Plant an Olive Tree in Bethlehem
on Dec 08 in News posted by Peter Rennie
This Christmas our parish is supporting this aid program to plant olive trees near Bethlehem to aid our Christian brothers and sisters in Palestine. Canon Jim has set us a target of 200 trees, and a field has been reserved for St John the Baptist Purley in Beth Sahur (Shepherds Fields). Please support this program.
Thousands of Olive trees have been destroyed in the Palestinian areas of the West Bank and Gaza strip. Farmers have been deprived of their economic livelihood causing families to be forced into poverty. OliveAid’s aim is simply to restore the injustice suffered by the Palestinian people by restoring the Olive groves and providing families with a sustainable income from olives and olive based products.
We have identified over nine sites within the West Bank where sustainable Olive groves can be planted. Each site has been carefully selected and prepared to accept three year old Olive saplings with have been sourced locally and are certificated against disease. Irrigation has been secured for each site is fenced where necessary. Most importantly we have ensured that all OliveAid sites are positioned in non conflict areas ensuring the long term security of the Olives groves and their crop.
A local management infrastructure working in partnership with local farmers and the community monitors both the planting and the ongoing husbandry of the trees to ensure that they reach their fruiting maturity in seven years. OliveAid intend to plant 10,000 trees in the Apr 08 Mar 09 season with a further 20,000 trees next season.
We cannot accelerate the growth of the Olive tress but we can with your help maximise the number of trees planted this season so please give generously.
You can download the brochere here.