A Fundraiser’s Visit to the West Bank

15 April 2011

Action Against Hunger’s Food-related Fundraising Coordinator, Cassy Olszewski, recently visited the West Bank in the Occupied Palestinian Territory to see firsthand some of the programmes that the international humanitarian organisation is operating in the country.

So Cassy, how did your trip to the Occupied Palestinian Territory come about?

I have visited that part of the world quite a few times, however, I had never been to see any of the areas where Action Against Hunger is working (Hebron and Nablus in the West Bank and Gaza). When talking to the Country Director in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, our programmes sounded so inspiring that I promised myself that the next time I went over there I would visit one of the projects to see for myself.

Could you tell us about the programmes you visited?

I arrived in Jerusalem and met Lani Treynouth, Action Against Hunger’s Food Security and Livelihoods Coordinator, in the head office. We then drove to the city of Hebron where several programmes are based. On the way, Lani told me that when the barrier was built, many work opportunities were lost, which has placed enormous stress on the livelihoods of communities. In response, Action Against Hunger has provided 550 disadvantaged Palestinian women and men with temporary employment.

I was really lucky to visit not one, but three different programmes in one day and it was amazing to get to see the West Bank.

The first programme we visited was a women’s Cash-For-Work initiative. This is run in coordination with a local NGO and provides employment for disadvantaged women, for example if they are the main breadwinner in their family – if their husband has died or is disabled etc.

The women are paid to make cakes out of dates and semolina (a popular recipe in the West Bank). The cakes are then sold to merchants and some of the profits go towards making the next batch. The women gathered at the Turkish Cultural Centre to make the cakes and when I visited I met about 30 of the women who worked there. They were all lovely and very welcoming.

We then drove to a man’s Cash-For-Work scheme, where disadvantaged men are building roads in rural areas to provide villages with access to markets. The roads are very important as without them, entire villages can be cut off from food supplies and public services.

Finally we visited a family in a herder community, who are one of the most vulnerable groups because of recurrent droughts and limited access to traditional grazing ground. I met a woman who had previously lived in a tent that she had sewn together out of coffee bean sacks. Action Against Hunger had given her an improved canvas tent to live in. They also give the communities seeds and refill water cisterns, when running low. She gave us tea and some really hard cheese to snack on – it was very strong and snapped in your mouth but tasted delicious. She was very hospitable despite not having much herself. 

What was your overall impression?

It was just beautiful. There is so much desert for miles and miles and from one of the viewpoints that I was taken to, you could see all the way to Jordan.

I met lots of lovely people. It is such a beautiful country. There were lots of school children who seemed to be walking miles and miles to get to school. They saw our trucks and ran after us like crazy – they were very excited to see us.

Action Against Hunger’s programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory were established in 2002 and are ongoing for the long term. The teams are not there in an emergency context – they are there to help build livelihoods and sustainable futures, and we expect the teams to be there for a long time. 

What are your thoughts now you have returned to the UK?

Working in the fundraising team at Action Against Hunger’s HQ in London is so different from being based in the field. Office life and city life takes over and it’s sometimes hard to visualise the work that teams in places like the Occupied Palestinian Territory are doing.

Seeing the programmes firsthand reminded me of why I am working here and the immense good that we are all doing. We all contribute to make Action Against Hunger’s programmes happen. Whether it’s working directly in the field or fundraising from the office in the UK – we are all doing our bit to save the lives of children and fight malnutrition. 

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