ماساة شعب

The people’s tragedy

I see a beautiful view when I wake up in the early morning. When the sun rises, I see the surface of the Dead Sea, gleaming in the dawn. And when the sun rises opposite the settlement of Maale Adumim – an Israeli settlement – I see it like a grabbing crocodile.

And as I watch the sun rise, I see a promise of a better tomorrow, and when I see the Wall, winding around us, I feel an acute pain, and I liken our life to a wrapped-around tin of sardines, and I think of the future of the young people. Will they find a tomorrow without tragedy and pain and siege, and will they be depressed?

And this is the tragedy of the Palestinian people. Although I live in a place with a stunning view, the Wall spoils its beauty.

Can you see how this is painful?
Can you see the pain that the Palestinian people live in?
What tomorrow will our children find???????


ماساة شعب
استيقظ فى الصباح الباكر حتى ارى شروق الشمس فارى منظرا جميل عند الشروق ارى سطح البحر الميت وهو يلمع مع الشروق والشمس تشرق من خلف مستوطنة معالى ادوميم وهى مستوطنة اسرائيلية انظر اليها فارى منظرها كالتمساح
وانا انظر الى شروق الشمس اقول قد يكون غدا افضل واعدلكن عندما التفت من حولى اجد الجدار يلتف من حولنا اشعر بالم شديد واشبه حياتنا بعلبة السردين وافكر فى مستقبل الشباب ماذا سيجدون غدا غير الماساة والعذاب والحصار وسوف يحبطون وهذه ماساة الشعب الفلسطينى بالرغم من انى اسكن فى مكان جميل ومنظر باهر لكن الجدار يشوهه
ارايتم كم هذا مؤلم ؟
ارايتم العذاب الذى يعيشه الشعب الفلسطينى ؟
ماذا سيجد اطفالنا غدا؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟؟
حكمت حمدان

New sewing machine at Dar Assadaqa

Women visitors Nov 09

Stories from our Mothers visit to Abu Dis and Palestine

Dear friends in Abu Dis

The women's visit to Abu Dis was BRILLIANT
Thank you all for all your welcome and support and for all the activities we did together
It has really built a friendship between lots of women in Britain and Palestine and we hope to stay in touch... there are already lots of photos, a film being made, a blog being made (very slowly, sorry, although some of the reports are ready)
and the book...

Here is the page from the website about the project: you will find lots of things there including photos

http://www.camdenabudis.net/stories.html

Thank you to all of you who applied to join the visit in March to Britain. We wish you could all come. We will just have to do it again and again ...

All best wishes to all of you
from the Camden women.

Notice of women's activities at Dar Assadaqa

نشاطات اللجنة النسويةالسبت 12-12-2009 1. محاضرة طبية فى دار الصداقة بالتعاون الاغاثة الطبية ومركز تنظيم وحماية الاسرة الفلسطينية حضرها نحو 20 سيدة من ابوديس والعيزرية حول وسائل الكشف المبكرة عن مرض سرطان الثدي، وقد تقرر بعد المحاضرة إقامة ورشات عمل اسبوعية حول نفس الموضوع باشراف الاغائة الطبية الفلسطينية وهذة دعوة عامة لجميع النساء للمشاركة في فعاليات ورش العمل كل يوم سبت الساعة العاشرة صباحاً.2. بدأت في دار الصداقة ورشات عمل حول سن المراهقة وذلك بالتعاون مع مركز المرفأ للصحة النفسية حيث عقد اللقاء الاول يوم السبت الساعة 12 باشراف الدكتورة هدى حسن من المرفأ ومن المقرر ان يكون هناك لقاء اسبوعي بحضور اولياء أمور وطلبه من المدارس

Learning Arabic

(this is not a picture of learning Arabic!!)

MERHABA

KEEF KUM?

The women who are coming to Palestine have started to learn Arabic..

The programme is nearly ready...

The air tickets are bought...

We are really looking forward ...

Women's visit update

We have had lots of applications to join the women's visit to Palestine in November. 12 women are coming and they will have their first meeting next Tuesday. It is sounding very exciting and the women in London send their greetings to their friends in Palestine...
LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!!

5th September - Dar Assadaqa women's meeting

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السبت 5-9-2009
الساعة -11
المقر :دار الصداقة
اللجنة النسوية
اجتمعت اللجنة النسوية وتمت مناقشة المواضيع التالية:
زيارة الوفد النسوى القادم من لندن فى اواخر شهر تشرين اول القادم الى ابوديس والفعاليات التى سيتم انجازها خلال الزيارة
وضع برنامج للعام القادم كالاتى:
متابعة الدورات الصحية لمرضى السكرى -والصحة النفسية -الزواج المبكر -وسن المراهقةوالصحة الانجابية
دورة انتاجية للاشغال اليدوية
شراء ماكنات الخياطة والتحضير لدورة مبتداة للخياطة
دورة كمبيوتر مبتداة
التحضير لدورة انجليزى جديدة عند حضور المتطوعة الجديدة بعد شهر رمضان
التحضير لمجلة "صوت المراة فى عدد جديد
ابلاغ النساء عن امكانية كتابة ما عندهن من قصص او سمعنها من احد
تطلب اللجنة النسوية من القائمين على دار الصداقة امكانية المساعدة على تجديد بعض الاشياء فى المبنى من الداخل
الترتيب لرحلة ترفيهية للنساء والاطفال بين العيدين
تم الا تفاق على ذالك وبموافقة عضوات اللجنة اللاتى حضرن الاجتماع وهن -:
نجاح عياد-فتحية ابوهلال-امنة الخطيب -سارة شقيرات -ميسون ابو هلال- كفاية حديدون-وتغيبت كل من :فاطمة شقيرات-وصفية
عن اللجنة النسوية نجاح عياد

Kul aam w intum bekhair

New women's project

Dear all of you in the Dar Assadaqa women's group

Thanks very much for the letter Sarah sent us from you all.

We have had a meeting of the women's links group here in Camden (London) and we are very pleased that we have got some funding from the Anna Lindh project for the women's project we were hoping for.

These are the main parts of the project:

* women's visit from Camden to Abu Dis in early November
* women's visit from Abu Dis to Camden in March
* making a book together to be finished in May.

* We need to plan it together, very soon - There is so much to do now! And I hope to speak to you in the next few days. Maybe you can let us know when you meet so we can talk on Skype?

All best wishes

Nandita on behalf of the women's links group in Camden.

Camden teachers' visit

Dear all of you
Now Annika is back in London... Will you see this blog? HOPE SO...
Now I really miss you... I was in Abu Dis with the teachers' visit (see below) and hardly saw any of you... Wewere so busy... HOPE TO SEE YOU SOOON...... Nandita

The Dar Assadaqa banner

We are in the process of making a banner for Dar Assadaqa. Here it is!

Dear all of you

THANK YOU

for the lovely pictures and the information about your women's day! It is so nice to see it.

Here we are all still very busy as we have had lots of events and lots of visitors... Our next women's links meeting will be next term (*after the holiday we have in April)

We will ask Annika to tell us about her time in Abu Dis with you...

My nice news is I AM COMING TO SEE YOU ALL! Really looking forward!

Love to you all

Nandita

International Women's Day 2009

On the 7th March we celebrated International Women's Day at Dar Assadaqa. We invited many women from Abu Dis. We brought many sweets but the children ate most of them. Naja welcomed everyone and talked to them about Dar Assadaqa in Arabic and Fatheya translated into English. Women came from all over the world including Australia, Sweden, England many from Abu Dis.

Marah sang a song about Palestine and the children performed a short play about a lady whose finger was bitten by a dog belonging to the General. After that we connected on the internet with the women in London. We exchanged messages and we thanked them for raising money for our garden.

At the same time other people were planting trees and plants in the garden.

Here are some members of the Women's Committee and Annika.

Here is Ne'ma wearing a traditional Palestinian dress that she made by herself.

Fatheya and Sara are planting.

Women's visit 2009

Hurray! 11 women from Palestine arrived last Wednesday in London... including Hiba from Abu Dis and Rawan and Saeda from the Al Quds University in Abu Dis.... It is brilliant having them here.... Here is a picture of some of the people at a welcome meal on the day they came.

After that, the women started travelling all over the country, doing talks about Palestine. Rawan and Hiba and Sirien (from Toubas) and Ghada (from Jenin) talked at our International Women's Day event.

We were very happy to talk to you on the Messenger but a

pity we couldn't see you.... PLEASE PLEASE WRITE TO US!

And... thank you for the magazine!

Love from Nandita

Abu Dis musicians have arrived in London

... and some of the women's group were at a welcome meal at Katy's in their honour.

We talked about the blog and decided to send you another message. We are still hoping you will write back - in English or in Arabic, no problem...

*Hope you are all well*

love from Nandita, Lucinda, Katy and Cristina

From the Camden women's links group

Dear women at Dar Assadaqa

We had a meeting today and we were very pleased to hear about what you are doing.

We looked at your list of things that you are doing. We talked about sewing and computers. It is interesting. Everyone at our meeting has a sewing machine but no-one uses them any more.... All of us used to make clothes but it is cheaper to buy clothes now. What do you want to make?

But all of us think computers are very useful... We all use them a lot.

Anyway we want to keep in touch with you all.

We are looking forward to the Palestinian women's visit and we are planning some great events. We are having an International Women's Day event on 7th March at the Calthorpe Centre and we would like to talk to you that day on Skype at 2pm our time - that is 4pm your time.

What do you think? Is that a good time for you? Will that work?

We are looking forward to hearing from you

Love from Lucinda, Katy, Nandita (and Cristina, Margot, Lucy and Val who couldn't come today)

Abu Dis women friends in London!

Dear all of you (and other friends there)

We miss you in London! Please write to us here, in English or Arabic

and write soon!

X Nandita