Summer 2011amos news no.119www.amostrust.org

Return to GazaNews from Al Ahli hospital

Project newsSouth Africa & Nicaragua

Summer appeal for GazaHymns of liberation – Garth on tour.

news

Home rebuilding. Hope rebuilding.

Left Al Ahli Hospital gate Top Right On Gaza beach Bottom Right Erez crossing © Chris Rose / Amos Trust

return to gaza

I am at the Erez crossing, which looks like a modern airport terminal. It was opened at a cost of $35 million to cater for 17,000 people a day travelling from Gaza to work in Israel. This morning 10 people are waiting to cross into Gaza. Six are Gazans returning home who have gone through months of ‘coordination’ to receive permits to go to Israel for medical care only to discover the hospital doctors were on strike and they had to return untreated.

Chris RoseAssociate Director

I leave the terminal and walk along a 400m fenced-in corridor, past the remains of demolished homes and factories all observed by automatic gun turrets. The roads are a patchwork of sand, dust and asphalt, bullet holes, cleared plots of land, bombed out buildings, piles of recycled concrete. Families still living in tents are reminders of Israel’s 2008 ‘Cast Lead’ Offensive and the on-going embargo on building materials.

Nearly half the population are unemployed. Two thirds are dependent on food aid. 52 % of children are undernourished. Many factories have not been rebuilt, as there is no way to export any goods. Much of the agriculture has been destroyed and frequent power cuts have impeded repairs to the sewage works, so sewage flows into the sea untreated.

I was in Gaza to visit Amos Trust’s partner the Al Ahli Hospital. Travel restrictions had meant that we had not seen their work for many years. I found the commitment of the medical teams there insprational and the hospital gardens are an oasis amidst the chaos and over-crowding surrounding them.

My host in Gaza was Abu George from the Near East Council of Churches (NECC). He took me on an early evening drive out of the city and showed me the destruction from the war, which had been particularly bad in the north of the Gaza Strip. He told me of the destruction of his two hectares of poly tunnels by the Israeli army. These were worth $15,000 and he hasn’t the money to rebuild them.

That night ended watching football in the hotel bar, drinking tea with six young men. I asked what the future holds ‘It sucks! There is no future here, no jobs, no peace, no security, no chance of a home or a family.’ They are graduating next year. Four will leave, two will stay – one has a job and the

other whose father was killed must stay and find a way to look after his family.

The next morning I am the hotel’s only guest at breakfast. I visit the NECC projects with Emad Jelda the director of their youth training programmes. Emad’s voice cracked as he told how on the first day of the 2008 bombardment six rockets from Israeli F16’s destroyed the Ministry of Justice, next door to his family’s apartment. After the first rocket, he ran with his wife and two sons into the bathroom. He lay on the floor shaking, unable even to protect his family. The apartment suffered extensive damage. The next day he took his family to his mother’s and for the rest of the war ran a centre at the Gaza City YMCA for those fleeing from the invasion.

There are now only 1,300 Christians in Gaza, 1,500 have left in the last five years. I met a lady who told me how she was the only Anglican in Gaza. She asked that when I come back if I would do a Eucharist for her. They have not had a priest visit for 18 months.

That afternoon I was one of only 4 people at the Erez crossing, but it still took 90 minutes to get through and leave Gaza. You go through a very high tech completely impersonal system of iron gates, concrete walled corridors, no signage, automated luggage checks, numerous turnstiles, and a full body scan – all remote controlled, without any human contact. And then you’re through and your luggage is on an old trestle table, and the officer at passport control offers international visitors the opportunity to extend their visit to Israel. He looked surprised when I asked why I would want to do that!

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home rebuilding. hope rebuilding.

When the Amos team first began to talk about taking a group of volunteers to the Holy Land to make a stand for justice and to show solidarity with our partners, we soon realised that rebuilding a demolished home was the right action for us to take. Home demolitions are a devastating form of injustice and oppression, and campaigning against them is central to the work of our partners, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) and Holy Land Trust. What, perhaps, we did not see at the beginning is that rebuilding a home is an incredibly profound thing to do and speaks from the core of Amos Trust’s vision and theology.

As our plans progressed, we met the family whose home had been demolished seven years ago, who were now living in terrible conditions in Bethlehem’s largest refugee camp. It took a while for them to dare to hope that we could help them rebuild and return to their home, but their excitement and growing trust made us realise that the

heart of the project did not lie within a grand political gesture but was wrapped up in the word “home” and all that it means.

I’m sure the group of volunteers who helped raise the money for the project and then spent two weeks in April on the ground helping to rebuild the home would echo the sentiment that the story we have to tell cannot fit into a few pages of a newsletter. We are so grateful to all the Amos supporters and churches who gave to our Christmas appeal and got the project off to such a good start, we hope that the story over the page, a pictorial diary of those two weeks, captures some of this amazing journey.

The story is not over, a demolition order has been placed on the rebuilt home which we and our partners are fighting against. The order has been temporarily suspended by the Israeli courts but we would ask for your urgent support, activism and prayers as we try to ensure that the family can remain where they belong … in their home.

Nive HallOperations Manager

RightMoving concrete blocks to the build site© Diana Mills

amos news summer 2011palestine–israel

battling to keep our humanity ten key facts about al ahli hospital

1. The Gaza strip is home to 1.4 million people living in an area only 25 miles long and 5 miles wide. The hospital is based in Gaza City.

2. The Al Ahli hospital treats 41,000 out-patients and 4,700 inpatients every year.

3. An inpatient bed cost £80 per night. The patient’s family pays 10%, the remainder is paid either by the UN or by development agencies.

4. The hospital partners with 54 grass roots organisations running local community medical services. They also provide much needed training for local people in counselling and social work.

5. The Accident and emergency operating theatre was in use 24 hours a day during the 2008 war.

6. The Al Ahli nutrition programme feeds 600 malnourished under 5’s and provides free medical care and basic health and nutrition training for mothers.

7. There is a very high incidence of burns among children in Gaza due to overcrowding in the refugee camps, frequent black outs and the use of cooking oil. Each year 400 children receive plastic surgery and physiotherapy.

8. The hospital works with 700 chronically ill elderly patients, encouraging families to change the way they respond to the elderly as they are often neglected.

9. Since the 2008 war doctors have seen a growth in all forms of cancer. 1,000 women over forty were screened for breast cancer by the hospital last year. 25% needing further screening and 8% were diagnosed with cancer. Many women will not go for screening until it is too late, as they are frightened that they will be ostracised if cancer is diagnosed and their husbands, often pushed by families, will marry another wife.

10. In March 2010 the World Health Organisation reported that due to the blockade on goods coming into Gaza, government hospitals could not get 152 types of essential medicines. Al Ahli recently requested 3,000 doses of anaesthetic from a government supply but only 50 were available. There will often only be 1 or 2 sizes of colostomy bag available and so patients have to wash and reuse bags.

“Christianity taught me to be optimistic, full of hope that one day peace and justice will come to this area, where we Palestinians and our brothers, the Israelis will live in peace.”

Suhaila Tarazi, Director

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This year’s summer appeal is in aid of the work at Al Ahli hospital and their women’s breast cancer screening programme. See back page for details.

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Day one – we had to move 900 concrete blocks to the build location.

We had an unwelcome visit from the Israeli Defence Force.

Work continued inside and by the end of our two weeks, a celebration was in order!

home rebuilding. hope rebuilding.

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20 tonnes of earth were moved by hand to level the foundations.

The Palestinian builders whipped up the walls in no time.

We planted olive trees as a sign of hope for a better future.

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Poignant reminders that there was no time to grab anything when the home was demolished.

Tilly found her niche cutting blocks in half.

Work continued into June and the family is about to move in from the refugee camp.

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Beautiful sage and mint tea was always on hand from Atallah, whose home this would be.

At the end of a week’s hard work, the concrete was poured to form the roof – a good day!

Atallah sitting on the roof of his home.

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“I was dead … but now I feel alive again” Atallah’s mother, April 2011

garth hewitt on tour Garth Hewitt, Director of Amos Trust will be touring the UK later this year, telling stories and singing songs inspired by Amos’s partners around the world. The Hymns of Liberation tour will run from the end of August 2011 until June 2012.

You will find enclosed a flier for the first dates of the tour, but we are still looking for churches and community venues around the country to host a concert. We provide all the help and support you need to organise a great evening’s entertainment, full of stories of joy and hope.

To find out more & discuss dates, contact Isobel, Garth’s PA via isobel@amostrust.org or call 020 7588 2638 or 07976 360844.

under the influence As part of the 25 years of Amos Trust celebrations last year, several musicians recorded cover versions of songs by Garth Hewitt. This resulted in the new album, Under the Influence. The album features music from all stages of Garth’s career, covered in a wide variety of styles from artists from as far afield as the Middle East. It will be launched at a special event at the Greenbelt Festival this August Bank Holiday weekend in Cheltenham, where the artists involved will talk about their contributions, their connection to Garth and to the Amos Trust.

The exact venue and time of this of event is TBC – so keep a look out for details on our website or check the Greenbelt Festival guide. Under the Influence will be available from the Amos Trust website and will be on sale on the Hymns of Liberation tour.

new director of amos trust As the newsletter is being written, we are very close to the final stage of the selection process for the next Director of Amos Trust to take over from Garth in January. News of this appointment should be enclosed with this newsletter and will also be on www.amostrust.org/news

The Trustees have been through a long and necessarily thorough process, as there were a large number of applicants. We are very grateful for what Beki Bateson, the Chair of Trustees, and others have done to facilitate this process.

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Supporter John Randall went on our annual trip to the Holy Land.

Trying to Find the Right Word was his reaction to a comment made by an Israeli, who was listening in to the presentation by ICAHD at Tolerance Park, overlooking East Jerusalem.

Our next supporter trip to the Holy Land will be from Monday 14 – Wednesday 23 May 2012.

For more information and to book your place, contact Sarah in the Amos office info@amostrust.org or 0207 588 2638.

trying to find the right word

‘Why not “neighbourhoods”?’ I think that’s what the man saidOn the fringe of our group, as an Israeli spoke to usAbout the history of his State and its appetite for land,About maps that shrink and fragment for the sake of ‘security’.

“Settlements” seemed to be a word that our visitor did not care for.We surveyed the scene from Tolerance Park – sweet rhetoric –And saw more of the wall that slithers up and down like a snakeSeparating land and people, moving the boundary stones.

A “neighbourhood” crowns the Mount of Olives.In fact, there are “neighbourhoods” wherever you look,Claiming the high ground, pushing, pushing other neighbours over the edge.They say that fences make good ones but here Neighbours are turned into aliens who can be grabbed in the nightFrom their own homes because they do not belong anymore.We see the dragon well enough but still await St. George.

It is true that “settlements” may not be the right wordBut “neighbourhoods” will not do at all for these pointsIn the landscape that act as spies in the sky.

“‘When I use a word,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘it meansWhatever I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.’

‘The question is, ‘said Alice, ‘whether you can make wordsMean so many different things.’

‘The question is’, said Humpty Dumpty, ’which is to be master – that’s all.’”BelowSettlement being built near Al Walaja© Karen Stafford

amos news summer 2011palestine–israel

BelowGarth warming up for his UK tour© Jonathan Johnson

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TrusteesBeki BatesonPeter BoneKatie HagleyAngie LastRamani LeathardMairi NeevesSimon PlaterJulia RuxtonLucy WinkettMartin Wroe

PatronSimon MayoDirectorGarth HewittAssociate DirectorChris RoseOffice ManagerSarah Dean

PA to Garth HewittIsobel WebsterOperations ManagerNive HallAll Hallows Manager / Admin AssistantGeorge Middleton

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giving it up for nicaragua During Lent we asked Amos supporters to give up something small and then give the money they would have spent towards a bonus for the teachers at the Avocado Tree School in Nicaragua. Lots of Amos supporters gave up their daily cup of coffee, others gave up wine and one gave up maltesers. One church held a coffee morning (to tempt those who had given up?) whilst another church held collections at their Lent talks. And finally two people just gave up giving up and sent a donation confessing to this! The grand total raised was £2,400 which was given to the school to share across the 23 staff at the end of the school year. Thanks to everyone who took part.

remembering gustavo There will be a memorial to the life and work of Gustavo Parajon at the Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham this August Bank Holiday weekend. Gustavo was the founder of CEPAD, our partner in Nicaragua, and a long term friend of Amos Trust. Greenbelt is a very fitting place for this memorial service to be held as Gustavo spoke at the festival many times, significantly during the political upheaval of the early 80s. He was a pioneer in the area of liberation theology and his work and thinking helped to shape Amos Trust. He is greatly missed. The memorial event will be Sunday 28 August in the Hebron talks venue at 2pm.

princess anne presents mbe Tom Hewitt, CEO and Co-founder of Umthombo Street Children, our partner in South Africa will be presented with his MBE by Princess Anne in Durban City Hall on Friday 8 July. Tom’s MBE is awarded for services to child welfare in South Africa. Umthombo was set up by Tom and his now wife Bulelwa ‘Mandi’ Ngantweni-Hewitt in 1998. This unique project, staffed largely by former street children, helps 200 children a year to get off the streets. Tom’s parents Gill and Garth Hewitt (Director of Amos Trust) will be in Durban for the ceremony. Garth says, “I am delighted the presentation will happen in Durban because it will bring publicity to Umthombo, and will strengthen their profile in the community.”

Last year the FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa made it possible for Umthombo to secure funding to open the doors of their drop in centre, Safespace, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week providing support for children on the streets whenever they need it. A year on, as this corporate funding is finishing, so Umthombo are asking Amos supporters to make a donation to continue this vital work. Please visit www.amostrust.org/support or complete the form opposite to give a gift.

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amos news summer 2011

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The breast cancer screening programme at Al Ahli hospital costs £5,500 a year and serves 1,000 women. The hospital would like to increase their screening programme to 3,000 women a year. The Director of Al Ahli Hospital, Suhaila Tarazi explains why this programme is so important:

“Don’t be mistaken into thinking this has nothing to do with the Israeli siege – we are battling to keep our humanity while we are trapped here with no freedoms. What could be more important than this if a woman is to live in dignity in Gaza?”

“Screening is so simple and so effective – if we can work with women so that they can identify breast cancer early we can treat it. We need to make screening normal for women and change

Amos Trust 83 London WallLondon EC2M 5ND

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Above Hospital bed at Al Ahli© Chris RoseCover Rebuilding a home in Al Walaja © John Henson

traditional attitudes. At the moment too many die, they are scared that if diagnosed they will be shunned by their families.”

The breast cancer programme at Al Ahli costs just £55 per patient. It includes: •Awarenessraising&educationin self examination •Screeningsessions Then for those who need it: •X-rayscreening,ultrasoundand pathology tests •Surgery •Followupcareandmonitoring

Amos Trust believes access to health care is a human right. Please show your support to the Al Ahli hospital and help them achieve their target of seeing 3,000 women this year.

summer appeal 2011working for women’s health in gaza