17 A Hapamonim Street, Flat 7,
Raanana
Israel
- Human rights
- Others
HWB believes that it is every child’s right to grow and develop in a caring and supportive environment. HWB is committed to enhancing the safety and well-being of Palestinian children and their communities in the Occupied Territories. By promoting direct, friendly contact between Palestinians and Israelis, and through its efforts to brighten the lives of the children and ease the anxiety of their parents, HWB is regarded by both sides as contributing significantly to greater mutual respect in this troubled area.
Please find in the following a summary of the most recent projects and activities of Humans Without Borders.
Humans without Borders (HWB) continued in 2013 its primary mission in assisting to transport sick Palestinian children from the West Bank towns and villages to Israeli hospitals for advanced medical care that is not available under the health care system of the Palestinian Authority. A band of dedicated volunteers works tirelessly to bring the children and families to the hospitals and provide any additional necessary assistance.
As in previous years, HWB members organized several outings and fun happenings to brighten up the lives of the children and parents. HWB believes that it is every child's right to grow and develop in a caring and supportive environment, and is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of Palestinian children and Palestinian communities. By promoting direct, friendly contact between Palestinians and Israelis, HWB hopes to contribute significantly to greater mutual respect in this troubled area.
Highlights of our work in 2013:
* Transport of sick children. More than 1,500 trips were made by Israeli volunteer drivers – Jewish, Moslem and Christian – from border checkpoints to hospitals in Jerusalem and the greater Tel Aviv area and back.
* Day at the circus. In May. HWB members organized a visit in Beth Jala, near Bethlehem, of the Israel-Arab circus to entertain 35 sick Palestinian children, their extended families and many of our volunteers. This event was made possible through a grant from the Prelude Foundation.
* Day at the sea. In July, HWB members arranged a day at the sea for families of Palestinian sick children. The volunteers teamed up with a group of students from the Arabic-Hebrew Bilingual School in Jerusalem. Support for this event was made possible by a grant from the British Shalom Salaam Trust (BSST).
* Mothers’ workshop. In August, HWB members organized at the Shaarei Zedek Medical Center a workshop for the mothers of sick Palestinian children so they could talk about their roles in the family and their very special circumstances – the loneliness and difficulties they experience as mothers of very sick children. The workshop, moderated by the “Women and their Bodies” organization with two 2-hour sessions, was attended by 15 Palestinian mothers. This event was made possible by donations from private individuals in Israel and abroad and will take place regularly in the future.
We work with a very unfortunate and very hetrogeneous group of families who live as far north as Jenin and as far south as the villages in the south Hebron hills. The only thing they have in common is the dominant reality of children with life-endangering illnesses who must spend a substanial part of their week in Israeli hospitals. Mothers must leave their households and families to reside at the hospitals along with the children. Or, in the case of dialysis, they must travel to Jerusalem 4 or 5 times a week for treatment (until a kidney transpant can be arranged).There is nothing innovative here. We simply try and ease the lives of these people and assist them in a few small ways, literally to help them surivive during these dreadfully difficult periods.
We would like to join the ALF Network to share our interests and activities with other members of the organization and to seek ALF finacial support to help us continue our vital activities.
In 2014 Humans Without Borders is planning to organize two one day outings during the summer. In the first, we plan to take the sick children and their families for a trip to a leisure park near Ramalla in the West Bank. Most of the parents and their children rarely can afford to have the opportunity to spend a day of fun and recreational activities.Staffing and organization will be supervised by Israeli volunteers.
A second outing is planned to take place during the Eid-al Fitr celebrations (see http://www.humans-without-borders.org/eid-al-fitr-2012-event/).The previous event was held at the Murad Tourist Resort in Beit Schour, a small town near Bethlehem.Some 50 children with their parents enjoyed a fun and recreation day at the swimming pools, followed by a huge lunch catered by the resort. Eid Al-Fitr is celebrated at the end of Ramadan (the month of fasting). Muslims usually give zakat (charity) on the occasion to help the poor and distressed and we initially held this event in 2012 in the spirit of the holiday. If funding is available, we will hold this event for about 50 families, i.e. about 200 people in all, on July 29 or 30 2014