South Hebron Hills

This is a Zone C area in the occupied West Bank which means it's under the control of the Israelis. They've deemed it a military zone and are trying to remove the indigenous population (mainly Bedouin) from the land by demolishing their dwellings. At the same time they're building settlements. In the top photo if you look closely you'll see on the skyline a settlement which has electricity and therefore air conditioning etc, running water and swimming pools for some and all the things you'd expect in the 21st Century. Out of view there's a large white building which houses the chickens they raise as part of the settlement's economy. The chickens also have electricity, temperature-controlled environment, piped water and food. On the slope just below the settlement you'll see a cluster of small shacks. This is the Bedouin community. It's only very recently they've acquired electricity from solar panels as they weren't allowed to use the posts and wires running through the village. Demolitions are on-going.

Here's the school for Bedouin children, paid for by funds raised by caring people. You'll see the wind's so fierce the awning's ripped to shreds. But the murals are jolly. On the opposite side of the road/track is a firing zone.

Then we drove to the school at Khashem Al Daraj. The school's large enough to take 32 children and you can see it's jolly and has its own playground. (Apparently some older children were using the slides and swings as they'd never had access to such things). A team of four or five stayed at the school for several days to paint the murals, using the children's hand prints for some of the patterns. Parents can't afford even small amounts towards the cost of teachers hence the ongoing need to raise funds. The previous school could take only 6 children and had no toilet. 

Bedouin economy is pastoral and the women make cheese from the milk. The milk is poured into a goat skin and then shaken by hand for hour upon hour. Solar panels enable the milk separation to take place without labour, thus allowing the women to do other things. Electricity also means dairy products can stay fresh and get to market, improving the economy. A nursery means the children are cared for allowing the mothers time for themselves and the chance to do other things.

We then drove to another community where our guide said the next thing needed there was a tarmac surface for the track. And at another community he said a school was needed here too. The scenery was  breathtaking.