Introduction:
This work camp will expose volunteers to life in the Occupied West Bank. Volunteers will conduct renovation work in Bethlehem, as well as in nearby Battir, an ancient village that has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage Program. The work in Battir will be supervised by the Battir Landscape Eco-Museum and the Palestinian ministry of tourism and antiquities (see below). The camp will also include one day in the Old City of Hebron, where volunteers will carry out renovation work and visit a local children’s club.
The afternoons of the work camp will be dedicated to a program of educational and cultural activities. The aim is to expose volunteers to the reality of life in Palestine in the context of the ongoing Israeli occupation and the Palestinians people resilience. The program will educate volunteers on Palestinian culture and history, and the history of conflict in the region. The program will also introduce volunteers to various civil society entities who are working towards a future Palestinian state. Civil society plays a crucial role in Palestine, helping people to stay resilient in the face of the many challenges brought about by the occupation.
International Palestinian Youth League (IPYL):
IPYL is an organization that empowers Palestinian youth through educational programs, intercultural learning, training, media literacy and youth leadership activities. Since its inception, IPYL has implemented hundreds of projects in a range of fields. These include 77 international voluntary work camps in Palestine and 68 in work camps in other Middle Eastern countries. The organization also carries out youth exchanges, geopolitical study trips, media role in social empowerment, active citizenship and leadership, youth and women think tank groups and community meetings. For more info about IPYL, please visit https://www.ipyl.org.
Battir Landscape Eco-Museum Center:
The Battir Landscape Eco-Museum Center is a local organization that aims to preserve Battir’s ancient sites following the village’s 2015 enlisting at the UNESCO World Heritage Program. The organization is active in renovation, landscaping and archeology. The center was established 10 years ago and now seeks help to renovate its old monuments and water canals that have survived for thousands of years. The landscape resembles the Babylon gardens.
For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/BattirLandscapeEcomusuem
Project Description:
The work will include the following activities:
Renovation work within the village of Battir including its ancient water canals.
Assisting the rebuilding of a wall in Battir that leads to an ancient water cistern at the edge of the village. This wall will help locals and internationals to reach the water cistern, establishing it as a touristic attraction.
Renovation work in several locations beside the railway line that was established in the Ottoman Empire era and that connected Turkey to Palestine. The railway line is intended to serve as a future border between Palestine and Israel.
Activities with Palestinian children
Visits to the old parts and refugee camps in Hebron and Bethlehem
Cultural Activities:
The afternoon will be dedicated to educational and cultural activities that will expose volunteers to Palestinian culture and history, and that will help volunteers to understand the reality of life under occupation. The program will include lectures, documentaries, visits to refugee camps in the Bethlehem area and tours of other places of interest. The program will provide many opportunities for interaction with locals. Volunteers will have the opportunity to speak with Palestinian activists and to ask whatever questions they have about the situation in Palestine.
Accommodation:
The volunteers will be hosted in a rented flat (s) in Bethlehem.
Food will be prepared by the volunteers themselves in the flat’s kitchen facilities.