The assignment for today was to capture beauty in the camp. Two of the girls, Majdal and Noor, love taking nature photographs. The devastating thing is that there is little green to see in the camp. The West Bank is generally like this, since many of the olive trees have been uprooted and farms confiscated by Israeli force.
The girls were slow to use their cameras at first, holding it around their wrists. But when we walked past private gardens, with pomegranate branches hanging into the alleyways and leaves filtering light onto the pavement, the girls began to click away.
Afterwards, we discussed the lack of nature in the camp. There are no fields to play on, no trees to hang from, and no playgrounds to enjoy. These are the meeting spaces that help form a community and connect children and youth. And they are missing.
These are the results from that day.
Tags: colour, Kalandia, kalandia refugee camp, kids, media, media art, non-profit, occupation, Palestine, people around the world, travel, West Bank, youth, youth activities
