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CAAP Board Members and philanthropists Basem and Muna Hishmeh recently traveled to Palestine for the opening of the second of 40 playgrounds they are helping to build in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. CAAP staff member Katy Hanway recently spoke with Muna Hishmeh about the playground project and their experience in Palestine:

Katy: How did you decide that this was an important project to take on?

Muna: Many Palestinian children do not have safe places to play. Too many children play in the street, which can be really dangerous. There have been a few reports of children getting hit by cars, and in one village, three young boys died because they suffocated while playing in an old refrigerator on the side of the road. We dedicated our most recent playground to those boys. It’s important for us to build the playgrounds in safe areas away from major roads, and also for the playgrounds to be handicap and wheel-chair accessible.

Katy: So you plan on building 40 playgrounds?

Muna:  Yes, so far with the help of our partners, we’ve raised over $1 million, which will build 40 playgrounds throughout Palestine. We’ve opened two playgrounds so far in villages in the West Bank, and two or three more will open in April. A lot of children came to the most recent playground opening; they were shy but seemed very excited.

Katy: Who were your partners on this project?

Muna: We worked with the Bank of Palestine, ANERA, other generous individual donors, as well as local NGOs in Palestine. It costs around $40,000 per playground, so it’s really important to work with the local organizations. The Palestinian municipalities provide the land and maintain the playground for safety, and all equipment is purchased locally and the workers are Palestinians. Also, ANERA representatives are onsite to oversee the construction.

Katy: What are the challenges of building these playgrounds?

Muna: Well, some areas in these villages are very hilly so it’s difficult to make the playgrounds wheel-chair accessible. Also, it’s important that we maintain regular correspondence with our partners in Palestine so we can ensure the playgrounds are maintained and all necessary repairs are made. We plan on maintaining a small endowed fund at the Bank of Palestine for repairs in the future.

Katy: What advice would you offer to others who want to start such projects?

Muna: The best thing you can do is partner with the local people and work with great humanitarian organizations like ANERA.

To learn more or to contribute to this effort, please contact ANERA.

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