Farmers From Jericho Visit Sindyanna 

A group of farmers from Jericho, members in Farmers of Medical Plants & Organic Products Cooperative (FMPOPC), visited the Sindyanna warehouse in Kufr Qana on August 31st 2008. The group was invited by Sindyanna of Galilee for a one day seminar on Fair Trade cooperation.

After approximately 6 weeks of efforts, the DCO in Jericho area agreed to issue permits to enter Israel (for one day) for seven out of the 11 farmers who applied for the permit. The group consisted of six women and one man (The other men's applications were rejected).

But still, the permits did not prevent the Via Dolorosa reserved for Palestinians trying to enter Israel. They were not allowed to enter through the checkpoint of Beit Shean, so they drove to the checkpoint of El-Hamra, north of Nablus. There too they were denied access, and were sent to another checkpoint near Kufr Qasem. Thus, 6 hours after they left their homes in Jericho, they finally arrived to the Galilee.

Among the participants were members of the cooperative board, Ibtisam Saradikh and Amina Driat, and also Yusra Jalaiteh the chairman of The Homeland Resources Cooperative (Khayrat Biladi). The delegation met with Sindyanna team and with Hadas Lahav, Manager of the association. They heard from Hadas of the association's activities, and discussed possibilities of cooperation in exporting agricultural goods from Jericho.

The delegation also met with Malek Murad from WAC association, which is responsible for the placement of workers in the Nazareth area. Malek spoke about the work of WAC among women agriculture laborers.

At the end of the meeting the group continued to Acre, for a short trip and recreation. This was a rare and moving experience for those who haven't seen the beach and the world outside Jericho for over a decade.