JERUSALEM, September 9, 2009 (WAFA)- American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA's) big USAID water and sanitation program (EWAS II) is accelerating in its implementation.

USAID and the Palestinian Authority have approved the rehabilitation of three hospitals (in Beit Jala, Nablus and Jericho) and construction of three new schools. That with several water projects will infuse the West Bank from top to bottom with construction jobs and improved infrastructure. Both are desperately needed.

ANERA`s projects focused on Early Childhood Education. with the Ministery of Education which  endorsed the ANERA approach. It will co-host a late October conference that convenes many stakeholders to examine a process and next steps.The invitees will include universities, non-profits, educators, funders, government officials and preschool administrators.

ANERA will subsidize the expense of the day-long meeting which should involve 80 people. The end result of the day will be the establishment of a Task Force broken into subcommittees that will address issues such as curriculum, certification, training, infrastructure, learning materials, community participation, etc.

It envision this effort to be a multi-year initiative that hopefully results in a transformation of early childhood education across the West Bank and, eventually, Gaza. The next day, the Ministry released an article in local newspapers about this initiative.

ANERA`s warehouse is full of recent shipments that are now being distributed. The hygiene kits packaged in the West Bank contain household and individual items for cleanliness. Soap, shampoo, towels, feminine sanitary napkins, toothpaste are included in the $70/carton. This is a $600,000 grant from USAID.

Bill Corcoran, ANERA President visited one family of five children and a grandmother living with mom and dad in a one-room shack in Gaza. They lived outside in the yard, reserving the home for clothes. ANERA has delivered thousands of chickens to hundreds of destitute families. At the home visited, while the chickens seemed healthy, all the children had colds or worse and were running barefoot in the chicken manure.

That was a theme carried throughout my time in Gaza – there is a growing concern that food baskets are creating a dependent culture that, coupled with depression, could kill the work ethic in the long term. These issues reinforced our plans to create agricultural projects that employ people while supplying the markets with locally produced goods.

Another theme that came up was pollution. It has become so pervasive that many prefer not to eat locally grown vegetables. Overuse of fertilizers, pesticides, and non-potable water have created cucumbers that taste foul. ANERA is considering a major compost project to accelerate the use of natural fertilizer. In combination with other efforts, we will fast forward several agricultural projects. 50% of fields continue to lie fallow after the bombings. They will require water well repairs, piping, tractor spare parts, etc. However, all of those need to be imported through Israeli security and border controls.

 In recent years, the preschool has operated there with 70 students. It exists on a shoe-string which means no maintenance or repairs. ANERA's engineers were able to employ a local contractor for $5,000 who restored their damaged zinc roof, re-plastered and painted the interior and exterior walls, and installed entirely new bathrooms with sinks/toilets.