Playground for Palestine

“Building Playgrounds with Love and Hope”

It is now a few months since I had the honour of running in part of the Palestine Marathon in Bethlehem and my quest to get a playground built in al Walaja continues. Thank you for reading my story and, if you have any questions you can get me at jeansharp11@gmail.com 

On 10th March 2023 I'm doing a 5k run as part of the Bethlehem Marathon!! 

I will be running alongside around 6,300 Palestinians and 1,700 visitors. The run is being done entirely within the separation wall that surrounds Bethlehem, there are a few hills to run up. But, I am told, that people stop at the various coffee shops along the way for a drink and chat! I'm sure it will be an amazing day and am taking this opportunity to realise even more donations towards my target to build the playground in al Walaja. 

Please read my story here:

I am currently fundraising to build a playground in al Walaja, a vibrant village just 4km from Bethlehem which, as many of you know, is very close to my heart.

Children are the heart of Palestinian communities and families who yearn for a safe and enriched environment for their children.

Until the wall was built, the children in al Walaja had access to a playground in the grounds of the Catholic Cremisan Monastery. This is now on the other side of the dividing wall. A small part of the Cremisan land remains on the Palestinian side of the wall and we believe this to be the ideal site for a playground.

On a recent visit to the West Bank I was helping to rebuild a home for a Palestinian family near al Arroub refugee camp near Hebron. The family's young daughter shared with me “all we want to do is live an ordinary life and have access to the same things other children have around the world”. Politics aside, these are ordinary people who want to experience the ordinary pleasures of life. And to that end the youngsters in Palestine deserve somewhere to play.

I am raising £18,500 to install a playground in al Walaja for the children and the families to enjoy the simple and educational pleasures that playing brings as for most children around the world. We have already had several successful meetings and please look at the photos in the gallery on this page.

To this aim, I am currently working with a small but magnificent organisation called Playgrounds for Palestine UK (PfP) who will install the playground in al Walaja. I have been to the West Bank with one of the PfP Trustees and know they are dedicated to giving Palestinian children enriching and safe places to play. 

And please look at Playgrounds for Palestine's wonderful website to see stories of the highly successful playgrounds they have already built in both the West Bank and Gaza.   https://www.playgroundsforpalestineuk.org   

When we have successfully built a playground we would love to go on to build a basketball court! And the local village council wish to develop a park there.

If you feel you are able to give, no matter how big or how small, then please use this JustGiving page to donate towards a playground in al Walaja. Thank you. 

Those of you who know me know that Palestine has got under my skin and I campaign and shout for social justice, for all who call The Holy Land their home. I recognise there is conflict between Israel and Palestine, however, many on each side want peace and want each other to live normal lives. For those of you who would like more information, please feel free to explore the following sites:

Amos Trust, working for social justice and rebuilding family homes:

https://www.amostrust.org/palestine-justice/change-the-record/amos-home-rebuild-programme

Amos Trust works in partnership with the Holy Land Trust:

 https://www.holylandtrust.org/our-work/home-rebuilding  

and with the Hebron International Resource Network (HIRN):

https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/hirn_partner

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.