Italian 2009 begins, for us, with the cancellation of the youth camp “Generation of Tolerance", which was supposed to take place from the 1st to the 10th January in the West Bank, co-financed by the European Commission and in cooperation with the “Youth Development Association”. This was just a small consequence of the Israeli army’s attack to the Gaza Strip which caused more than 1,400 victims and destruction on the whole territory. With regard to the agriculture, because of the raid, rural roads were destroyed. Ground water (which is really scarce) and fields were polluted (because of munitions and mines and because of the spill of slurries into the sewage system of Beit Lahiya).   Furthermore lots of warehouses, greenhouses, nurseries and other infrastructures needed by farms were destroyed.

Thanks to the solidarity of lots of members and supporters/sympathizers, we supported Parc, our long-standing partner, in the campaign to help Gaza Strip’s inhabitants, by distributing relief goods and participating in planning activities which can improve their living conditions.

Aware that only after a political solution to the Middle East conflict, a permanent improvement for this situation will be possible, we think it is important to support Gaza’s farmers in their daily struggle for survival. We shall continue doing it also in 2010, co-financed by the  Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by FAO, with the contribution of Fondazione Culturale Responsabilità Etica, and collaborating with Parc. We will be restarting the farming of the ground, breeding animals and cleaning up public spaces, in order to make them play areas for children, who now play among rubbles.

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