Locations
As of July 2008, 24 projects are completed or underway
* Indicates city or village where a playground was built. Locations are approximate in labeled districts. Below are details of each city/village.
Afghanistan
This landlocked country with a population of aproximately 33 million is one of the poorest in the world. After decades of conflict, the economy is showing signs of improving. It is a country with one of the highest number of landmines. The literacy rate for adults is less than 30%. Life expectancy is less than 45 years. 44% of the population is aged 14 and under. There are over two million war widows. Often children become the breadwinners for the family.
The Tajwar Sultan Girls School, Kabul
This school has 4,632 students in grades 1-12, with 143 teachers. There are fourteen Grade 7 classes. The students attend the school in three different sessions starting at 6:00am. The school stays open in the hot summer and closes for winter as there is no central heat and roads are dangerous for walking or impassable with snow. The school had one volleyball net and two broken basketball hoops. Because of the numbers of students, Playground Builders is placing 27 pieces of equipment. The basketball hoops will be repaired. Soccer balls, volleyballs, basketballs and badminton sets were purchased and given to the school.
The House of Flowers Orphange
The orphanage is home to 20 boys and 10 girls. They had a small playing area. Playground Builders supplied top soil and grass sod to improve enjoyment and safety to these beautiful children.
Locations in West Bank and Gaza
Gaza
The population of Gaza is estimated at 1.5 million people living within 225 sq. km. Unemployment is in excess of 55%. 80% of people are living below the poverty line. The current embargo has made building materials scarce and expensive. Playgrounds scheduled have been postponed. 47.6% of the population is aged 14 and under. The median age is 16. (The U.S.A. median is 36.6) - CIA 2007
Al-Maghazi - A village in the centre of the Gaza Strip. Population of 22,000. UNRWA operates 5 schools in the village for 6,400 students.
Beit Hanoun - A village of 35,000 people in the northeast of Gaza. The most important crops are oranges, figs, grapes, apples, almonds, strawberry, and flowers. Beit Hanoun is the border area and the crossing between 1948 areas and Gaza Strip. 80% of the village's population lives on less than $2 a day.
West Bank
See Photo Gallery
The population of the West Bank is estimated at 2.5 million people. In addition, there are approximately 350,000 Israeli settlers living throughout the West Bank. 46% are living below the poverty line. Over 700,000 are listed as refugees. 42% of the population is aged 14 and under. The median age is 18.5. (The Canadian median is 39) - CIA 2007
Salfit - The City of Salfit lies in the middle north of Palestine and is famous for grapes. The playground will be established as a safe, outdoor environment for children; the Sharek-Relief International Center will include homework and enrichment rooms for children.
Aqbet Jaber Refugee Camp/Jericho - Aqbat Jabr camp is 3 kilometers southwest of Jericho, which is considered "the oldest inhabited city in the world". This camp was established in 1948. Aqbat Jabr has a small population of 5,566 registered refugees. The playground is established in cooperation with the Aqbat Jabr Youth Club.
Anata - Anata is considered one of the villages within Jerusalem district located 6km north east of Jerusalem. The village is surrounded by the segregation wall that is built on village land. The population of Anata is 12,000. There are open spaces that might be used for recreational or gathering activities, but due to the limited resources and limited opportunities, the village lacks public facilities (Parks, community centers, etc).
Deir Istea - Deir Istiya village is located 8km to the north west of Salfit city and 15km from the 1949 Armistice Line (Green Line). The village population is 4000 inhabitants, 65% of whom are currently jobless. The unemployment level is due to military closure and denial of work, especially after the construction of the Segregation Wall. The playground is established in cooperation with Sabaya Center.
Hajja/Qalqilieh - Hajja village is located between Nablus and Qalqilieh, 16km away from Nablus. The village contains basic facilities and services: a clinic and child centers.
Marda - A village that lies between Nablus and Salfit in the northern West Bank, with a population of 2,500 people surrounded by Israeli settlers and soldiers. The prominent source of income in Marda Village is agricultural, specifically olive oil. The Barrier Wall has been economically destructive to the village.
Jenin - A city on the West Bank, Jenin is a major Palestinian agricultural center. Jenin also refers to the adjoining Jenin Refugee Camp and is the name of the surrounding district within the West Bank. The city of Jenin has a population of 34,000 Palestinians. The Jenin refugee camp houses approximately 13,000 refugees, according to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency). Some 42.3% of the population of the camp is under the age of fifteen. The population of the entire Jenin district is over 250,000.
Rameen - A village 15km east of Tulkarem with a population of about 2000 people. There is an elementary school in the village with 400 students and a secondary school withn102 students. Residents of Ramin village depend largely on working in Israel and on agriculture as their two main sources of income.
Al Jalazon - A refugee camp comprised of a large group of horribly crowded, shabby houses, surrounded by a fence. It is located north of the West Bank city Ramallah, with a population of nearly 9000 people.
Al Khadr - A village in Bethlehem, with a population of nearly 9,600. The Barrier Wall in Al Khader will isolate 95 percent of the village’s land behind the wall.
Al Ubeidiya - West Bank village near Bethlehem, population 8,600. Village has one secondary school for girls. The Barrier Wall has annexed majority of land that could be used for agriculture and domestic expansion.
Saffa - A village in the district of Ramallah. The village is bordered from the west by eight Israeli settlements. Saffa has a population of 4318 people.
Halhoul - A community located in Hebron district with a population of 21,431 people, of whom 44.2% are under 15 years old. Halhoul is an agricultural city; 60% of its residents depend on farming. Halhoul has 5360 students attending five boys', five girls' and two coeducational schools.
Dhahariyah - A southern West Bank village in Hebron district with a population of 27,600 people.
Qabatieh - This village of 23,000 people is located 10km south of Jenin. The new playground is the first ever for this village.
Ramallah - Located 15km north of Jerusalem with a population of approximately 57,000 people. This city is the headquarters of the Sharek Youth Forum; hundreds of children enjoy the benefits of this playground.
Silwad - A small village near Ramallah.
Locations in Iraq
The population of Iraq is estimated at 27 million; 39.4% of people are aged 14 and under. The median age is 20 years. (CIA 2007). The World Health Organization in January 2008 reported 151,000 civilians have been killed since the start of the US led coalition invasion of March 2003 up to June 2006. Two million have fled as refugees. Internally displaced people are estimated at 2 million.
UNICEF reports that sanctions imposed in 1990 resulted in 1.3 million deaths of which 600,000 were children. 1 in 3 families are now headed by women. (BBC News, Dec '07). Fewer than 20 years, ago Iraq was reported to be the most literate country in the Middle East. A census taken in 2004 showed only a 30% school enrollment. Many children have had to withdraw to work to support their families.
This twelve year old boy has left school. He dismantles downed Iraqi fighter jets to support his family. Another child without a childhood.
Baghdad - The playground is situated in the North East section of the city in one of the poorer neighborhoods. The area is home for both Shite and Sunni religious sects. They are building this playground together. The land has been redeveloped from an unsanitary waste area to a playground providing access for hundreds of children.
There are four primary schools, (6 to 12 years) in the vicinity without playground equipment. The playground area will include grass playing fields. Al-Noor Humanitarin Organization has contributed funds for the fencing and grass area. See photos.
