Last Friday around 50 Arava Institute alumni, led by the recently graduated Fall 2021 semester, embarked on an important and meaningful workday in a small village in the West Bank.
Severe water shortages, energy poverty and house demolitions are some of the main issues affecting the village, like many in the West Bank, but the local community holds inspiring patience and hope for a better future despite these challenges. In show of solidarity, our alumni community members traveled to the village to help out. As per the needs of the residents they created a composting workshop and a community garden, started setting up a water purification system, pulled weeds and cleared stones – all with the idea to create sustainable systems for the local community.
Water scarcity is a widespread issue in many parts of the West Bank. Villages located in Area C often lack an adequate response to their needs between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Civil Administration. Left to their own devices, these villages need to tend to their own needs when it comes to water, sewage, electricity and security.
Not only was this an amazing opportunity to do meaningful work, it was once again a chance to see the immense power our alumni community has to enact change. Additional work days will be held soon to complete the tasks started.
