Dear Friends,

Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund is pleased to announce a summary of our activities in Palestine for the women and children of Palestine during the summer of 2007.   The most significant contribution is the arrival of two pediatricians from the United States to Beitlehem and the surrounding villages, Beit Sahour and Alfaraa refugee camps to visit our children and provide them with their basic medical needs. Dr. Don Eitzman from Orlando Florida just completed a three weeks visit and distributed multivitamins, antibiotics, eye drops and other vital medications to hundreds of children.  The visit was arranged by our dear friends from the Westminster Presbyterian Church and through the hard work of Mr. & Mr. Moneta  Prince in Austin, Texas and the generosity of Mr. & Mrs. John and Eileen Felming in Orlando, Florida and the Islamic Center in Glendale Heights.  Also, Dr. John Gunkel of San Antonio, Texas just arrived to Jerusalem with another shipment of medicine to be delivered to the children during his four weeks stay in Palestine to help us provide our children with some basic medical needs.  Dr. Gunkel’s visit was arranged by our dear friend Rolla El Aydi from Beer Saba, currently living in San Antonio, Texas and the medications were paid for by our dear friends Mr. & Mrs. Edward and Karen Hartwell of St. James Episcopal Church of Austin, Texas and members of their church.  Mr and Mrs. Hartwell with their generosity, kindness and support for the children in Palestine provided more than $20,000 U.S dollars worth of medications that will go through their contacts in Gaza and Jerusalem.  PCWF plans other trips that will include doctors and dentists and the success of our work will depend on your generosity and support for our work in Palestine.  Pictures of the children and the doctors art work will be sent to you later for your viewing and to appreciate the looks of children happily receiving love and kindness from Dr. Eitzman and Dr. Gunkel.

            Meanwhile, more than 2000 children in Gaza will receive pre-dental screening tests, toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes and training on good dental hygiene and the benefits of preventive treatment.  The program is being coordinated with the Union of Health Workers’ Committees in Gaza and the Palestine Red Crescent Society under the supervision of our dear friend the vice president of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Gaza Dr. Mona Elfarra.  The dentists will be hired locally to help support the medical professionals in Gaza and to encourage the employment of Palestinian expertise where available in the various fields.  PCWF would like to thank our friends Antar and Abla from Palestine and Lebanon for their generosity and our friends from St. Louis in the Center for Theology and Social Analysis for their generous contributions and support by selling olive oil, arts and crafts in order to support such a vital program for our children in Gaza, the largest open air prison in the world.

During the months of July/August 2007 more than one hundred young men and women from Beitlehem, Beit Sahour a, Beit Jala, Jenin, and Jerusalem will receive training by two technology professionals who arrived this week from Austin, Texas.  The training will include video editing, web authoring, animation, graphic design and the production of live and recorded television shows.  The objective is to allow the various communities in Palestine to use the technology medium in producing and distributing to the world their stories of oppression and suffering under the Israeli occupation.  Our friends at the University of Beitlehem and the Friars School in Beit Jala and Jerusalem are coordinating the program and each participant in the program will receive a diploma of achievement upon the completion of the fifty hours course.  We would like to thank our friends at the Islamic Center in Glendale Heights and the Middle East Peace Group in Michigan for their generous contribution which allowed us to pay for the transportation and housing of the two technology specialists who will greatly benefit our brothers and sisters in Palestine

Finally, PCWF in collaboration with the Union of Health Workers Committees in Gaza will be offering three courses of English and three courses of basic technology training to children in Gaza and Rafah up till the age of 12.  The classes will take place in north, south and central Gaza to ensure that ALL the children in Gaza are served despite the difficulty in transportation and the lack of money to pay for transportation to reach the classes.  PCWF would like to thank our dear friends Lynn and Victor and the Bernice Jenkins Foundation for their generous contribution which allowed us to employ six young Palestinian men and women will teach these classes and to provide the children of Gaza the opportunity to learn and improve their English language skills and to acquire important technology skills for their future academic careers.  .

PCWF would like to extend its sincere thanks and gratitude to our generous friends and donors who helped make the dreams of our children by providing them with quality medical care and medicine.  Also, we would like to thank our dear friend Mark and his wife for spending their valuable summer vacation away from their children to teach our young men and women in Palestine the latest in technology which is going to be essential in developing our work and taking it to the next step in educating the world on the plight of the children and the innocent civilians in Palestine. 

The English program in Jayyous continues to provide basic English skills to more than 90 young children, 70 girls and 20 boys who attend regularly in the local library to receive instruction by two local students from Bir Zeit University.  We would like to extent our sincere thanks to the generous women at Dubai Women’s College who held their annual book sale and provided us with the opportunity to exent the program for another year and to offer the children the opportunity to learn a foreign language with the latest technology   PCWF purchased last year a computer, a digital camera, books, stationery and other supplies for the program in order to provide the teachers with the right tools in their work.   We will be examining the program this year and sending trained professionals in the field of education to expand the program and to add an intermediate level class after we secure the funding.  .   PCWF delivered more than 30 laptops, 24 digital cameras and other technology related peripheries which will be used for the medical, technology and educational programs listed above

Your online purchases of olive oil, soap, embroidery and crafts creates honorable jobs and provide living wages to the farmers and artisans in Palestine and give our brothers and sisters in Palestine hope for their future in their land till the ugly illegal occupation ends.  A dollar provides two meals for a child for a day and five dollars provides a doctor’s visit along with the medication necessary for basic medical needs of a child.  EVERY dollar count and we work for our children one dollar at a time and your help will be greatly appreciated.

Looking forward to working with you for the children and THANKS again for your generosity, work and support for the children in Palestine

Salamat

 

Riad Elsolh Hamad

 

PCWF Coordinator