Heart felt thanks comes from the bedouin community in Umm Al Nasser village in Gaza, and we are forever grateful for your support.
Since our last posts ,(http://wp.me/psaGo-15 )some of you have generously donated to help via this blog.
Some of you may actually remember Um Al NAsser village from 2007. ( excerpt from electronic intifada)
“At approximately 10:00 on Tuesday, 27 March 2007, four Palestinians, an elderly woman and 3 children, were killed and 20 others injured in the Um El-Naser (Bedouin) village, when the earth barriers around a sewage disposal pool broke 150 meters to the north of the village. As a result, sewage water flooded from the pool flooded the village, and the effect was more devastating due to the fact that the pool’s elevation was higher than the village, giving the flood more power and destructive force. The level of sewage water was 2 meters high in the village. Four people were drowned to death, and 20 others were injured by the flooding. Emergency crews from the Civil Defense Corps, Medical Crews, and Naval Police were still trying to find missing people at the time of publication. More than 250 homes were damaged, including 20 homes that were totally destroyed. In addition, substantial damage was caused to commercial shops, private vehicles, and other services in the area.”
Umm Al NAsser village is somewhere we spend a lot of time. It is a village of nomadic Palestinians whose hospitality is always second to none. We have spent many days walking through fields of crops, many destroyed in the last floods, or through fields of absolutely delicious strawberries that should be enjoyed by the rest of the world, but which are regularly sold for pittance or left to rot in containers at the border when Israel decides to shut Karem Shalom.
We sit around campfires drinking sweet tea with families who have been left with virtually nothing . Homes were destroyed by wind and water, with rain still pouring through rusted holes in galvanised roofs.
Thanks to you, we have now managed to cover 52 homes with strong plastic sheeting. The strong plastic/nylon sheeting is wrapped tightly over the roofs and /or walls of the primitive homes of the villagers. This at least ensures that the heavy rains are being held back from pouring into the rooms and on to the clothes, bed clothes and in to furniture , destroying homes and families …..Some families needed extra blankets which you have also provided. This may seem like a small matter but it is the difference between bed clothes , children’s clothes and families them selves being wet , damp or destroyed to actually being dry!!!
Our gratitude goes to each of you who donated but there are still families we have not reached yet and can not reach with out more help.
A quick reminder, there is a paypal button on the donate page of the blog. Again, we reiterate that every cent donated goes to the village for more plastic and blankets. On behalf of the villagers, we offer a huge thank you to all who have and those who may donate and we will of course keep updating you all.
The pictures below are some of the actual homes now covered in Plastic sheeting.
Irish in gaza 