People in the U.S.A. constantly having to fight for the right to acknowledge diversity and bigotry in various settings, particularly school settings, is wild on many levels, and some of the arguments from conservatives are absolutely ridiculous.
I was just reminded of the fact that in Year 6, my class and I read a book about a refugee girl actively fleeing her home country with her family, hiding from people who could kill her, travelling by boat to Australia and being detained for months, hearing about other refugee’s suicides and contemplating how that felt from a kid’s perspective, and trying and waiting to be allowed to live freely. It’s a beautiful book. We, a group of roughly 11-12 year olds, were prescribed to read and discuss.
Granted, I am Australian, and that Primary School that I went to is in Sydney. I know that there have been attempts, sometimes successful, at censoring what kids are taught about here in Australia too, and many other places around the world besides the U.S.A. , for example this year (2022) there have already been multiple attempts by a single school in Queensland to force students, staff, and parents and guardians of students to sign a contract that says that that school can expel or fire anybody for displaying gender-nonconformity, “homosexual acts”, or for being transgender. By no means am I trying to imply that bigoted policies, legislature, or practices are only located in 1 place.
What I am saying, is that as somebody who was in a Primary School where we actively discussed topics that some people may shy away from discussing with young people, I can say that I genuinely think that reading that book and discussing it and the real-world things that real people have to live through, made for a much more empathetic, compassionate, emotionally-intelligent, and educated group of kids, who definitely would benefit from that experience.
Providing an educational, open-minded, and compassionate space for young people to explore new and potentially uncomfortable or controversial things is extremely important and beneficial. Part of school-based education is emotional, and teaching about compassion, empathy, and respect for yourself and other people, and other points of view and experiences, is a part of that.
On our last day in Lebanon we visited a family living in Jal al-Bahr, an unofficial Palestinian refugee camp located on the Tyre coast.
With no barrier to protect the camp from the harsh winds of winter, houses are destroyed and damaged year after year. Every winter, crashing waves, higher each year, come pounding into the camp, wrecking everything in their path. The flimsy homes people have made for themselves afford them little shelter from the elements. Families are forced to watch their homes disappear every year with little hope of proper reconstruction or repair.
Just imagine yourself in their place, the fear you would feel for your children if they lived in these conditions.
Our first stop was the Shatila refugee camp on the southern side of Beirut. After the glitz and glamour of the capital, the long road to the camp quickly gave way to clear signs of deprivationand severe poverty.
Shatila refugee camp was set up for Palestinian refugees in 1949. With the recent influx of Syrians fleeing the destruction in their home country, the camps numbers have swelled to accommodate the numbers of displaced people. Shatila was also the site of a massacrein1982 in which up to 3,500 people were killed.
With this knowledge already heavy in our hearts, we entered the camp braced for faces filled with despair but hoping we could provide a little joy and comfort to families who have so little but are willing to give so much.
We started by distributing food parcels to needy families in preparation for the cold winter months. We mingled with residents of the camp, handed out cones filled with sweets to children that were generously donated by Interpal supporters in the UK and listened to stories from those who had spent their whole lives in the camps and those who still held tightly to the memory of their homeland.
Amna, a fundraiser from Bradford was endeared by the children’s positive attitude and willingness to live life to the full. “I had the privilege to paint refugee children’s faces (even though I’m not good) but the children loved it. Seeing their smiles today was priceless!”
We then distributed parcels filled with staple foodslike rice, lentilsandcanned goods to families in the camp. “I was left very emotional by the act of actually handing over the parcels full of good food to families who were so grateful as they took them back to their homes” said Abdul Majid who works in Interpal’s Glasgow branch. “The feeling in my heart can only be described as ‘sukoon’, meaning peace and tranquility”.
However, the mood soonturned less joyful as we walked on through the camp and the realisation of where we were began to dawn on us.
“By far the most disorienting part of the day was walking in the footsteps of refugees in and out of dark, twisted alleyways, witnessing infestations of rats and cockroaches with the stench of raw sewage consuming our every breath” Abdul Majid continued, “the claustrophobic buildings piled one on top of the other showed the lack of value placed on the refugee’s lives in the camp.”
Palestinian refugees are denied building permits and as the population of the camps continues to increase exponentially, the space constricts, leaving families choked with little hope of escape.
“The situation is worse than I could have ever imagined,” commented Ovais, a volunteer who has raised thousands to support Interpal’s work over the years. “I saw kids playing in rubbish dumpsamongst human waste.Dead rats the size of cats lay on the floor, and bullet holes still from the massacre of ’82 still scar the buildings.”
We then continued on our journey to visit families who participate in Interpal’s topical Awareness Seminars – community sessions that focus on a variety of topics. “I went into two homes,” said Abbas, a student volunteer taking part in the programme. “The first of which belonged to a woman and her four children. She told us how she attended an Interpal medical session focused on breast cancer which led to her mother discovering that she had been suffering with the disease.”
The family of five stand testament to the importance of Interpal’s outreach work with women.
Sadly it was too late for her mother and she since passed away. However it made us realise the critical need for outreach worktoeducate women on the dangers of gendered diseases and the impact our work has on real lives.
The second family we visited consisted of a woman, her son and two daughters. The son, Muhammad wanted to become an engineer, the eldest daughter a paediatrician and the youngest, a doctor. The father had suffered a heart attack two years ago and passed away leaving his wife penniless. Luckily, the financial support the family receive from Interpal is just about enough to tide them over. During the winter months, the onset of damp in makeshift houses often leads to disrepair. This family are currently crammed into a cousin’s house following the collapse of the roof in their home, unpreventable damage that will cost around $15,000 to repair, money they simply do not have.
During the winter months, the onset of damp often leads to disrepair.
“One case we witnessed particularly touched my heart”, recalled Amna, “there was a woman who has four beautiful children, three daughters and a son. Her husband had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and is now paralyzed permanently, only able to make slight movements with his eyes. To see his condition broke my heart. He lay there helplessly, not moving but just staring at me. I too felt helpless.”
Abbas added, “When I asked how her faith has stayed so strong, she replied , “I know that this is what Allah wants from me and no one else,” and I reminded her that Allah would not give this burden to anyone who was not strong enough to bear it.”
The group were amazed at the strength and resilience of the refugees.
“I’ve seen an awful lot today”, reflected Abdul Majid as the day drew to a close. “My heart is in pain thinking about the conditions in the camps but I am also in awe of the strong spirit of those who have nothing and how they manage to continue despite a system that is stacked against them. How can they survive the winter like this? Truly, I have never fully appreciated the good fortune of having a safe house,warm clothingandfinancial security. I pray that I am blessed with further strength to continue to raise funds to support Palestinian families that have endured so much pain and hardship in the camps.”
Tomorrow we head north to visit the Al Bared refugee camp. You can follow our journey on Facebook, on our Tumblr and by adding us on Snapchat @InterpalUK
To donate towards the Lebanon winter aid distribution, please visit our direct donations page. Alternatively, you can donate to our wider Winter Appeal by calling the office on 0208 961 9993 or by visiting our website.
Interpal is pleased to invite you to an evening of performance and poetry to help raise awareness of the desperate situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as the winter approaches.
All proceeds will go towards our #LightUpALife campaign to bring safe lighting equipment to the people of Gaza to help them through the darkness of winter and alleviate the safety risks posed by flooding and environmental catastrophe.
Please RSVP to: [email protected]with your name and contact details as soon as possible.
Tickets will cost £3 and will be available to purchase on the door.
Further information is available on our Facebook page.
In the run up to International Women’s Day, we would like to celebrate the strength and resilience of Palestinian women the world over. We would like to share with you the story of Saeda Shaladan, a 35 year-old mother of five from Gaza.
She lives with her children and younger sister, who is studying at university. After studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Al-Aqsa University she found herself unemployed and unable to provide for her growing family. Following a divorce from her husband, Saeda was alone and without means - forced to rely on benefits from the Ministry of Social Affairs. After sacrificing her alimony payments in order to retain custody of her children, Saeda experienced firsthand the double-bind placed on women under occupation. She has been trying to find employment to support her family but pressing concerns at home have demanded her attention.
One of Saeda’s daughters, Shahd, was diagnosed with a kidney defect from birth. Her crucial treatment cost $100 every month, more than the benefits from the Ministry of Social Affairs can provide. Saeda is Shahd’s full-time carer but is desperately in need of a fixed salary to meet her children’s needs. “I want to give my children the best opportunities in life and start them off on a good foundation from which to succeed”.
Interpal provided the family with considerable support to see them through the winter, including warm clothing for the children, blankets and carpets, a heater and LED-powered batteries. Saeda said of the support she received: ‘I have never asked an organisation for help, but Interpal truly seeks to help needy people and provides them with the means to help themselves, allowing us to keep our dignity intact’.
Interpal ensures all our projects support women and girls. By supporting Palestinian women, you can make a positive impact on entire families and communities.
The Vision Project, our joint initiative with UNRWA has been covered with a piece on Middle East Monitor.
The project has provided over two hundred blind and visually impaired children in Gaza with cutting-edge digital technology to help them access information sources, learning opportunities and creative initiatives. It also equipped visually impaired children in Gaza with “Voice Dream Reader” technology to supplement their education. As part of The Vision Project we also provided digital and equipment training to 33 UNRWA teachers.
January has been a busy month for all of us at Interpal. From the launch of our new website to advocacy events in Parliament, we have been hard at work ensuring that this important campaigning year gets off to a good start.
As we wrap up our Winter Appeal, let’s remember that the difficulties refugees face do not simply dissipate with the arrival of warmer weather. Nevertheless, I would like to thank you personally for your generous support; we raised just under £200,000 over the winter and are proud to be delivering vital aid to those in need.
Last week, I was invited to speak at a parliamentary event hosted by Dr. Phillipa Whitford MP to highlight the work we do at Interpal in delivering vital aid to Palestinians in need. The question of how to take action is particularly important in 2017, as we look forward to a year of important anniversaries.
Finally, I am delighted to announce that The Vision Project has been completed successfully in Gaza. We partnered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to equip over 200 blind and visually impaired students with cutting-edge digital technology to supplement their education. You can read more about the project by following the link below.
As part of our 2016/17 Winter Appeal we distributed 2,000 winter clothing kits for refugee children in Rashidiyeh and Borj Al Shamali camps. Thanks to your generous donations we are able to continue distributing aid to school children in Lebanese refugee camps.
To donate, call 0208 961 9993 or click the ‘Donate’ button at the top of our Page.
One of our Sponsorship Assistants reflects on the winter and her role in securing vital lifelines for children in need.
It is mid-winter and the cold is the only thing on my mind. Before I make a start on my work for the day I notice an unusual flush creeping over my complexion. The hint of heat on my cheeks thaws my cold hands so I cradle my face for a few minutes. I stop typing, I stop working and I start thinking.
***
I work in Interpal’s sponsorship department, processing requests and donations and delivering feedback from our projects in the field. In a nutshell, my role entails helping thousands of Palestinian children and their families to secure much needed aid. From my perspective, I see the donations process in its entirety, mediating between donors, staff in the field offices and our beneficiaries.
In amongst the administrative duties and everyday office tasks I have the unique privilege of hearing the stories of extraordinary children and their families. Even though I do not physically meet them, I am privy to intimate details about their lives. I know what they look like, (now and how they have changed and matured over the years), what they study at school, their aspirations and dreams for the future. But I also know of their difficulties. I see them grow up and vicariously experience their every joy and hardship from the distance of our office in London as they live through one of the most shameful periods in contemporary history; the Palestinian refugee crisis. Extraordinary children in extraordinary circumstances. The protracted displacement of the Palestinians is the longest running refugee crisis of our era and has now spilled over into the complications of other conflicts in the region, further muddying the waters until the international community finds it increasingly difficult to separate one set of causes from the effects of another.
Winter in London is a familiar visitor but one I cannot quite get used to. Of course, it has its moments of beauty, moments I enjoy best in my house, under the bed covers, tucked up in flannel pyjamas and drinking a steaming cup of hot chocolate. The long winter months seem to stretch out forever and it strikes me that despite any discomfort I may face, every year thousands of lives at home and abroad are lost because of vulnerability and our failure to act swiftly and humanely.
The winter is also a time of reflection, celebration and thankfulness. Year in year out, I am reminded of my many privileges. The list is endless, including in it the many inalienable social, political and economic freedoms we enjoy, but on a cold winter day like today, and even more on colder nights, I find myself ironically adding to my mental list the freedom from having to make the hard choices between feeding myself and my family and freezing to death.
Most people don’t realise just how cold it can get in the Middle East. The idea that people can freeze to death in a place that is so often characterised by desert heat and the image of a burning sun seems unimaginable. However, winters in Palestine are as harsh as ours if not more so, as our planet’s changing climate brings with it unexpected new weather patterns, catching people unprepared and thus engineering a catastrophe.
Other than the superficial comparisons my imagination can muster, I cannot comprehend the realities enough to authentically feel their emotions. I get first hand reports from our field offices, trawl through figures and statistics, listen to anecdotes, scroll through pictures and sometimes even videos. But what are facts to a distant and disconnected mind? Our minds can crunch numbers and register emotions, but even the power of empathy cannot fully feel what it is like to be a Palestinian refugee.
Many of the families I deal with directly do not have means of heating themselves or their property. Still more cannot afford winter clothing and do not even possess enough clothes to be able to layer up - one of the main winter safety tips offered by the NHS. Others are without shelter due to lasting damage or destruction from successive shelling and war. Food is also scarce and in the winter an empty stomach can increase the likelihood of death. Moreover, the healthcare facilities in the region are under-equipped due to the tight restrictions on what is allowed in and out of the territory. Social security is almost non-existent and many people are trapped in legal and political quagmires. This is an over-simplification of their struggle, of course, just know that the odds are not stacked in their favour.
This is why I cannot help but pay attention to the cold creeping over me. The shivering, the shuddering, and the stiff discomfort all strike me as stark reminders of my privilege. What about those living in the crowded refugee camps of Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan, and in the occupied territories of the West Bank? What about their parents, grandparents, their friends, their communities, all of whom are fighting to survive the cold amidst all of their other daily struggles?
My thoughts are interrupted once more by the incessant creeping of the cold. I, unlike Palestinian children and family, am well equipped to fight the winter and its blues. Almost without thinking, I flick the switch on the electric heater stationed neatly under my desk and take a long sip of my hot cup of tea, a British tradition I proudly claim during the winter months.
As I write this, I reflect on the ways in which we should not feel guilty for the privilege of warmth and wealth, but instead put these comforts to good use. Let us warm the hands and hearts of those who are struggling to survive the winter, and revive another great British tradition in this festive season, that of generously giving and caring about those in need.
I posted this on Facebookin response to virtually everyone I know sharing the story about a Hungarian camerawoman, Petra Laszlo, kicking Syrian refugees. I should probably post it here too:
I’m seriously glad that so many of my friends are mad about this. You should also be mad that despite what the Canadian government claims, this is exactly the sort of abysmal treatment Roma people receive in Hungary every day. I know this is long as hell, but a lot of Canadians don’t seem to know about it, so please read it regardless.
We have our own refugee crisis in Canada.
We lifted visa requirements on new EU countries in 2008, so in 2009, Roma from Hungary started flocking to Canada. Not wanting to interrupt European trade negotiations by reintroducing visas, the Canadian government immediately started looking for ways to get rid of them. The first way was by designating Hungary as a ‘safe country’, despite the fact that as the refugees were arriving, 6 Roma were killed and 55 were injured in calculated attacks on their communities. The president of Hungary didn’t offer condolences. He said nothing.
The Jobbik party has been gaining membership and is currently the 3rd largest political party in the country. The founder/leader, Gabor Vona, also founded the Hungarian Guard, a paramilitary group created to, “Stop gypsy crime,” (which is also an integral part of Jobbik’s platform). They were forced to disband after repeatedly staging rallies in front of Roma homes in military uniform. A new version has popped up, they’ve started to work with other hate groups, and now in addition to just threatening Roma people, they’ve been creating military training camps. Gabor Vona wore the Hungarian Guard uniform his first day in Parliment.
In 2011, 2000 members of the Civil Guard, a paramilitary group that began when they decided the Hungarian Guard wasn’t radical enough, descended on a town and spent 2 months terrorizing its 450 Roma inhabitants. They brought dogs, lit torches, and whips. The mayor, a member of Jobbik, said they were doing nothing illegal. They went into schools and threatened students. The teachers threatened to invite them back in. Gabor Vona stated that he wanted to deploy similar groups nationwide. The residents had to be evacuated by the Red Cross. The government told the media that nothing was wrong, and that the Red Cross was bringing them on a planned Easter vacation.
In response to Jobbik’s popularity, Fidesz, the current ruling party, has started to go even further right of their initial platform. To put 'further right’ into context, here’s a fun quote from Zsolt Bayer, one of the founders in the party:
“Whoever runs over a Gypsy child is acting correctly if he gives no thought to stopping and steps hard on the accelerator.”
More from him on how Roma shouldn’t be allowed to exist is available here.
In case you were wondering about the official party response, Fedisz said that they wouldn’t make a statement since he wasn’t speaking on behalf of the party at the time, but that anyone who spoke out against his article was “siding with the murderer” (a Roma man).
So what effects do these politics have on the general Roma population?
Roma women are forcibly sterilized. Children are being put into segregated, inferior school systems (and when those aren’t available, immediately sent to special education regardless of their abilities). They make up 3% of the population and 80% of the human trafficking victims. They’re subject to horrific living conditions, are denied adequate access to healthcare (their life expectancy is 10 years lower than other Hungarians, infant mortality rate is much higher, women are 3 times more likely to die of cancer), and are considered unhireable. Hate crimes are frequent, rarely reported, and when they are, they very rarely result in jail time.
So what did Canada do?
We labelled them “bogus-refugees” and made it more difficult to apply, and faster for us to get rid of them. We also took away the standard healthcare and work visas afforded to other refugees. And we were fucking proud of it. Our immigration minister went to Hungary to tell them in person. Canada made pamphlets telling the Roma we could kick them out faster. Then we made a fucking billboard. The mayor of the town where they posted the billboard was very upset. Why? Because he didn’t want the Roma to come back.
They still came to Canada, despite our compelling billboard campaign. For this new/fast/confusing refugee process created specifically for them, they were assigned the shittiest imaginable lawyers. A stand-out in this field, Viktor Hohots represented over 5000 Roma refugees. He won about 1% of his cases. He fully admitted that he didn’t show up to court, didn’t submit or translate documents as evidence, and mixed up clients stories. Literally thousands of people were deported because of him. His punishment? A 5 month suspension.
But, at least a suspension is something. The RCC has been filing similar complaints about other lawyers for years with no response.
On the rare occasion that the plight of Roma refugees is brought up in the Canadian media, it’s always mentioned that a large percent of the refugees withdraw their applications, which is used to fuel the “bogus-refugee” trope. No one ever examines why they just leave. It turns out, it’s because we pay them to. The Canadian government has been telling Roma that they’ll be deported anyway, so they might as well take plane tickets and a few thousand dollars, and not have to deal with the repercussions. It’s not even a bribe, it’s an ultimatum. We’ve given out over 7 million dollars in this scheme.
There’s recently (in the past few weeks) been mention in the Canadian media that the percentage of acceptance rates for Roma refugees this year are much higher. That’s because there are much fewer applications. Because Canada now has people on the ground in Hungary, screening them before they have the chance to get on a plane.
In closing, fuck Hungary, and also fuck Canada.
I know this is post is several years long, but here’s some further reading for anyone who’s interested:
ukrainian refugees are welcome to romania. volunteers as well as local governing bodies are offering people warm food and shelter in suceava, galați, and vama siret. for more information:
whatsapp: +40765861888 (ukrainian speakers are volunteering to help w comunication)
We have to be careful about the words we use and what we agree on.
Human beings are not just a spirit and a passport. A human being is an individual and relationships and a society and social values that (s)he practice them with freedom and authority on his/her homeland.
Therefore, the issue of refugees can’t be solved by securing a place to live and and a travelling document. However, it is solved by giving him/her the right to return to his/her homeland …
Michigan Immigrant Rights Center Preparing Your Family GuideinEnglishandSpanish & Family Preparedness for Immigration Enforcement Video in English or in Spanish
A few days ago, a little syrian refugee boy was found dead on a turkish shore. His photo spreads all around the world. May this horrible vision open our eyes about this tragedy.
