Fundraising letter for the Association for Women and Children of Budrus >From Hilary Martin and S'ra DeSantis January 7, 2005 Dear Friends and Family, As most of you know, we lived in the village of Budrus, a small rural community in the West Bank that is currently being surrounded by the Annexation Wall built by the Israeli government. After enduring so much violence from the Israeli military and land confiscation for the construction of the Wall, the village continues to resist their enclosure, and additionally, they are working now to develop projects for the improvement of their community. The village is organizing a women and children's organization, the Association for Women and Children of Budrus. This organization will facilitate the empowerment and education of women in Budrus and also provide jobs for women and activities for the children. Hilary and I are asking our friends and family to help support this new organization with any size donation possible. The funds raised will be used to help maintain a women and children's center in the village which will house a computer room, sewing room, meeting center for women and a children's garden and also for the following projects: WOMEN'S PROJECTS 1. LITERACY PROGRAMS for elderly women who never learned how to read and write. 2. COMPUTERS AND PRINTERS for women and children to have access to the internet and writing programs. 3. SEWING MACHINES AND INSTRUCTORS to teach women how to make clothes, which will be sold in major Palestinian cities, like Ramallah and Jerusalem. 4. Special workshops for women on PREVENTATIVE HEALTHCARE. 5. Classes on WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT. CHILDREN'S PROJECTS 1. Trainings for the village�s schoolteachers on SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION, since over 30 children in Budrus have special needs and are currently left out of the educational system. 2. A CHILDREN'S GARDEN where children can play outside and grow vegetables and flowers to bring home to their families. One of the main areas where children once played is now located behind the wall. 3. SUMMER CAMPS with educational and recreational activities for the children, which will include field trips to wilderness areas. The organization has already started to renovate a home in Budrus to serve as the temporary center for women and children. They have sourced computers, printers and sewing machines. They are working with two organizations in Ramallah for the special needs education program, the Christian Youth Organization and Children's Special Needs Association, who will provide the training for the teachers in Budrus. These courageous women are organizing themselves even with so many obstacles in front of them. Budrus lies on the Green Line, the 1967 border between Israel and the West Bank. They are loosing more land with the construction of the Annexation Wall imposed by the Israeli government. Budrus and eight other villages will be completely encircled by the wall, with only one or two entrances, which will be controlled by Israeli military checkpoints. There are no hospitals or higher education institutions in the region and many people have to travel to Ramallah for employment. The wall will increase travel time and may even make it impossible for Palestinians to leave the region because the Israeli military will decide if Palestinians may pass the checkpoint or not. DESPITE THEIR HARDSHIPS THESE WOMEN ARE NOT LETTING THEMSELVES BE DEFEATED; THEY ARE ORGANIZING TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR EDUCATIONAL GOALS AND INCOME GENERATION. The strength of the community of women in Budrus is remarkable. They lead the demonstrations with powerful chants and confront the soldiers and the bulldozers, which are destroying their olive trees, land, and livelihood. Women from throughout the region visit Budrus to learn about the way in which the women have been able to voice their descent. We are confident that, with some financial backing, these women will successfully build lasting institutions that can equip their community with the skills that they need. The women of Budrus are committed to helping women of other regions establish similar projects and spread the empowerment of the women throughout Palestine. Please help fund the Association for Women and Children of Budrus. The women and children of Budrus thank you and appreciate your support. As they say "Ahalan wasahalan," you are most welcome in Budrus anytime. Checks can be made out to the Peace and Justice Center and sent to 14 Decatur St., Burlington, VT 05401, in care of Hilary Martin. Thank you so much! On behalf of the Association for Women and Children of Budrus Hilary Martin and S'ra DeSantis Association for Women and Children of Budrus PO Box 290 Budrus, Ramallah West Bank, Palestine Tel. 011-972-02-485-595 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Take a look at donorschoose.org, an excellent charitable web site for anyone who cares about public education! http://us.click.yahoo.com/_OLuKD/8WnJAA/cUmLAA/MknplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/VTJP/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
