Abu Nuwar Bedouin Charity is a new organization established by the women of Abu Nuwar Bedouin community, which has become an officially registered non-profit in the summer of 2019.
Abu Nuwar is located in Area C that is under full Israeli civil and military control and is prohibited from developing the most basic infrastructure, such as water and electricity. They are also at the heart of the E-1 area, where there is a mass Israeli settlement expansion plan aiming to annex a large swath of land on the eastern slope of Jerusalem, effectively dissecting the West Bank into two halves. Due to its strategic location, the area’s Bedouin communities, such as Abu Nuwar, frequently experience the home and school demolitions by the Israeli army. The bedouin families in this area live in vulnerable conditions and the women and children are especially affected by the lack of economic opportunities.
The women of Abu Nuwar have been actively engaged in grassroots organizing to address their needs. In 2013, a group of volunteers started a small kindergarten, which became a community hub that led to the establishment of a primary school in 2015. In 2018, they launched “Khayma 35” (tent 35), a silk-screen printing workshop with the support of the fair trade organization Sunbula and PolishAid. A group of young women underwent the training with the artist Ayed Arafah, and created an original T-shirt collection in cooperation with Ayed and the graphic designer Mahran Ismail. Khayma 35 also produces custom order tote bags for local businesses and organizations.
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Product Selling Points: Sunbula.