Karama News: Januay 2012
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2012!
The most significant aspect of Christmas and New Year for the children here in Deheishe is: holiday! Some schools had an extra-long weekend; others were treated with a week off. In Karama we noticed this by more kids coming in early… and now and then the kids being a little bit more naughty, claiming with an honest smile that “this is allowed since it’s Christmas”! Most children enjoyed their holidays with family visits and time in Karama, and are now back to school again. In this newsletter we will update you on what keeps us busy in Karama since then, and give you an exclusive insight in a volunteer experience with Karama! Here from the Karama team we hope you all had a great holiday time with friends and family, and we wish you all the very best for the New Year!!Creativity!
With the arrival of new volunteers Amanda, Hayat and Maria, our creativity program received a boost! The children are enjoying new craft activities every day, including snow-stars, play dough, needlework and much more. It amazes both the children and the
volunteers that with so little materials and so much creativity, some very enjoyable, funny and beautiful items can be made. With international volunteers bringing in several craft supplies in the past time, we have a small treasure of materials in our small office. Now it’s up to our current volunteers to use them in the best and most creative way! Also, the computer room is open every day now and the children queue up with enthusiasm to spend their 30 minutes behind the computer. Here they can play games or search websites for school. Although only limited computers are available, with the help of a strict schedule and rules we are able to allow several children a few times a week to have fun with their favorite computer game.
Library up-date.
Since the new library system is in place, the library keeps on being regular visited by the kids. Some afternoons are used to read a book, together or alone, and play word games. Currently the room is used for both English and Arabic lessons as well, and because of our limited space this competes sometimes with the library facility. But with some planning and help from the older children, we are able to let the children visit the library regularly. To create an even better lend-out system and make the children feel even more connected to their library; we are making library cards for the children. This card, with their picture, the Karama logo and their basic information will be used in the near future for taking out books. With more books on the way and new volunteers arriving, we keep on being committed to make the Karama library a nice facility for all children and youth from Deheishe! More about this in our next newsletter..!
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Insight from a volunteer experience… !
All our international volunteers have a great experience in Karama and most of them admit they had the time of their life in Palestine. To give a closer view on the ups and downs, the highs and lows of a volunteer time in Karama, our previous volunteer Floor will share her insights with our readers. You can find here complete story on the website, but first, she will introduce herself.
I am Floor, a 23 year old girl from Belgium, and I am currently taking a master’s program in Developmental Studies in Brussels. In April 2011 I came to Palestine for the first time. I had been closely following the Palestinian situation for about 7 years and last year I had enough of only reading about it, I wanted to see and experience Palestine myself. I don’t remember how I landed on this subject, but once I got involved with Palestine, it didn’t let me go. Last summer I wanted to come back, to get to know the people and the culture, to learn more about the situation and to understand what it means to live under occupation. Moreover, I hoped I could do something positive and constructive, in addition to expressing support to the Palestinian cause. My stay at Deheishe and volunteering with Karama outstripped my expectations and got me still more involved with the Palestinian cause. Since I am back in Belgium, I tell the story of Palestine, to those who are eager to hear it and to those that are not so eager at first, because I believe it should be told. I organized a Palestinian evening for friends and family and in the next months I will go to a school, a lawyer’s office, a volunteer organization for refugees and inshallah to more places to talk about Palestine. I tell people about the BDS campaign, because every single person can contribute to the Palestinian cause. Lastly, plans are being made to take a group of friends and family to Palestine, as many of them got interested and concerned.
Living in Deheishe
When trying to describe how I experienced living with a host family in Deheishe, I would say it is indescribable. I have written and rewritten my experiences, because so many things are worth saying. For one thing, the unconditional hospitality and warmth of the people I met. It is something that is rare in the society I grew up in. I only stayed for two months, but I didn’t feel like a guest, I felt at home thanks to my wonderful family. The way my mother took care of me when I was sick, how her brother wanted to make sure I was fine during a power cut at night when I was alone in the house (he immediately came to our house to check on me, fixed me candles and woke up his wife to keep me company), how they all made sure I would never be hungry (and they managed extremely well by the way, I put on several kilos)...They are one of a kind.
Continue reading her story here on our website.Thank you!
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