| The Bustan Qaraaqa farmhouse is not
a regular guesthouse. It is part of a permaculture project.
The farmhouse is first of all a (temporary)
home for volunteers who want to contribute to the environmental
project. However, we also welcome visitors who want an alternative
place to stay and who support the ideas of our project, even though
they don’t physically work on the land with us.
The farmhouse has room for 8 people in a bunk room (cave).
For the moment there is one shower and one toilet. We are planning
on building extra facilities. There is a kitchen, living room and
computer with internet that can be used. The farmhouse has a lot of
outdoor space and a big flat roof.
Volunteers are expected to spend 4 days a week on the project. As
summers are really hot here, we will work 3 hours in the morning
starting from sunrise (which is around 5am in summer!) and 3 hours
in the late afternoon.
The long term volunteers and staff can help you to find a good way
to spend the other days of the week. We can organise excursions,
give advice for places to see, help you with contacts all over the
Westbank and get you in touch with organisations to visit.
Prices for volunteers
1 – 14 days: 60 shekels per night (including breakfast and lunch on
workdays)
> 14 days: 50 shekels per night (including breakfast and lunch on
workdays)
Price for visitors
Visitors who do not volunteer for the project pay 60 shekels a night
(incl. breakfast)
As they will not have the same schedule of the volunteers they are
free to make their own breakfast at the time they prefer to wake up!
Reservations through:
info@eag-palestine.org
Phone number: 05 99125281 (Ala Hilu)
More about Bustan Qaraaqa:
Bustan Qaraaqa (the Tortoise Garden) is a brand new initiative in
the Palestinian West Bank, promoting the use of permaculture design
to protect and restore the degrading environment, and restore
dignity and self reliance to people living under the daily grind of
ongoing military occupation. Working closely with our neighbours, we
are creating a model permaculture farm in the town of Beit Sahour
(Shepherd's Fields) close to the world famous city of Bethlehem.
The ancient farmhouse nestles in a beautiful
wadi (valley) between the verdant hills of Bethlehem and the Judean
desert, overlooked by the Herodian Mountain, the site of a palace
built by King Herod himself over 2000 years ago. We invite willing
volunteers to join us in our work, and at the same time discover
Palestine and the Middle East: the crossroads of three continents,
the birthplace of three world religions, the cradle of agriculture
and of civilization.
Bustan Qaraaqa is seeking to propagate a grassroots permaculture
movement in the West Bank, working primarily with farmers and with
youth. We believe passionately that permaculture can help to address
some of the urgent challenges currently facing the Palestinian
people.
The Palestinian environment is degrading rapidly as a result of the
combined forces of the global problems of population growth,
industrialization and climate change; and the local problem of the
ongoing Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian Territories,
which hinders and disrupts attempts to implement environmental
management.
Palestinian farmers are struggling with land confiscation, limited
water resources, movement restrictions and economic competition from
markets that do not face the same problems. Palestinian youth are
growing up increasingly disconnected from the environment, as more
and more land is closed off by the Separation Wall and Palestinian
cities are encircled and ghettoized. The conflict is robbing them of
their childhood and darkening their futures.
Permaculture design can help to preserve and restore the
environment, produce foodstuffs and other goods for people suffering
from economic crisis, create beautiful spaces amidst the carnage of
the conflict, and engage people in constructive and positive
activities, helping to relieve stress and restore a sense of dignity
and empowerment to people suffering under brutal military
occupation.
www.permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?mmfile=whatispermaculture
|
