A weekend in Jerusalem

In the Armenian part of the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre.  The crosses carved into the wall are
from the Holy Land crusades

Last weekend we travelled across for a visit to Jerusalem and the West Bank with Jessie and Angus.   Sam and Anna stayed back in Cyprus with Menaka, and it would seem also had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. We've been intending to do the visit to Jerusalem for some time, but hadn't had the opportunity until this month.  The main purpose of the trip was to meet a child that we sponsor in the West Bank, and also for Sarah and the kids to have a chance to visit the Holy Land. The trip was also a good chance for Ross to show the kids some elements of his work, and to convince them that he actually does more than send emails and make phonecalls in his job (a recent response from Sam when he was asked what his dad does for work)!

The Dome of the Rock in the old city,  one of the most

 significant sites for believers of Islam

So we set off early last Thursday and took a 40min flight across to Tel Aviv.  Thankfully there were no delays on entry (Ross glad to have a second 'clean' passport for travel into Israel), and we headed straight up to Jerusalem on arrival. We stayed in the old city in a guest house for Franciscan pilgrims.  The old city lived up to its chaotic reputation, with thousands of pilgrims, tourists and other visitors filling the streets.  There surely cannot be a more contested 4 square kilometres on the face of the earth, with the main sites of Christianity, Islam and Judaism all within a stones throw of each other.  In particular we enjoyed walking the ramparts of the old town and visiting the Garden of Gethsemane as well as various other sites on the Mount of Olives, where the World Vision office is located.

The separation wall.  Some very interesting
graffiti lines the wall along the West Bank

On the second day we travelled out to West Bank to visit a project and meet Adeeb, a sponsored child and his family and community. He is 5yrs old and the seventh child in his family.  It was a unique experience to learn more about the plight of the Palestinians through visiting the community and also talking with WV staff living and working in the development program area.  The situation is complex on both sides of the Israel/Palestine divide.  Much has been written and there has clearly been extensive suffering on both sides of the divide.  It is hard to comprehend the reality of daily life in the West Bank, and the underlying effects of the Israeli occupation and continued expansion of illegal settlements.  This results in severe restrictions on movements for most Palestinians creates a situation of intense psychological and often physical oppression.  'The world's largest open air prison' was how one community member described the West Bank.  Someone else said that they joke that cars in the West Bank do not need anything above 2nd gear, as this is about the maximum speed you can reach before you hit a checkpoint or the separation wall that snakes along the border and also cuts deeply into the West Bank.  

Meeting Adeeb

For the kids a visit to the West Bank probably sparked more questions than answers.  It was good for them to learn more about the overall situation, and I guess in some ways the visit may provide a reference point in understanding and better appreciating our own situation, and the freedom we take for granted.  Angus in particular was interested in some of the graffiti on the Palestinian side of the separation wall.  Some more graffiti pictures are included at the end of the blog. 

If you want to learn more, I'd encourage you to watch the short film below 'With God on our Side'. It outlines a very different narrative to what is often communicated about the situation in Israel and the West Bank.  It's just over an hour, but well worth watching if you have the time.

or to watch on larger screen format click here   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFUm7rTOOio

Numerous stories of suffering, resilience and 

hope line the West Bank side of this wall 

A watch tower on the separation wall, near Rachel's tomb.
The wall runs for more than 700km, and cuts deeply into
the West Bank.  

Looking over Jerusalem from the Mt of Olives

Gus visiting the Western Wall, complete with
yarmulke!

some more fancy hats...

Mother and daughter....Jessie a week off 11yrs.  In the
background are the huge Jewish cemeteries of the Kidron
Valley, where a plot will set you back approx $50,000. It is
said that when the Messiah comes, these graves will be
the first in line for resurrection

Truck art in Pakistan

A few months back I was fortunate to visit our team in Pakistan again.  I travelled there just before the Pakistan elections, and campaigning was in full swing.  It was interesting to see pictures of Imran Khan plastered all over the streets of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.  I remember him as I grew up, following the Pakistan cricket team in Kerry Packer's One Day cricket series.  Imran of course, is now making a life in politics.  

Pakistan is a place that can overwhelm the senses.  The sheer number of people, along with related political and religious diversity makes for a complex society, and one that presents unique challenges from a development perspective.  Poverty in many parts of the country is extreme. Add to this a regular occurrence of natural disasters, particularly flooding, and you have a community and society that is constantly battered by economic, social, political and environmental shocks that would leave most first world communities or countries reeling.  And yet somehow Pakistan functions, albeit with extremes on all sides.  It is a complex environment to be a western NGO, particularly with challenges relating to security risks for our staff.  

One aspect of life in Pakistan that immediately strikes you as you leave the airport and drive into the city is truck art.  Pakistan is famous for it.  Trucks, buses and taxis all across the country take great pride in decorating their vehicles with amazing artworks.  It's quite remarkable to see the diversity and skill that goes into decorating some vehicles, and it makes for some interesting driving in the country. 

I'm guessing that some of these rigs may not pass their pink slip in NSW!

World Vision has programs in a number of parts of Pakistan, with a primary focus on economic development, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, and emergency relief.  On my recent visit I was able to visit a WV drop-in centre for street children from Rawalpindi.  It was humbling to meet the children and also the staff working there.  The children live on the street, but come to the centre for a few hours each day where they are fed, given medical treatment, and participate in a range of classroom and play activities to enhance social and basic lifeskills.  Looking into the eyes of these children I was reminded of a quote from Bono a few years ago:

"God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill, I hope so.  But the one thing that people of all faiths have to agree is this: God has a special place for the poor, the poor are where God lives.  God is in the slums in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house.  God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with a virus that will take both their lives.  God is under the rubble, and in the cries we hear during wartime. God is with the poor, and He is with us, if we are with them."

WV staff at the centre

'Heroes of Pakistan'  Note Imran Khan bottom right!

A refurbished school project.  60 children in a class!

The Half Way Mark of Summer Holidays

August approaches and still there is 6 weeks until the return of school.  I'm wondering whether a few homework sheets might be in order (?).  This is the week, that of the 1st August, when the airport gets really busy.  Cypriots flying out and tourists from colder lands flying in.  Actually, given the recent economic crisis, many locals are not going anywhere at all and as a result the island will possibly be a little fuller.  Nevertheless, most people take leave and there is an air of "doing nothing" mainly due to the heat.  Here in Nicosia, away from the beautiful beaches, we start to feel like we've been deserted.  The summer schools are over, most friends have fled the heat, many small businesses close down and the main street is so quiet we might as well all hold hands and skateboard down it.

However, having said all that, I've decided that I like this time of year.  No commitments or obligations, a lot less driving around, and the biggest decision of the day is "shall we go to the pool in the morning or the afternoon?".  What a life!  Interesting to compare how I feel now about the summer and how I felt 2 years ago when I first experienced it.  Back then, it was like a heat malaise.  I was homesick, restless, bored and helpless (the latter mainly due to Menaka doing all the domestics...I don't complain about that now).  Looking back, with clearer vision in hindsight, the change from my life in Australia was quite dramatic.  I think, because things were so much 'easier' on many fronts, I found it confusing that I would feel so lost.  Perhaps change is difficult to adjust to no matter which way it goes.

Menaka has also adjusted to this slow-go mode our family are in.  She turns up early for a few hours in the cool and then comes back to help us with dinner.  She's currently in a dilemma as to whether to return to her son and family for a short break in August.  There is a strong pull emotionally of course however the cost of the trip will take a large bite out of her year's savings.

The children have had a variety filled few weeks.  As well as being around home and playing with friends at the pool, Angus went to Camp Jubilee in the Troodos mountains whilst Sam and Anna went back to the familiar grounds of their school for a week of the summer programme.

Friends and Dominos..

Brothers and Lego...

Jessie attended a two week summer school which involved the complete production of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory with 12 other children her age.  She returned each day exhausted but excited; making new friends, learning new dances and hamming up her acting skills as Veruca Salt was right up her alley.  And I thought I'd seen it all at home....

We've also had a couple of great weekends.  Our landlord invited us to his village for the day and showed us his beautiful old house and took us to their local beach.  He and his family are of the Maronite denomination and speak a language quite close to Aramaic - that which was spoken in Jesus' time.  His family history goes back a long time and he was fortunate enough to buy his Uncle's house in the village who was the Bishop many years ago.  We were treated to lunch at the beach restaurant whilst we watched the kids play in the water.  Being a small village, they knew almost everybody in the restaurant, including our real estate agent (who our landlord went to school with and) who found us the house in Nicosia.  Of course, we couldn't leave without being invited back to his house also for a drink.  Such is the wonderful hospitality of Kormakides.

Recently, we took to the mountains and enjoyed a weekend away with some families of World Vision staff.  Great walks, delicious meals and cool nights.

So the half way mark of summer is upon us; no more structured activities for the children but a lot of family things to look forward to throughout August: more camping in the mountains (I think we miss the Nook!), a trip to Jerusalem and a restful holiday in Turkey. Ross is currently enjoying some cooler climes in Georgia for a work trip, but will be back tomorrow.  In the meantime, we have books to read, games to play, films to watch and about 5 more frozen yoghurt shops to sample!

39 years ago in Cyprus

This week marked the 39th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.  On July 20th 1974, Turkish troops landed near Kyrenia and after a few months of fighting managed to occupy approximately 38% of the island.  Over a third of the islands' population (both Greek and Turkish Cypriots) were displaced, and thousands died in the conflict.  Turkey's invasion was in response to an attempted coup against Archbishop Makarios, the President of the Cypriot Republic.  The objective of the coup was to overthrow Makarios and install a pro-Greek government who would fast track 'enosis' or union with Greece.  This scenario represented a significant risk to Turkish Cypriots, and came after years of simmering dissent between the two ethnic communities on the island after the declaration of independence in 1960.  The coup failed, but it was enough to trigger the invasion, and Cyprus has been divided ever since.   

A protest to commemorate the 'missing'

Last Friday sirens sounded out across the island at the exact time Turkish troops first landed, and ceremonies were held to commemorate the invasion.  The issue of the Turkish occupation is highly emotive and sensitive for most Cypriots.  To this date 1614 people remain 'missing' since the 1974 invasion, and countless others are refugees who have not been able to return and who lost everything.  We had dinner at a friends house last week, and there was a protest nearby where people carried lighted torches (to symbolise the missing 1614 people) up to a Turkish checkpoint.   

The issue (or Cyprus problem as it is commonly referred to) remains one of the most intractable problems of division in the world today.  A recent book said that Cyprus has been stubbornly immune to peace and reunification efforts since 1974.  Another commentator referred to Cyprus as a 'diplomats graveyard', in reference to the long list of global leaders and negotiators who have sought to broker a solution here without success.  The latest UN special envoy/negotiator is of course Australia's very own Alexander Downer.  Unfortunately the prognosis is not good, and after 39 years of division major impediments still remain to finding a solution.

A tree near our house: the idealogical ties with Greece
remain strong in Cyprus

Downer meets with Nicos Anastasiades, President of
Republic of Cyprus

Syria descends....

Tim Costello with Syrian refugees in Lebanon

Syria at war.  It now ranks as the world's largest refugee crisis since Rwanda, and the situation continues to deteriorate.  It is estimated that there are more than 4 million people internally displaced within Syria, and more than 1.5 million who have fled to neighbouring countries as refugees. World Vision is responding on a number of fronts, with emergency response activities ongoing in Lebanon, Jordan and now also in Syria itself.  The situation is complex and volatile, and presents significant operational challenges.  But the need is immense, and far exceeds the current funding available or capacity of NGOs/UN agencies to respond.  Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia was recently in Lebanon and Jordan, and wrote the following piece following the visit:

Last week I sat in a tent in Lebanon with a Syrian refugee couple who had escaped with their five children. Tameer and Delal fled with only the clothes they were wearing after three of their neighbours - including a cousin - were killed outside their Damascus home by an aerial bombing campaign. Once they reached the Lebanese border, the family walked for more than a day before finding help through World Vision in the Bekaa Valley.

Tameer and Delal's children cannot go to Lebanese schools due to overcrowding, and when I met them, five months after their escape, the kids were desperately bored. Each of them told me their greatest wish was to go to school.  I asked Tameer if he had hope, because this seems to be profoundly important for many refugees. He said his faith in the omnipotence of Allah had not been shaken, but he prayed each day to return to his Damascus home and lead a normal life as an iron worker. The humiliation he felt as a result of not being able to provide for his family was matched only by the anxiety and strain etched into his wife's face.

As fate would have it, a few days earlier I had been in the company of someone who, if not omnipotent, is certainly one of the world's most powerful leaders. This is a man whose decisions could determine the fate of Tameer's family and millions of other Syrian refugees.  I was in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in my role leading Australia's civil society response to the policies of the G20. I raised with Putin the urgent need to guarantee humanitarian space in Syria, so aid agencies could reach the 4 million refugees now internally displaced in Syria. I begged him not to keep supplying arms. I did not see how more weapons could mean anything but more deaths. Already more than 93,000 Syrians have lost their lives in this conflict. He was prepared to say he would push for a diplomatic solution at Geneva 2 - a promise he kept the next day when he attended the G8 meeting. But I left convinced the war in Syria is now a war by proxy, with Russia, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar - not to mention the West - positioning for their preferred political outcome. In doing so, they are flooding an already weapons-drenched region with more arms. It could be years before Tameer can go home.

But hope came to me in a surprise encounter. Back in Beirut I was walking to my hotel one evening and was beckoned into a small workshop and offered coffee by a stranger. The man was a Lebanese Christian named Milat. Sitting in the torchlight was a Syrian Sunni woman and her two sons. Without any place to call home, Milat had taken them in. He explained he supported President Assad as most Christians in the region did but the woman and her sons were praying for the rebels' victory.  Genuinely surprised, I asked how he could live with such political tension and provide food and shelter for them with no end in sight. He shrugged and said they were fellow humans. It was just so simple and his hospitality struck me as a modern-day re-run of the Good Samaritan, a story of 2000 years ago.

Many Lebanese are deeply concerned that the new arrivals from Syria will stay like the Palestinians did after 1948, and many others are terrified by the prospect of Lebanon being destabilised. And yet, thousands of Lebanese like Milat have taken these refugees into their homes.

I wondered how many Australians would respond like this. It stunned me to think that with an estimated 550,000 Syrian refugees now in Lebanon, a country of just 4.3 million people, citizens still find it in their hearts to treat the refugees as humans. It gave me hope and perspective. If only the world's leaders, with the fate of Syria in their hands, could meet Milat.

Tim Costello   July 2013

It is anticipated that by Christmas every fourth person
 in Lebanon will be a refugee

Construction underway for Azraq camp in Jordan,
which will host up to 130,000 refugees.  World Vision
is carrying out all water and sanitation works for the camp.

Makeshift Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon 

Initial shelter construction at Azraq camp in Jordan