Association to Promote the Wadi El-Naim Village
GOALS
To have the village recognized and relocated to a place that is suitable for the community so that its living conditions will improve and at the same time it will obtain services from the state; and To improve and develop the formal and informal education systems and promote sports in the village and among the Bedouin population in the Negev.
The El-Azazmeh Bedouin tribe, which numbers some 15,000 individuals, lives in two areas – approximately 2,500 live in the permanent township of Segev Shalom and the remainder in unrecognized villages situated between Beersheva and Mitzpe Ramon. The two largest unrecognized villages are Wadi el-Naim and Bir-Hadaj, with approximately 4,500 inhabitants each. Wadi el-Naim has to contend with the absence or paucity of basic civic services to which every citizen of Israel is entitled, including the lack of formal and informal education services, no water supply, and no suitable or adequate health services (although the High Court of Justice ruled that clinics and mother-and-child care clinics should be set up in the villages, this has not occurred in many cases). The Bedouin from Wadi el-Naim belong to the lowest socio-economic class and are desperately in need of welfare services. Residents have to go to the welfare office in Beersheva to receive information or assistance. The residents have access to only 3 welfare workers, who serve a population of some 15,000 citizens. In 1997, having received an eviction order, the residents of Wadi el-Naim petitioned the High Court of Justice, which ruled in 2000 that execution of the order would be postponed for 3 years to allow both sides (residents of the village and the Ministry of the Interior) to reach an agreement. The residents of Wadi el-Naim wish to move to a recognized and agreed-upon locality that will suit the people's ecological, cultural, social, and economic needs. In the past 3 years, the organization has conducted lengthy negotiations with the Authority for the Advancement of the Bedouin and the court to settle the matter of recognition and determine a place for the village. In February 2003, the Ministry of the Interior decided to develop a neighborhood to the south of the permanent township of Segev Shalom and to transfer the residents of Wadi el-Naim there, despite the objections of the residents, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Health. The negotiations broke down and the case will be returned to the High Court of Justice in August of this year (2003). The El-Azazmeh School Parents' Committee was established in 1992. In 2000 this committee merged with the village's local committee to form the Association to Promote the Wadi el-Naim Village in order to address the full range of the community's problems, involve more residents in the struggle for their rights, and allocate responsibilities and roles.
CURRENT ACTIVITIES/FUTURE PLANS
Advocacy
The El-Azazmeh school has constantly born the brunt of discrimination by the district and Bedouin Education Authority. It heads the struggle for equal rights in the education system for the Bedouin of unrecognized villages. Last year, the organization began a campaign (calling off classes) to replace the principal appointed by the Ministry of Education. The campaign was successful and a suitable principal acceptable to the residents was appointed. Over 1,300 pupils study in the most cramped and difficult physical conditions. The school suffers a lack of facilities, an untrained pedagogical staff, no guidance for the staff, and so forth. Dozens of letters about the conditions at the school—the equipment, the condition of the structure, staffing positions, cleanliness, pedagogical standards, adding a ninth-grade class, etc.—were mailed. The organization petitioned the High Court of Justice, which ruled that a library must be established at the school. The ruling has not been implemented. Women's education – A course to teach 15 adult women to read, write, and complete their education (in cooperation with Sidreh [NIF grantee]) was held. This was the only activity in the village enabling women to complete their education. The youth club activities were expanded, including supplementary tutoring and various extracurricular programs (sports, social activities, youth leadership development, etc.) Recognition of the Village and Provision of Services The organization corresponded with relevant government ministries (Interior, Infrastructure, and Agriculture) on issues such as the water supply, fulfilling the pledge to provide clinics, conducting an epidemiological survey, installation of telephone lines, etc. The residents' health is endangered by ecological hazards, most of which stem from the chemical industry at Ramat Hovav. Although the Bedouin residents are the nearest civilian population to the site and are the most exposed to the hazards, there is no warning system for the Bedouin population, who are not appraised of emergency evacuation orders as are Jewish localities. Another (privately owned) power station has recently been built in the area, constituting another ecological hazard. Despite the health and ecological risks—which call for convenient, safe, and fast communications—there are no telephone lines to the village and Bezeq (the telephone company) refuses to provide this service (cellular phone communication is not always feasible). The organization has conducted prolonged negotiations with Bezeq, to no avail. The Association has appeared many times in the media and guided a large number of tours to raise consciousness among members of the Jewish public and decision-makers of the problems. A regional planner has been recruited to identify a suitable place for the alternative village and to develop a lobby to promote its establishment. The organization has been assisted by Adalah in mapping the existing situation with regard to alternative land and the needs of the families in the locality and members of the tribe. In light of the unavailability of health services in the village, the Association recently set up a temporary clinic in partnership with other organizations in the area (initiated by Bustan Hashalom). The clinic will be open one day a week for urgent cases. A mobile mother-and-child clinic was also established.
Provision of Services
The organization will continue the above activities. The following is also planned: Coordination of the work of a committee representing the 5 villages where the El-Azazmeh tribe lives, which was set up recently to promote provision of services to these villages; Public education to explain the situation in unrecognized villages to the general public through the media and by means of guided tours for decision-makers; Setting up of a structure to serve as a Bedouin heritage center, which will be used for enrichment and consciousness-raising workshops on Bedouin heritage, which will be visited by teenagers from all over the country; and Women’s education – the organization plans to expand its activities to promote |
