follow
|