Peace and love,

Since I arrived in Palestine I have been meaning to write about everything and post it but since its the first time I am here in five years NOT organizing a tour and have been catching up with family, its been hectic.

Of course I visited the Yafa Cultural Center located in Balata Refugee Camp in Nablus (Palestines largest refugee camp in the West Bank) which our organization, Existence is Resistance, works closely with each year and always accommodates our tours in their guesthouse at no charge whatsoever. I caught up with the beautiful children I have seen grow over the years and become attached to. They asked me about the past artists and youth we have brought there, we drew together and sang together and then they ask me what the sea is like in Haifa. Do I swim? Do I get hit by the waves….they ask me to describe it. It breaks my heart when they tell me they have never seen the sea and that they have never visited where many of their grandparents were forced out of. So….I took it upon myself with the help of some family members and a youth center in Haifa to apply for 53 permits for 50 children from Balata to come to Haifa for one day, thinking at least 20 will be refused because of family members in jail or whatever other crappy sorry ass excuses Israel uses against little children to refuse them entering 48 territories.
I received a phone call yesterday and to my surprise 50 children were APPROVED permits!!!!!!!! Yes, I cried.

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Now, we have an entire day planned for them in and around Haifa on July 3rd. They will also meet with “Arab Israeli” children (aka Palestinian children who live within “Israel”).

We have received spaces and a theater to use while they are there, however, we need to raise money just for the buses which will pick them from the refugee camp and take them to Haifa and bring them back to the camp that night as well as food for them for the day. The total we need to raise is $3620.00 and we don’t have much time.

If any of you would be kind enough to please please help out, no matter how much it is, we would soooooo appreciate this and it will bring joy to the kids. Please please email eir.nyc@gmail.com for information (please put “Balata Outing to Haifa” in the subject line) on how and where to donate. If you want to pay the bus company directly for the bus or the food places directly by card please indicate that and we can put you in touch with them directly.

Please help us make a difference.
Love and peace.

Nancy
Co-Founder of Existence is Resistance
www.existenceisresistance.org