He is the father of 4 boys and 2 girls, all between the ages of 18 and 3. His boys are: Abdullah - 18 and Mohammed - 16; and his girls are: Wurd - 15; Sijud - 9; Sajida - 6; Raghed - 3.

Khaled lives on the hillside overlooking the north gate; the piece of land that used to belong to his family. Khaled has suffered from a heart condition since a young age; this makes his ability to work limited. Khaled does have a job at the local school as the janitor. He brings home 600 NIS per month; 600 NIS to pay for water, electricity, food and all things necessary to run his household. Khaled also has two loans from the bank that he is trying to re-pay. As his family grew, there was a need to expand his living quarters. His family had been living in the basement of the home where we sat for the interview.

His eldest son did not pass the TOWJIHEE and now spends him time in his studies to re-take it; this so he may either continue his education or find a decent job to help support the family. Mohammed, the younger of the two sons, dropped out of school and is hoping to find a job to help support the family.

Before the Apartheid Wall was built, IM Abdullah sold all of her gold to purchase 80 olive trees. These trees were to be planted on the family land. After 8 of them had been carefully planted, the notice for their destruction, and the confiscation of the land came. What is now the north gate of Jayyous (and a portion of the road) used to belong to this family. Now, they borrow olive oil from the neighbors when they need oil.

The family owns 6 sheep and 2 goats. The money to feed them is sporadic; the animals are not as healthy as they should be. They are not producing milk and cheese as they should because of this.

The second youngest of the girls begins school today for the first time; the family cannot afford to pay for the uniform.

We suggest $100 per month for this family for the next year. Thanks for your consideration.

Alaa is from a family of 5 children. He is the 2nd eldest son in the family. The older brother lives in the UAE. Ala has 2 younger brothers and he had a sister, also severaely developmentally disabled, who died last year at the age of 18. Alaa is 22 years old and was born in Kuwait. He has also lived with his family in Jordan. This is where he was diagnosed. Alaa has been diagnosed as: Globally developmentally disabled with a seizure disorder that involves intractable convulsions. He also suffers from delayed tooth growth and badly decayed teeth and gums. He has left eye cataract and glaucoma and has undergone one surgery many years ago. He still suffers from pressure in his eye. Alaa is also anaemic. He functions at the level of a 3-year old. This means he cannot bathe or clothe himself and he cannot use the toilet alone. He has severely restricted fine motor sklls and is unable to hold any eating utensils. He is also non-verbal and has never attended school. Ala needs at least 6 hours a day of direct care; his mother takes on most of this work.

I sat with Alaa and his family for more than one hour today and found Ala to be a great joy! He enjoys very much to sit outside in the sun and he also is a big fan of TV. He also enjoys small things that he can hold that contain many varied colors! It seems to fascinate him!

Alaa's father is one of the many farmers who has suffered greatly from the apartheid wall. His family lost 70-80 olive trees so the IOF could build the asphalt road that now separates the village from the land; he also lost approximately 100 trees for the IOF watchtower. Behind the wall now sits 6 dunams where his ANCIENT ROMAN OLIVE trees live; he is unable to get to them. Before the wall, he was harvesting almond and fig trees (40) on his land and these trees, he fears, have now died.

When I told the family that it may take time to find a sponsor, the father just smiled. He said to me through my translator "you ask me to be patient and I have been with Alaa for 22 years, I can wait forever....after all, he is my son." He had a tear in his eye as he spoke these words to me. He is a gentle man. I hope we can help him.

Abdul Karim (36) is the father of 6: four girls, aged 13, 12, 8 and 2 and two boys, ages 7 and 6. Abdul Karim is a simple man. In addition to being a farmer/shepherd, he also worked as a (I have to find this out, I forgot…) Abdul Karim, like many men/families in the small village of Jayyous lost his land to the Apartheid Wall. His land used to be what is now the asphalt road that divides the village from the land. This means part of his land was bulldozed and the land that sits behind the wall is no longer accessible to him. His family used to enjoy the meat from his goats and sheep. Since losing his land, he has had to sell them to make money. Abdul Karim has recently been diagnosed with cancer. His doctor has told him that he can no longer work. All of his children are school aged. Of course, there is tuition to pay, albeit a minute amount here in Jayyous. In addition, the kids need things like backpacks, pencils, paper, and clothing. You can imagine what else this family would need assistance with as far as finances