Update

Oct. 27th '24

Thanks to our supporters!

Dear amazing donors,

We want to thank you sincerely for your donations which very quickly reached our target! Thanks for caring about the world and wanting to make a a positive impact in the Middle East through Permaculture.
Anything donated now will go towards supporting the 16 other scholarship students attending this training from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Afghanistan.

If you feel inspired, there are a few more ways you could help out with the campaign:

•⁠ ⁠Spread the word by sharing with your networks, social media sites, and messaging close friends and colleagues. Here are the useful links:
•⁠ ⁠The training: https://12pdesign.net/events/ptt4r-2024/
•⁠ ⁠The network Permaculture For Refugees: https://www.permacultureforrefugees.org
•⁠ ⁠There are still places available on the course for paying participants whose course fees also help support these scholarships
If you have any questions about the training or anything related to it, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Permaculture and Solidarity for all,
Jalal, Alfred Decker, and P4R Team ! <3

Context

This campaign will raise funds to cover a full scholarship and travel expenses for a wonderful human named Jalal to attend the Permaculture Teacher Training with Focus on Refugees (PTT4R) in Catalunya, Spain this November, 2024.

At this moment more than 120 million people on the planet have been forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. Often these conflicts are connected to the climate and environmental crises.

As war in the Levant continues to escalate, the regional ecological destruction increases as well, with agricultural land and forests burned intentionally or as a consequence of bombings. Agricultural infrastructures are also being destroyed, and the lack of access to their lands together with the lack of rain is having a disastrous effect on farmers.

One of the changemakers that will come to the training explained to me how strongly the people of his region are connected to their land and to long-term ecological and social regeneration. They think about their land and their place in the world as the Levant more than a particular nation state. These inspiring people are doing essential work and will be instrumental for what happens during and after the current wars in terms of reconstruction, regeneration and applying the principles, strategies and techniques of permaculture design.

What are we doing about it ?

The Permaculture for Refugees (P4R) network aims to support in situations of oppression to transform the places where they live — be it refugee camps or sites in receiving countries — into productive permaculture-designed communities, and ultimately to equip to refugees and changemakers with the necessary knowledge, network and tools to build an inclusive, resilient, and welcoming society. P4R uses the term refugee “interchangeably with asylum seekers, forced migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and stateless persons.”

Developed by the highly respected and beloved educator Rosemary (Rowe) Morrow, the PTT4R draws on her decades of permaculture teaching experience. After years of teaching permaculture design courses, she realized that a teacher training course could have a powerful multiplier effect in giving confidence and practical teaching tools to permaculturists who wanted to teach but lacked the confidence and skills to start.

Two years ago we raised money for 16 scholarships on two previous versions of this training that included students and facilitators from more than two dozen countries around the world. I have to say the diversity, cultural richness, and sense of solidarity that we all shared was truly inspirational. Click HERE and also HERE to watch videos describing this work.

Why is permaculture useful for refugees?

The non-formal and empowering nature of permaculture is well-equipped to embrace an uncertain global future that includes the mass movement of people. As P4R explains, “Our aim is to support refugees in transforming the places where they live — be these refugee camps or communities in receiving countries — into productive permaculture-designed communities, and ultimately to equip them for integration into society for the collective benefit of all.”

More info on permaculture and refugees HERE. You can also read an inspiring story HERE about Ernest Gibba, a permaculture educator and refugee from The Gambia, who did the training with us.

"The idea is to engender hope and confidence that no matter where they find themselves, displaced peoples will be able to organise, feed themselves, and create solutions."

– Permaculture designer working in a Greek refugee camp, 2017

Jalal Akel Jr.

My name is Jalal Akel Jr.. I am 28 years young, born and raised in Jerusalem as an Arab Palestinian attending St. George’s School. I spent my childhood between Jerusalem and the West Bank until I left to the USA in 2014 to continue higher education. I achieved an Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts from Cape Cod Community College in 2018. I transferred on to the University of Massachusetts Amherst where I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Environmental Water Engineering, and a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC). In addition, I am a certified Yoga Teacher. I consider myself a creative individual with many passions and interests such as music, art, and movemeant. After all, I am a simple human who enjoys connecting with nature, living life, and being free.

When I did my PDC with Lisa De Piano, our group project was to offer a farm design for a 67-acre plot of land that has a long complicated history. My role was to design the water management aspect. It was lots of fun and we learned so much. Since learning about Permaculture I have come to believe that it holds the solutions to most of our modern problems. From agroforestry, to circular water systems, to no-waste mindset, to natural building, Permaculture puts into practice and application all the solutions and philosophies we need to live together in harmony, sustainability, and love for each other, the earth, and other beings.

Since graduating, I've come to realize I am no traditional Engineer. I am the New World Engineer who believes in sustainability, agroecology, green solutions, and a permaculture mindset across the board. Thus, I've been volunteering in and visiting as many permaculture & organic farm projects, sustainable and intentional communities, and workshops related to ecology and sustainability as much as possible, here in Palestine and the USA.

Currently I am working on a few workshops and courses to educate, engage, and uplift students and the young community in The West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Examples of such projects that are in the early stages:

Native Medicinal Plants Garden

Designing a model garden that consists of Ten (10) medicinal plants native to Palestine at Dar Jacer Initiative in Bethlehem, West Bank ~ Throughout the process we are including creative and artistic research and expression, establishing sustainable circular economy, and bridging the general public and young students and artists through educational workshops and activities, and creating a community that fosters a healthy relationship with the environment, plant medicine, and arts.

Urban (Home) Gardening & Agroecology Course

Facilitating a three (3) month course about ecology and home gardening through the ActionAid Global Platform Organization in Bethlehem ~ A 12 week course that includes weekly 3 hour workshops with a certain topic to explore each month, such as:

Home Gardening, Compost management, Water conservation and management, the importance of biodiversity, and soil health & fertility.

Shared Community Garden

Establishing a community garden in Bethlehem through the ministry of Agriculture ~ We are seeking a small plot of land around the Center of Bethlehem to engage the youth and hold weekly workshops for people to share a community garden where they can plant food, cooperate, learn about agroecology and permaculture, build community, and support themselves and others

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My teacher Lisa De Piano has really helped me on this journey and she has advised me many times to complete my Permaculture Teacher Training, so i can be more equipped to teach and hold workshops, and broaden my horizons. This is why attending this training is very important for my career in terms of being more adept in serving my community.

As I walk around East Jerusalem, I look around and wonder how much potential and importance there is to greening our spaces. I am also discussing with Sinsila (an initiative in East Jerusalem about Agroecology and beekeeping) about a potential new project such as Rooftop Gardens, or sustainable water systems, or compost management.

It's been really difficult being here since last year and I've been trying to create opportunities for myself in terms of work and relief. Taking part in the PTT4R would be amazing as I would be more equipped to teach Permaculture, which is highly important for me to serve my community in this way.

Thank you very much for supporting this cause <3

Budget

The PTT4R fees paid by non-scholarship participants are on a sliding scale (€700-€1300), which recognises the differences in economic reality depending on what country a participant comes from, as well as their individual circumstances, so this is a practical way that people with more resources can act in solidarity. Those who can afford to pay more on the higher end of the scale will help those who can only pay less.

The total, €1500/$1630, will cover all expenses for Jalal's scholarship – €800/$870 for the training and €700/$760 for travel expenses.

Anything over the €800 target will go towards the 16 other scholarship students attending this training from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Afghanistan.

More Information

If you'd like more information on the specifics of these trainings, please contact Alfred Decker at info@12pdesign.net and he will be more than happy to share with you in greater detail :-)

Solidarity & Permaculture For All!

Teacher Training Scholarship For A Palestinian Permaculturist

Support a Palestinian attend PTT4R (Permaculture Teacher Training for Refugees) in Barcelona this November