A President's daughter in Palestine

JERUSALEM-WESTBANK-GAZA - Hannah Jenkins is a 22-year old Canadian living in Vancouver and is currently working on her Masters of Publishing at Simon Fraser University. She is the daughter of Kevin Jenkins; President of World Vision International. Hannah recently visited the Palestinian territories with her parents and shares her experience of the people she met.

When I told people that I was going to be visiting the West Bank I often received the same reaction: “You’re doing what? Isn’t it a warzone in there?” To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect. The North American newspapers make the West Bank sound desolate and dangerous; not a place for visitors and certainly not a place for children.

And yet it was because of the children that I was visiting. When I found out that my Dad, who is also the president of World Vision International, was going to be touring the West Bank and Gaza regions, I jumped at the chance to go along. The area has long been a special interest of mine; an interest that was recently re-ignited when I watched the documentary “With God On Our Side” by Porter Speakman Jr.

"The North American newspapers make the West Bank sound desolate and dangerous; not a place for visitors and certainly not a place for children."

Even with a working knowledge of the conflict and of the area I still wasn’t prepared for the scenes I would encounter. Not only the scenes of war and terror but also the scenes of every day life. A mother raising chickens to feed her children, young boys playing soccer in the street and crowds of men gathered together to watch the World Cup projected onto the side of a building.

Palestinians are proud people, and it is evident in the way they take care of their communities. Even though oppression is rampant and their hope is often dashed, they still make an extraordinary effort to come together under a banner of solidarity.

Palestinians are taking care of Palestinians; the excellent local staff employed by World Vision are spearheading community projects and encouraging people to take ownership of the communities in which they grew up.

We visited Jalboun, a community in Jenin that has suffered from a severe water drought since the separation wall was built. The ‘drought’ is really the result of discriminatory distribution of the water supply in the area. This injustice has been heartbreaking for the people of Jenin and they were extremely thankful when World Vision stepped in with the funds and material needed to build a ground water well.

"Even with a working knowledge of the conflict and of the area I still wasn’t prepared for the scenes I would encounter. Not only the scenes of war and terror but also the scenes of every day life."

I was fortunate enough to visit the well with my parents and a group of staff. As our convoy of white jeeps approached the well I saw a crowd gathered awaiting our arrival. I immediately noticed the children, particularly two little girls in white dresses. Their hair was meticulously braided for the occasion and they were each holding a large bouquet of red flowers. They looked beautiful against the stark desert background of Jenin.

A community leader explained to us that the well has truly transformed the area. Before it was built three years ago the village of Jalboun had to get water from the Jenin government, and when the water ran out they were forced to wait
five to ten days for more.

I also noticed that the men in the community had come out in numbers and they were so proud to share the well with the people from World Vision who made the project possible. It was amazing to see how this simple apparatus improved the quality of life of an entire village.

One story that I will never forget is that of one little girl in Jalboun. When my father asked her how the project had affected her life, she said, "Well, I used to shower once a week and now I can shower every day!"

"Take a step back from the politics of the situation and you will see that people are people and while we are on this earth together we must help one another."

There are many stories from my trip to Palestine of sadness, horror, anger and injustice. The reason that I chose to share this one is because I believe that an understanding of the Palestinians’ plight will come when the world recognises that Palestinians are more than a news story. They are people living out the day to day: going to school, making dinner, and having conversations with neighbours. Take a step back from the politics of the situation and you will see that people are people and while we are on this earth together we must help one another.