Articles
Waging Peace, Page 47
A Wedding Gift Brings Joy to Thousands of Children
WHEN AMERICAN couple Heather Henyon and Armen Vartanian decided to get married, they didn’t set up a wedding registry. Instead, they asked their guests to use what they might have spent on a gift as a donation to Playgrounds for Palestine (PfP) (<www.playgroundsforpalestine.org>). Why? Because the perfect wedding gift for Heather and Armen turned out to be a playground for Palestinian children living in the West Bank refugee camp of Al-Arroub.
“We passionately care about the people of Palestine, having lived and worked there,” said Heather. “We traveled to the West Bank together in 2003, and wanted to use this opportunity to give something back.”
In the narrow, neglected streets and alleys among the hoard of houses in Al-Arroub refugee camp, south of Bethlehem, children wander around looking for a place to play and release the stress and tension of their daily lives. Up until a year ago, there was no place they could go.
“We’re approximately 9,000 inhabitants and the refugee camp is crowded,” explained Basma Jawabra, a mother of three and employee at the Popular Committee of Al-Arroub Refugee Camp. “Children are suffering the most because there is a lack of clubs, recreational activities and places to play. Although children are at a crucial stage of their lives where they need to run around and be active, and allow for their minds as well as bodies to grow and develop, we, as refugee parents, can only offer so little. The camp sinks in poverty, our houses are tiny and some houses don’t even have windows, let alone a room or some space for the children to play.”
“It is not enough to give them food, medicine and shelter. We believe it is important to nurture the Palestinian child’s imagination, creativity, and impulse to play,” said PfP. Added Susan Abulhawa of PfP, “They live under such difficult circumstances, and play is the principle tool children can use to work through the challenges of their lives.”
This was PfP’s first locally manufactured playground. After a year of working with Philadelphia architect Ali Saleh and local manufacturers in Palestine, they were able to come up with a design that was fun, safe, innovative, and, more importantly, could be manufactured from locally available raw materials using local labor, thus, creating jobs. With the invaluable help of American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), which administered all steps of the installation on the ground, the playground was built in the camp’s first public park, opened a year ago by the Popular Committee and the Faneeq Association. Every year the Popular Committee holds a two-week summer camp at the park for Al-Arroub’s children.
Children from pre-schools and schools from nearby villages fill this park every day with laughter and commotion—and now what attracts children the most, with its great size and bright colors, is the new playground. “My children love it,” Basma said. “It is the first thing they run toward and spend most time on when I take them to the park.”
This May, Heather and Armen will travel to Palestine for the playground’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and a fun-filled day of activities and games for children and adults alike. It will be a day to celebrate how one couple’s selfless gift has given and continues to give so much joy to others.
For more information e-mail < This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. > or visit . Donations to help build a playground may be sent to: Playgrounds for Palestine, P.O. Box 559, Yardley, PA 19067.
—Courtesy Nada Dajani, ANERA and PfP staff
