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| February 2013 |
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FoEME Makes the Top 100 NGOs List!.jpg)
This year, they considered a pool of approximately 450 NGOs based on three key criteria: impact, innovation and sustainability. The 2013 list of Top 100 NGOs features organizations from 27 countries that work across a range of sectors.
FoEME received the highest ranking of NGOs based in the Middle East! | |
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Better Dead than Red
Of great interest to FoEME is the Study of Alternatives. The World Bank Study of Alternatives have stated for the first time what FoEME has been advocating for over a decade - that the Lower Jordan River can be rehabilitated, the Dead Sea stabilized, and sufficient water made available to our respective publics without the risk of undertaking an experiment that constitutes ‘playing God’ by mixing two seas, leading to likely irreversible damage to the environment.
FoEME concerns related to the Red Dead Conduit are supported by the Green Environment Fund | |
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5 Cross Border Youth Neighbor's Visits in one month!
On two weekends in January, FoEME's " Good Water Neighbors" project held 5 cross border neighbor's visits, where over 110 Youth "Water Trustees" from Jordan, Israel and Palestine met together in different locations, paired according to the project's partnering communities. The visits spanned 2 days, packed with a variety of activities such as: 'ice-breakers' & social games, community presentations, and field trips that combined both education and learning with fun - all camps reported on active and lively atmospheres. Participants learned a lot about their neighbors, their communities' environmental challenges, and more. It was encouraging to see how in such a short period of time, the youth overcame barriers of language and culture.
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2 Cross Border Study Tours – Jenin / Gilboa and Emek Hefer / Tulkarem
This month, the " Good Water Neighbors" project organized two Study Tours for two sets of partnering communities; Jenin & Gilboa, and Emek Hefer & Tulkarem.
In Jenin and Gilboa, participants learned about the current environmental and wastewater challenges facing both communities, and discussed recent efforts in developing cross border wastewater management for the benefit of both communities. The group, consisting of municipal representatives and the city's engineer, as well as community residents, Israeli and Palestinian, also examined the best possible scenarios for reusing wastewater including providing farmers with treated effluents.
 The second tour included representatives of the Emek Hefer Regional Council visiting the (currently under construction) West-Nablus Waste Water Treatment Plant, as well as the office and facilities of the solid waste management directorate for the Tulkarem Governorate. This study tour was attended by the Mayor of Emek Hefer Regional Council and his deputy, as well as other members of the council and community representatives. Waste-management and its impact on the Zomer stream which then flows into Israel as the Alexander stream, was the focus of the day. The delegation was warmly welcomed by its hosts, and impressed by the high level of professionalism and dedication being demonstrated in the management of both solid and liquid waste. It was encouraging to observe the deep understanding by all parties of the trans-boundary nature of our shared environmental resources. A reciprocal visit to Emek Hefer is being planned. | |
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SAVE THE DATE – FEBRUARY 16
All are invited to SUPPORT THE WOMEN OF THE JORDAN VALLEY! FoEME is organizing a craft Bazaar to support the women of our 8 Good Water Neighbors communities in Jordan, on Saturday the 16th of February. The bazaar will showcase the many different handmade crafts that the talented women of the Jordanian Jordan Valley are creating. They include jewelry, soaps and lotions, baked goods, preserves and much more.
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Walk for Battir! 
To support the people of Battir in the protection of the beautiful landscape made up the ancient agricultural terraces, FoEME organized a "Walk for Battir!" event, and invited the Israeli public to support the effort.
Participants hiked 5 km. from the city of Jerusalem, along the 'Refaim' stream, to the village of Battir, and received a warm welcome from the local residents. The group then heard detailed explanations about the potential damage the Separation Barrier could have on this unique cultural heritage site. The best way to grasp the uniqueness of Battir is to visit! Contact us if you're interested. | |
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Sharhabil bin Hassneh EcoPark visitors
Students from the Westmont University visited the Sharhabil bin Hassneh EcoPark this past month, leaving their ecological mark by planting more than 60 trees at the site. They also learned about the water situation in the Middle East, and how FoEME works to advance cross border environmental objectives.
To finish off the visit on a wet note, they went on a 3 hour hike and tour around the adjacent Ziglab Dam. Sounds good? We can organize a similar visit for your group too! Contact us via the park's website.
Click here for press coverage related to FoEME's Good Water Neighbors project and activities.
The " Good Water Neighbors" project is funded by USAID’s Conflict Management and Mitigation program, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the European Union's Partnership for Peace program and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). | |
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Jordan River Epiphany celebrations
This month FoEME's Jordan River Rehabilitation Project Team joined pilgrims on the banks of the Lower Jordan River to celebrate the Eastern Orthodox Christian holiday of Epiphany. Thousands of Greek Orthodox Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox pilgrims joined a procession to the Kaser el Yehud baptism site near Jericho from January 18-19 to commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.
Friends of the Earth Middle East staff were on hand to highlight the need to rehabilitate the river and the huge potential that the river's rehabilitation has for the region’s tourism and pilgrimage sector. FoEME's recently conducted Economic Benefits Study of the Lower Jordan River shows that the rehabilitation of the Lower Jordan River – while costly – has net positive economic benefits for the region.
FoEME’s Jordan River Rehabilitation Project is supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the Global Nature Fund / Ursula Merz Foundation, and the Osprey Foundation. | |
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Auja Environmental Education Center
Visitors and events continue at full pace in our EcoCenter in Auja. A select few examples include:
Three 'winter camps' for Palestinian youth took place in January for groups of youth, boys and girls, that had them learning how to build with mud bricks, reuse old tires, reuse bottles, and of course, a visit to the Auja spring with a clean-up activity to reinforce the importance of clean water sources.
Staff from the Dutch Representative Office in Ramallah together with a foreign delegation from Dutch Universities visited the EcoCenter this  month. FoEME arranged for them to meet many professors and teachers from leading Universities in Palestine. Following a presentation about FoEME's environmental education program at the Center, they explored possible partnerships and synergies between the Universities. They visited the Auja spring, and ended the day with lunch on the roof!
 And lastly, a group of students from Westmont College joined one of Auja's specialties: A Full Moon Night Hike! Beginning at 19:00, the group walked for 4 hours in the valley's fields, learning about its water challenges, local farming practices, and indigenous plants and animals that inhabit the Jordan Valley. The night continued with a rest, sitting around the fire with the local Bedouins, learning songs and a debka dance.
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