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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Life under occupation Home page  back Print  Send To friend “Rebuilding to Remain in Palestine” Helps Jordan Valley Villagers Build Homes on the Land They Own GLOBAL DONORS FORUM 26.4.12 Following an inaugural keynote address by the honorable Prime Minister of Malaysi, Dato` Sri Najib Razak, the Global Donors Forum is featuring “Rebuilding to Remain in Palestine” as a Trendsetter. Award-winning Palestinian-Colombian Architect Hani Hassan and M.I.T. Engineer Donna Baranski-Walker, founder of Rebuilding Alliance, will present their Architecture, Advocacy, and Crowdsource Mortgage Financing work with the Palestinian Village of Al Aqaba, today at 4:15PM at the Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Hotel. The Global Donors Forum is the annual convening of the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists to promote effective giving and forge strategic partnerships for high-impact social investment. The “Rebuilding to Remain in Palestine” initiative was developed in a partnership between Al Aqaba Village, a Palestinian Village in the Jordan Valley, Area C, near Tubas, and the American nonprofit, Rebuilding Alliance, based in San Mateo California. In 2003, just after Al Aqaba Village won a landmark decision by the Israeli High Court requiring the removal of an Israeli Army training camp from village grounds, Rebuilding Alliance helped Al Aqaba construct a kindergarten that now serves 130 children. That kindergarten has attracted the further investment of 17 countries, U.N. Agencies, and NGO’s in Al Aqaba Village despite demolition orders issued by the Israeli Army against the mosque, medical clinic, the kindergarten and all the homes but two, for lack of unattainable building permits. Now the displaced villagers are ready to return home. “This is my smallest project but my most important,” said Architect Hani Hassan who won the European Center`s 2010 International Architecture Award for his energy-efficient Desert House in Jericho. `Al Aqaba Village symbolizes the struggle of thousands of families in the Palestinian Territories for a better life. A life with freedom and dignity starts with rebuilding their demolished homes, designing affordable new homes that reflect their culture, dreams and hopes.” The Villagers of Al Aqaba asked Rebuilding Alliance to help them build new homes when they realized that demolition orders issued by the Israeli Army against 97% of their village meant there could soon be no village to return to. Working with Architect Hani Hassan and a vibrant team of advisers in an architectural design charrette, they designed affordable, expandable new homes. Three are now in construction with 30 planned. Having completed 3 detailed master plans, the Al Aqaba Village Council issued its own building permits, becoming the first Palestinian town in Area C — that 62% of the West Bank solely controlled by Israel — to do so. A month later, Rebuilding Alliance became the first to offer an Islamic-compliant mortgage loan to families living in Area C, with the provision that if the home is demolished the family does not repay their loan until occupancy is restored. “We hope people throughout the world will contribute to this courageous building project and so spread-out the financial risk of demolition while engaging their own elected officials to press for the policy change needed to keep these families safe,” said Donna Baranski-Walker, founder of Rebuilding Alliance. “Al Aqaba Village — and the other 148 Palestinian villages in Area C — deserve the right to build their homes on the land they own, send their children to school down the street, worship freely, and plan their future as good neighbors. These are basic human rights that cannot wait.” #### Al Aqaba Village is a small village that sits on the western edge of the Jordan Valley in the West Bank, near Tubas, guided by visionary Mayor Haj Sami Sadeq Sbaih who invites the world to visit! Most residents depend on agriculture and animal herding for their livelihood. When Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, the army built three bases around Al Aqaba and began conducting live-fire military training within the village itself. Over 30 years, 12 residents were killed and 38 wounded as a result of these exercises. Mayor Haj Sami, in a wheelchair for life, was the first victim. In 2001, the village won a historic victory when the Israeli High Court ordered the Israeli army to remove one of its military bases from village land and cease using the village for training. The village hoped the reduced military presence would allow the 700 exiled villagers to return and asked the Rebuilding Alliance for help with building a kindergarten. The kindergarten now serves 130 children of parents who live both in and outside the village. Despite the court victory, in 2004 Al Aqaba’s very existence was threatened when nearly the entire village was issued demolition orders by the Israeli army. The official reason given was a lack of building permits, which are unattainable. In 2008, the Israeli High Court stated that “For the time being, the center of the village of Al Aqaba will remain standing,” however, the Israeli army has since twice denied Al Aqaba’s urban plan. The village filed its third urban plan in August, 2011 but has yet to receive approval from the Israeli Army. About Al Aqaba: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqabah Visit Al Aqaba: http://alaqabaguesthouse.wordpress.com/ Hani Hassan, Architect, has practiced extensively in Colombia and later in the United States of America and Palestine, where had the opportunity to hold different positions as project manager, team director, and senior architect. He developed excellent experience in architectural design in many different locations and climates. Throughout his career, Arch. Hassan has been concerned with bioclimatic architecture, and green buildings. Arch. Hassan is the recipient of numerous international design awards including the European Center`s 2010 International Architecture Award for his energy-efficient Desert House in Jericho. www.hanihassanarchitects.com Donna Baranski-Walker founded Rebuilding Alliance in 2003 to do something big: village-centered, world-actuated rebuilding of war-torn communities in a way that begins recovery and assures continuing safety. Ms. Baranski-Walker holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.S. in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Hawaii. She draws upon lessons learned from the Polish Solidarity Movement some 30 years ago, for which she was recently awarded a Medal of Gratitude at the Gdansk Shipyard before 25,000 people. Rebuilding Alliance is bringing the world together to help Palestinian families rebuild their neighborhoods and recognize their right to plan and build on the land they own. Rebuilding Alliance’s life affirming vision is a just and enduring peace in Israel and Palestine founded upon equal value, security, and opportunity for all. Rebuilding Alliance`s programs in Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Israel are sponsored by donors of all faiths and backgrounds and are featured on GlobalGiving.org. For more information, please visit www.RebuildingAlliance.org Once a year, the World Congress of Muslim Philanthropists brings together distinguished philanthropists, public and private sector leaders, social investors, and experts from across the world to offer pragmatic insight and constructive response to pressing global and regional challenges. The annual Global Donors Forum serves as a marketplace for ideas, a platform for sharing knowledge and forging partnerships, and a launching pad for high-impact collaborative activities. In addition, this forum is widely recognized as the premier worldwide forum on Muslim philanthropy where issues unique to Muslim giving are discussed in a safe space. http://globaldonorsforum.org rh Links to the latest articles in this section Occupation forces injure mourners following funeral of slain infant Mohammad Tamimi Nabi Saleh village assaulted - toddler shot in the head died in hospital Palestinians in the snow: thrown from home into the snow, throw snowballs and get arrested