Monday-Tuesday September 30 - October 1, 2013 Neo-Natal project in Ramallah

We helped with a Neo Natal project in Ramallah. Dr. Barry Anderton, his wife Sandy, and nurses Charlene and Lynnae trained medical personal in the West Bank how to revive new born infants who are not breathing.  Of 350 infants born each day in the West Bank, 35 have trouble breathing and 4 die.

Those who are trained will train others so that within 2 years most who deal with this in the West Bank will receive the education. The 2 doctors and 1 nurse who are serving at the Jerusalem Center helped train about 35 medical personnel. The trainees came from as far away as Hebron (they work in Bethlehem and live in Hebron). The training will be repeated in Bethlehem later this week.

The project is sponsored by the Jerusalem Center and funded by LDS Charities.The training material included kits with a baby doll, suction bulbs, paper blankets, ventilator, crying simulator, etc. The students were given verbal instructions and then opportunities to practice on the baby doll. 

As she left one of the Muslim women put her hand out to shake my hand.  Others were kissing and hugging our women volunteers.  Everyone seemed to appreciate the training we brought to them.

The Red Crescent Hospital in Ramallah where the training was held.

Dr. Barry Anderton working on the "baby" with one of the students.

Tawfic organized the event and arranged the logistical support.

 

The entrance to the hospital.

Would you know which bathroom is for men and which is for women?

 

Lunchtime - one of our friends from Hebron.

 

Lunchtime.

Lunchtime.

A big lunch, beautifully prepared and presented. Can you tell we liked the lunch?

Two nurses from Hebron who work in Bethlehem, at the entrance to the training. The poster shows a flow chart, explaining the steps to follow, depending on whether the baby is breathing, is not breathing, or has a low heart rate. The Dr. and nurses made it a fun event.  For example, to teach the proper breathing and heart rhythms, Barry and Sandy did a waltz to count by for breathing, and played "Stayin alive" by the BeeGees for heart rhythm. Two nurses invited us to go with them to the grape festival in Hebron. We aren't allowed to travel to Hebron.

Some of the doctors, nurses, and midwives, working on the "newborn baby". The first day, everyone was a bit formal and reserved.  The second day was a lot looser.  Some of the nurses said on the first day there was a clear separation between nurses and doctors, but by the second day they were working together and having fun. To make it seem real, the second day one of the security personnel (George) ran into the room screaming twins had just been delivered in the elevator and they weren't breathing.  They brought in two "babies" and had the students practice their skills.

Tuesday September 24, 2013 in Bedouin Villages

Sawsan, with Peace Center for Heritage, helps Bedouin women earn money by providing material for them to do embroidery and make jewelry which she sells through her store in Bethany. Sawsan took us to 2 Bedouin villages where we visited the schools. 

The first village was along the freeway, so our driver parked on the freeway and we climbed over the guard rail to walk into the village.  We were met by the head master of the elementary school and  some of the teachers.  Linda taught some of the classes "a too a taw" and "head, shoulders, knees and toes".  The schools were built by the men in the village. The first village is built with straw plastered with mud.  The children painted artwork on some of the walls.

The second school was a 20 minute slow drive on a dirt road. The Village Leader met us in his jeep part way to escort us into the village.  The teachers are all male. When Linda started teaching the songs, one of the teachers ran to get their only laptop (very small and old).  He wanted to record her, but he couldn't get it set up - too slow.  We have asked the Jerusalem Center about donating a laptop to the village when they do a replacement next year.

After we visited the school, the Village Leader invited us into his tent.  We sat on the ground on rugs and pillows.  He offered us coffee. I think we offended him when we turned it down.  We explained it is a religious thing, and is not meant to offend.  He said it is their culture to offer the guests coffee. This was difficult because we had to communicate through interpreters who spoke in broken English.

His village is "unrecognized", so the government wants to destroy the houses. He is resisting through the courts, according to Sawsan. 

Before leaving, we noticed the village women sitting in the porch of one of their houses.  We visited them, again by sitting on rugs and pillows on the ground.  Some of them are being trained in nursing by Catholic nuns. We couldn't communicate verbally, but they were very welcoming and friendly.

In the first school, by the outside wall of one of the classrooms. The school principal is on the right, and Sawsan is between her and Linda. The other women on Linda's right spoke good English. The teachers are educated, good teachers and poorly paid. Sound familiar?

Inside one of the classrooms.  Notice the girls and boys are in uniforms and all the children are well groomed. The chart on the wall lists the English alphabet.

 

This is the courtyard among several of the classroom and administrative buildings.

 

This is the playground.  It is impolite to take pictures of their houses, but you can see some of the village in the background.  As we walked into this village, many of the men were relaxing under an awning, near the freeway, waiting for the weekly shipment of food from the UN truck.

 

On the way to the second village, we passed the parking lot  / bus depot.  Some of the children live too far away to walk, so they ride a donkey to school.

 

At the second school, the Village Leader, in the center with the head scarf, had been told by the people at the first school that we were coming to visit him. Cell phones have revolutionized communication in places like this. As you can see, bamboo like material was used extensively in the construction of this school. Our driver Imed is on the right. We are not allowed to drive Jerusalem Center cars into the West Bank for these visits, so the Center hires a car and driver to take us.

 

Linda taught several classes "heads, shoulders, knees and toes, eyes, ears, mouth and nose".

All of the classrooms opened onto the central courtyard / playground.  Notice how it is nicely landscaped and green in stark contrast to everything else around the school.

The West Bank is east of Jerusalem. Clouds drop their water between the Mediterranean and Jerusalem so the West Bank is arid. West Bank is the area west of the Jordan river and east of Jerusalem.

Playground equipment with landscaping all around..

If you look closely, you can see the goats coming off the mountainside.  Notice how arid everything is.

Sunday - Monday September 22-23, 2013 Galilee humanitarian and branch visits

We visited 3 humanitarian sites in Galilee, about a 2 hour drive from Jerusalem. 

On Sunday, we visited El Hawakeer. Alaa took us to a school in Nazareth which is in the lower 20th socio-economic percentile, but scores above the averages on standardized tests. They focus on what each individual needs rather than teaching everyone the same things and the same way. They involve parents at the school and teach cooperation among students. The school was an older building but clean, and seemed like a palace compared to the Bedouin schools we visited two days later in Bethany.

On Monday, we visited YMCA in Tiberias.  We delivered school and hygiene kits which they distribute to families. Eddie is a brother to Tarek, who is director of safety at the Jerusalem Center.

Eddie rode with us to Nazareth where we visited Al Manarah. Al Manarah is an association for disabled and was started by Abass in 2005. Abass is visually impaired.  When he was 18, he needed to get a certification of his condition for the government and needed a doctor's interview as part of the process. Abbas told the doctor about his goals. The doctor replied that he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything because of his impairment. Ten years later, after getting 2 masters degrees and starting Al Manarah, he visited the doctor and related his accomplishments. The doctor apologized and now donates time at Al Manarah. One of their projects is putting books that have been translated into Arabic onto a smart phone app which they developed.  They taped Linda in their studio while we were there.

In the principal's office with Alaa and Chaz.

The courtyard in front of the school.

 

Lining up in the playground in the rear of the school.

They teach students to connect to the land. The students take care of the school landscape which promotes a feeling of self worth and accomplishment.

Linda taught the students "a too a taa".  Once a 3rd grade teacher, always a 3rd grade teacher.

Library

 

Faculty room

Looking south over Nazareth.

 

At the home of the agricultural consultant for Al Manarah.  He has a 3 story home and a small yard in back with fruit and nut trees, herbs, berries, vegetables. 

We sat on his patio where they served us fresh squeezed lemon juice, tangelo, dates, sweets, and nuts. I believe Linda thought the tangelo was a little sour.

Looking at the home from the hakura - backyard garden area. They build their houses up instead of out because it is difficult for Palestinians to get land.

 This is the view from the balcony and the chapel at the branch house, overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Golan Heights are the mountains in the background.

 The same shot, but at night with the moon rising over the Sea of Galilee.

Jay and Dawn Fox are the BYU volunteers who live at the Branch House, in the background.

 

This is the chapel inside the Branch House.  The balcony overlooking the Sea of Galilee is in the background.  Notice the 4 places to post music on the wall just beyond Linda's head - they sing in Russian, Spanish, and English.  They would also sing in Hebrew, but no LDS hymns have been approved for Hebrew translation.

 

 Two solar panels on the roof of the Branch House heat the water for the building.

 

At Al Manarah, Linda recorded a message in their studio where they record audio books in Arabic for a smart phone app.

 

Chaz Morse is a fund raiser and Abass, next to Linda, started Al Manarah. The instrument is an Oud used for music therapy.  To describe how we discriminate without thinking, he told of a disabled woman who went to a hair dresser and took her 10 year old daughter.  The hair dresser asked the daughter how her mother wanted her hair done, rather than speaking directly to the mother.

Eddie at YMCA distributes our school and hygiene kits to families who can use them. We are in the dining room of the YMCA in Tiberias.  It is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, just below the Branch House.

Thursday September 19, 2013 Ephpheta School for Deaf in Bethlehem

Ephpheta School for the Deaf in Bethlehem invited us to the blessing of their new playground. This school was started in 1971 as a result of a visit made in 1964 by Pope John Paul VI. It is run by 8 nuns. They begin teaching children and families when the deaf child is 1 year old. Sometimes families, especially fathers, withdraw from the deaf child, so they are taught 2 times/week how to accept and communicate with the deaf child. The word ephpheta in Arabic means "be open"-open mouth, hearts, etc. to communicate with each other. There are 168 students who are taught lip reading rather than sign language.  Twenty students stay at the school, the others come each day.  Those who stay must return home each week to maintain relationships with their families. The nuns do a terrific job and are vey nice to us. We have helped them with school kits and grants.

 

 This is a group of some of the younger students, with part of the new playground behind them.

After a lot of talks in Italian and Arabic, and a blessing pronounced and then sealed with a sprinkling of holy water, the Monsignor cut the ribbon. Sister Piere, with one of the students, is looking on.

The Monsignor was very kind to us.  As he was inspecting the playgrounds, he stopped to ask about us and our purpose in being there. We said the Jerusalem Center students have assembled and donated school kits. 

After the ceremony and playground inspection, we were invited to a luncheon.

Most of the nuns don't speak English, so Doris Skafi (social worker at the school) and Jane (accountant) were assigned to be with us. Doris has worked at the school for 20 years, and Jane a little less.

We talked with the engineer of the playground, Bassim Marzouga, and his wife Huda Shamieh who is also an engineer. Their daughter studied for a year in Washington DC and if she does well here in school, she can return to study for 3 years in the United States.

As we left Bethlehem, we passed through the Separation Wall, where Israeli soldiers checked our vehicle and anything that looked suspicious. Sometimes they wave us through.  This time they checked the glove compartment and asked if we were Americans.

Monday 16 September 2013 Tel Arad in Negev

Tel Arad may have been along the path Lehi took when he left Jerusalem. During Hezekiah's time, worship at an altar was forbidden anywhere but at the temple in Jerusalem. The Book of Mormon records that after Lehi had traveled 3 days in the wilderness, he stopped and built an altar where he made a sacrifice. David Seely, who is a well known translator of the Dead Sea Scrolls, was with us on this trip. He said one of the scrolls, called the temple scroll, explains that sacrifice at an altar was forbidden unless you were 3 days from Jerusalem, in which case it was acceptable. 

Archeologists agree that this is the site of a temple.  A temple had 3 parts: entrance, holy room, and holiest room where only the priest went. At the bottom right of this picture is the relatively large entrance. The partially walled area near the center of the picture is the holy room.  The small room with a couple of steps beyond the black tarp is the holiest room (holy of holies).

The main gate of Tel Arad.  It is very barren, except areas where Israelite cities are established and crops are planted and irrigated.

The Caananites occupied the same Tel at one point. This is an altar where they sacrificed animals

 This is a well that served the community.  This was a very large community of thousands.  Some of the water was supplied by rain - they channeled it down the streets to a collection point..

Tel Arad on top of the hill.