Planting Olive Trees in Palestine INITIAL REPORT 2022
1
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
Thank You “Even if the Last Day is upon you and you have a seedling in your hand, you should plant it.” – Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Thank you for your generous contributions to Islamic Relief Canada in support of planting over 47,000 trees in Palestine and transforming the lives of 3,600 individuals. Your care and generosity helps us respond quickly and deliver livelihood support in their time of need. Through our recovery projects and ongoing efforts in Palestine, your support reached over 130,000 people in 2021! We cannot do this without you, thank you.
3
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
Why Plant Olive Trees?
PROJECT BACKGROUND
4
Years of conflict and the blockade have left 2.45 million Palestinians dependent on humanitarian assistance, a third of Gazans in poverty, and thousands of families with financial hardship. With the horrendous escalation of violence throughout 2021, many Palestinians found their livelihoods burned to the ground and now on the brink of poverty.
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
Devastating attacks and raging fires destroyed over 9,300 olive trees in Palestine. This directly affected the livelihood of Palestinian people, with 100,000 families relying on the olive harvest to support themselves during times of chaos and instability.
Why Plant Olive Trees? Cont’d
THE VITALITY OF OLIVE TREES
\
5
The olive tree conveys deep symbolism for the Palestinian people. Its tending is a testament of tradition, harvested with the love, care and pride of generations. The violent destruction of olive groves is not only an attack on the people of Palestine but also their heritage and ancestry. It is a violent upheaval of livelihoods, exacerbating the immense loss, grief and hopelessness felt by those on the ground. To help Palestinian farmers restore their livelihood, we are planting olive trees across Palestine.
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
Olive trees are relatively inexpensive, resistant to volatile weather, display strong disease immunity, and bring a significant economic return. We also provide irrigation networks, essential equipment and business training in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. Regardless of future incidents of violence and destruction, we will do our best to support the ongoing restoration of Palestinians’ livelihoods. The future is left in Allah’s (SWT) hands, and we hold faith that you will be able to reap the blessings of your efforts and intentions.
Islamic Relief On The Ground
Islamic Relief has been on the ground in Gaza for the past 26 years as one of the only Muslim relief organizations with an ongoing presence there. Unfortunately, conditions in Palestine have continued to worsen. The residual impacts of ongoing hostilities such as the plummeting economy, political turmoil, food insecurity, inadequate healthcare, and violence have left the people of Palestine in an increasingly defenseless situation.
6
As a result, Islamic Relief has been working tirelessly to respond to ongoing crises in the region. Throughout escalations of violence, our work in Palestine provides essential medical supplies to support the treatment of injured Palestinians, food and hygiene vouchers, and immediate cash support to meet each vulnerable family’s needs.
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
We additionally focus on the developmental needs of a community in conflict through improving access to education, healthcare, psychosocial support, and livelihood.
Your Donations In Action
TRANSFORMING LIVES
This intervention is in response to the dire needs of vulnerable farmers whose livelihoods were impacted by violence. As many Palestinians rely on smallholder agriculture to sustain their lives, this intervention offers life-saving job opportunities in a region rife with unemployment, instability, and unstable weather. The goal of our project is to rehabilitate agricultural lands by replanting olive trees while providing tools and
7
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
resources to enhance cultivation and environmental sustainability. This contributes to creating employment opportunities and improving income generation for more than 646 vulnerable farming households. 47,060 olive tree saplings are being distributed to vulnerable smallholder farmers across Palestine. Each farmer receives assistance to plant 70 saplings, and conditional cash grants to purchase fertilizer and cultivation tools.
Your Donations in Action Cont’d
BUILDING RESILIENCE
We incorporate resilience into small farming communities by providing environmentally conscious irrigation systems while training farmers in business operations, income and risk management, and research and development. This provides vulnerable farmers with the necessary knowledge and
8
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
resources to mitigate the adverse effects of economic and political instability on their smallholder agriculture businesses. Farmers can utilize newly attained knowledge and resources to expand their business, increase income generation, and resiliently restore their livelihoods in the face of violent escalations.
Your Donations in Action Cont’d
IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT IN 2021
9
In partnership with Run for Palestine, Canadian Palestinian Social Association, and local community based organizations in Gaza, your generous support throughout Ramadan, Giving Tuesday, and our Palestine emergency response is helping to uplift the lives of thousands of Palestinians. This is the power of your donation.
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
47,060 trees Are Being Planted in Palestine
646 farming households / 3,602 individuals Are Feeling the Relief of Your Generosity
Thank You Jazakum Allahu Khairan for your continued support and kindness. You are helping us distribute olive trees to vulnerable farmers, building their resilience through livelihood support. We look forward to providing updates as the project progresses and the olive trees grow to fruition. “Whoever relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve their hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever helps ease one in difficulty, Allah will make it easy for them in this world and in the Hereafter...” – Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
10
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
AN EXCERPT FROM THE SECOND OLIVE TREE – By Mahmoud Darwish
The olive tree does not weep and does not laugh. The olive tree is the hillside’s modest lady. Her shade covers her one leg, and her leaves do not fall in the face of a storm. Standing, she is seated... and seated, she is standing. She lives as a friendly sister of eternity. A neighbour of time, who helps her stock her luminous oil ...and forget the names of the invaders. The portrait of the olive tree is neither green nor silver. The olive tree is the colour of peace if peace ever needed a colour.
11
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION
3501 Mainway Burlington, ON L7M 1A9 info@islamicrelief.ca 1-855-377-4673 (HOPE)
12
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA | FOLLOW YOUR DONATION