Half year into the Sumud project in Lebanon

Campaign: 
Kampagne
17/02/2010
The youth centres in EIn el-Hilweh is progressing with its first activities
By Nashed
The function of the Sumud centre inside Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp (learn more about Sumud's set-up ) is to receive, encourage, adopt youth initiatives, that can help the downtrodden Palestinian youth of the refugee camp to express themselves, dreams, ambitions, tendencies, hopes, hobbies, ideas... etc.
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In this sense the centre already started several programmes:

1. Dialogue table: some youth groups’ representatives meet around the table in the centre to discuss their concerns. That can root the principle of dialogue in order to find common grounds and the base to real cooperation.

2. Novels club: this programme is designed to offer to the youth the basics of writing. This can fertilize the field for cultural production. The inputs can give motivation to find the way of the future, full of insistance to stand against suffering and oppression.

3. Palestinian girl club: this is a very ambitious project. Group of girls aged 10-14 come to the Sumud centre to develop their skills, to practice hobbies, make plans... The base of this club is self-governance, Nashet only encourages them and eases the way for them to run themselves well. This proposal aims to encourage the participation of women in societal affair.

4. Civil and social rights lobby, to act actively to make real bonds between Lebanese and Palestinians. Today there is a shadow laying over the relations between Lebanese and Palestinians characterised by misunderstanding, mistrust, miscalculation. This prevents the struggle process from achieving the civil rights which could ease the life of Palestinians helping then to do more for the right of return.

All these infinitives, emanating form the youth, are to be considered as a positive reply to Palestinian needs. To succeed we need following support:

1. Media coverage: This requires a media centre. It would be good also if it emerged form the world of the camp. We also need the help of all of our friends in Europe who write articles, interviews, etc.

2. Support in terms of campaigning for Sumud.

3. Financial support: Since the Palestinians lack official support, since this situation is extremely difficult, any initiative cannot survive without donations from supporters.

www.sumud.org