Stories from the Newsletter

As the ministry of Pal Craftaid grew, so did the numbers of artisans and the agencies with which the ministry shares its profits from sales. The projects/agencies primarily serve women and children and most are tied to a Christian church. Among the partners are:

•Rawdat El-Zuhur is an elementary school in East Jerusalem with classes ranging from kindergarten through sixth grade. The school has a Christian principal. Pal Craftaid funds are used to enrich the holistic and character-building curriculum with French, drama, music, art and dance classes. Such creativity is particularly important for children who daily endure the stresses of life under occupation, including crossing military check points to get to school.

•The Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children in Gaza City has nearly 300 students, aged three to 18, in its educational program. The students live below the poverty line. Atfaluna’s goal is to – with generous love – teach deaf children and adults social skills to break the isolation that can limit their opportunities. Income-generating craft projects now employ more than 70 people at the school and more than 300 women who work from their homes. The income generated by the crafts help families survive the economic blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel.

•The Arab Orthodox Society (AOS) is a Christian women’s organization. Through AOS, Pal Craftaid has provided financial support to buy medicine, clothing and food for individuals and for families. It has supplied three families with a $25 monthly stipend for more than seven years.

•Aid to the Aged (ATTA) serves the elderly who live in Jerusalem’s Old City and in the West Bank who live separately from their families because of travel restrictions imposed upon Palestinians by Israel, prohibiting easy movement across checkpoints and now by the separation wall. ATTA provides hot meals, medication, transportation to medical appointments and errands, socialization, spiritual comfort and even house cleaning services. Pal Craftaid has helped fund home repairs and improvements within the Old City. ATTA address the vulnerability and isolation of the elderly with a trained corps of volunteers of all ages.

•The YWCA of Palestine continues to provide young women with vocational training, career development and job opportunities. Programs operate in refugee camps and villages for women and children. In recent years, participants in the YWCA programs have developed self-confidence and earned needed income for their families. With the YMCA, the YWCA is engaged in replanting olive trees where orchards have been bulldozed by the Israeli military.