Visit to Al Dahriya and Al Fawwar refugee Camp in Hebron West Bank: On February 5, at midmorning, with two other volunteers, Lauren and Alex who are teaching English at the center, we set off towards Al Dahriya, a village located on the outskirts of Hebron, West Bank. This village stands out especially for its old city, where the passage of history is reflected in its architecture, by the Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans. In the old city, we find a hostel emerging from the renovation of one of the buildings in the area, with stunning views from the rooftop and an elegant and modern interior, which inspires warmth just by seeing it.
After walking for a while we went to the municipality, where we speak about the renovation returning the life to the old city, filling it with shops and workshops, that make this town an attraction for foreigners and also for the locals themselves. It really seemed like a very interesting project. Especially because by losing yourself in the streets of Al Dahriya you can appreciate its great potential.
We left behind the charming village to enter a different area located on the outskirts of Hebron, the Al Fawwar refugee camp in Hebron, West Bank. It was the first refugee camp we visited and we were shocked by the fact that its inhabitants lived in houses. Houses with great deficiencies in their infrastructure and with less than three meters of separation between them. One can easily observe the deficiencies of that area and the poverty in which a large part of its inhabitants live. Despite having schools in the camp during the morning, many children of school age can be seen on the streets.
We had the opportunity to be in the house of a family raised in the camp. They explained to us the difficulties of living in a refugee camp in Palestine and, above all, the obstacles to the family’s progress. We were surprised that although the man of the house had more than 16 diplomas, he could only choose to work illegally in Israel, in jobs that were not even related to his studies. After this pleasant and interesting conversation, we went for a walk around the camp, where we played with some children who reside there.
Al Fawwar camp in Hebron, West Bank is one of those areas that makes you experience the most horrible of the consequences of occupation. However, although they have lost everything, they try to pull forward and guarantee a future for their family, without even knowing if their future will continue to carry the name of Palestine.
