Near East Foundation - Opinion of NEF's Eid Celebration: "This is the Way it should be--Something Felt from the Heart."

It has been a long, cold winter in the West Bank and fuel prices are up. As people struggle to make ends meet, they don't know whether to spend their limited funds on heating their homes or buying food. That conflict was compounded in early January as the Eid Al-Adhia feast approached--one of the most important events in the Muslim calendar both religiously and socially. It is a celebratory time when fresh meat adhaee is enjoyed. "The adahee means a lot to Muslims," remarked Near East Foundation staffer Ayman Sawaftah, "and needless to say each family was grateful for the generous offerings from Near East Foundation and its partners."

Upholding a long-held tradition, NEF and a partner organization distributed adahee to 660 families, about 3,300 people, in the area northwest of Nablus, where NEF is at work in a wide range of programs serving a "cluster" of villages. Families from Asira Al Shamaliya, Al Bathan, Taluzza, Beit Imrin, Yasid, Ajansinya, and Nisf Ejbeil received their portions, with the Asira mayor even joining volunteers in the distribution. "We are very grateful," was the simple, heartfelt response of Om Eissa, a single mother of a son and daughter.

"This reinforces our emphasis on development versus relief," stated Roger Hardister, NEF regional director for the Middle East, North Africa, and Horn of Africa. "It allows us to share in local celebrations and support local residents on such important occasions," he continued, "taking us beyond simple food distribution to underscore the entire development process in which we are engaged."

NEF selection criteria in the West Bank directed meat allocation to low-income, large, and single-parent families, particularly if the single parent were a woman--and 10 percent of women directly benefited from the program. Importantly, local councils in each villages chose the families.

SUDAN'S EID

Similarly in Sudan, according to project committee member, Mohamed Ali Hassein, "Participating communities were very happy about the way the process was implemented. They felt it was participatory, transparent, and demonstrated a strong commitment by those in charge," he continued, adding, "This is the way it should be--something felt from the heart."

About one thousand people from 150 families benefited with priority giving to orphans, widows, and the poorest. Six-to-seven families shared each sheep. A key element in the celebration were the children and their excitement as they gathered to watch the slaughtering, jumping with excitement and joy at the delicious prospects ahead.

A distinction of the NEF program compared with others--it was the sheep that were distributed, not the meat. Not only was this the preference of local people, it made allocation simpler and more open. Providing meat alone often creates conflicts within communities since that requires relatively large groups for distribution and the focus on specific criteria for participation often can get lost.

LOCAL PARTICIPATION KEY

NEF first established a so-called project implementation committee, responsible for developing an action plan. They met with various local committees in three targeted areas around Khartoum State to discuss the best way to implement the meat distribution. The areas were all remote and inhabited by Sudanese displaced by war, draught, desertification, and suffering from extreme economic hardship.

Residents of Dar El-Salaam El-Tawidaat, just outside of northern Khartoum, are mainly internally displaced people from the southern part of the country who fled the war and consequently, are mostly widows and orphans. One sheep was allocated for their local mosque as well. The majority of inhabitants of El-Salama are war veterans, who are physically disabled with very low incomes and educational levels. They live on the outskirts of Khartoum State is a very deprived area lacking even the most basic of services. While Taiba-El-Kababish is relatively more developed with better access to water and other necessities, the majority of its internally displaced residents from the west still have poor access to health care and only one elementary school. Three sheep were given to the orphans of the Tagwa Centre school.

Participating local committees included El-Tagwa and El-Daawa Mosque Committees from Dal El-Salaam El-Tawidaat; the Family Income-Generating Association Committee of Taiba-El-Kababish; and El-Nahda Disabled People's Association Committee from El-Salama (Suba-Alaradi). "This was our first coordinated effort to implement such a program, but we feel assured that it was an important one," commented one local committee member. "It brought joy and happiness to many," he continued, "and at the same time helped to avoid a lot of sadness and grief that would have occurred if these families had not been able to participate in Eid celebrations."

All these organizations had helped NEF implement previous Ramadan celebrations and following a series of meetings had agreed on a plan of action, determining the numbers of families to benefit as well as their selection and registration, criteria for participation and priorities, number of sheep allocated to each of the three areas, when distribution would take place, and other details.

On the first day of Eid, project committee members together with local committees from three designated areas purchased a total of 23 sheep, which were immediately handed over to the leaders of the local committees. All local committee members assisted with the distribution under the supervision of the project committee.

COMMITTEE OPINION

"The program helped lift the burden of poverty and deprivation, however briefly, from the shoulders of these men, women, and children," reported Moussa Gismallah, a member of the project committee. "I can honestly say that our efforts, supported by donors in the United States and Canada, helped to bring joy to the hearts of these people and put smiles on the faces of children who are all too often accustomed to tears and sadness."

He added this strongly-held opinion, "Although the program is only a temporary measure, its impact is long term. Indeed, even the smallest of efforts can lead to much bigger changes in the lives of people."