Help the Children

Festivals 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

REMEMBER the INNOCENTS 2003 On December 28, 2003 Holy Land Trust organized a festival to remember the innocent children of Palestine and all over the world. The event was organized in conjunction with the Bethlehem Peace Center, Inad Theater and was made possible by sponsorship of Jawwal. The events commenced at 11am with programs running all through the day ending at 4pm. The theme of the day: "Remember the Innocents" is based on the biblical story of King Herod who slaughtered the innocent children of Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago in hopes of destroying the foretold King of Peace. Today in Palestine almost every child has faced or still faces traumatic experiences. This day in meant to honor these children and all children across the world who suffer. The goal was to bring a day of joy and fun to the children in the area and also send a political message to children, families, and the international community that we continue to live here under Occupation and extreme oppression. The Bethlehem Peace Center was the location of the whole day's events. One room was lined with booths selling candy, balloon animals, face painting, and other items for children. Heart to Heart, an international NGO that does work across Palestine, had a booth and provided entertainment for the children with face painting and a clown that made balloon animals;this was greatly enjoyed by the children. There was also a booth of games for the children and another booth selling clothes for children. This room was crowded all day long bringing much excitement to the children who attended. The adjacent room hosted a stage where several events throughout the day took place. Throughout the day various choirs from local schools performed Christmas carols, giving some children a chance to participate in the events. Heart to Heart sang two very special performances singing in Arabic and English. The Christmas carols were enjoyed by all those who attended. Outside of the Bethlehem Peace Center hung a large banner made by Jawwal that stated: "No to the Wall" sending a direct political message to all the attendees and the press. Throughout the day there were three opportunities to attend three various events that occurred simultaneously. There was a Christmas play put on by Inad Theater with the participation of members from Holy Land Trust's Remember the Innocents youth group. This play was enjoyable for the children and also gave a political message concerning the devastation of the apartheid wall. In this play Santa learned of this terrible wall that was separating the children of Palestine and received a letter from the Santa's there asking for help. Cinema showings of theaters done in Jordan were also played for the children titled: "Laila in the Red Shorts" and another "Paper Bag Play." Inad Theater also performed a storytelling event that was a great success and brought imagination and fun to the children. It used various backdrops to tell stories to the children and teach them to use their imaginations. The day long event brought joy to many children in the area. There were around 1,000 children and families in attendance throughout the entire day. All the organizations involved were pleased with the turnout and the success of the day's events. We are grateful to all those who played a part in the success of this day and all the events. For the future we enjoyed the structure of this day and hope to use it again. To have various events going on consecutively allowed the children to be split up into smaller groups and enjoy the events more. A special thanks to our sponsors and participating organizations. 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003