Press Releases

Aidat Voluntary Day: Enhancing Palestinian Resilience and Cohesion in the Jordan Valley
Aidat Voluntary Day: Enhancing Palestinian Resilience and Cohesion in the Jordan Valley

On Friday, 25 February 2022, BADIL, in partnership with members of the Global Palestinian Refugee Network, a number of grassroots organizations form the Jordan Valley, and the feminist group “Aidat” carried out a voluntary work day in Khirbet Tal Al-Hama area in the northern Jordan Valley near the villages of Bardala and Ain Al-Bayda.

 

The voluntary day included an introductory lecture and field tour to Khirbet Tal Al- Hama in the northern Jordan Valley.  A resident of the Jordan Valley and member of the Campaign to Protect the Jordan Valley, spoke to approximately 100 youth and women volunteers about land confiscation, control of natural resources (particularly the plentiful water reserves) home and property demolitions, colonizer violence and the Israeli pastoral land policies. All of these policies and practices are used to create a coercive environment in the Jordan Valley for Palestinians and to establish and expand colonies.

 

In Khirbet Tal Al-Hama, the volunteer participants assisted Palestinian land owners with cleaning the ponds and weeding, erecting a fence around the lands, and hauling stones and wood. There was also a musical performance provided by a group of the volunteers.

 

This is the first of many activities to be implemented by BADIL in partnership with members of the Global Palestinian Refugee Network and partner associations in the Jordan Valley; to increase the resilience of the Palestinians there and highlight Israeli policies and practices affecting those communities.

 

BADIL’s women’s initiative “Aidat” is part of BADIL’s strategy to empower rights holders with the information, tools and skills necessary to raise their voice on historic and contemporary issues facing the Palestinian people, especially women and youth who are marginalized significantly.  The overall aim from BADIL’s empowerment program is to raise public awareness on Palestinian refugees and displaced persons, to enhance the Palestinian identity and social cohesion and to contribute to strengthening the resilience of Palestinians by supporting inter- and intra-community initiatives.