Run Across Palestine The Movie!

February 16, 2012

The People and the Olive is a seven part web series that followed the Run Across Palestine from Feb 2nd to Feb 11th, 2012. A group of runners ran 100+ miles in 5 days to raise funds and awareness for fair trade olive farmers in the West Bank. These videos were shot and edited as the event took place - a media marathon to complement the ultra-marathon.

Here in one place are the videos shot during the amazing run starting at At-Tuwani in the south and ending at Canaan's Burqin factory near Jenin. For HD versions: https://vimeo.com/channels/292633

Or, you can find all the youtube videos here: http://onthegroundglobal.org/the-people-and-the-olive-video-series/

RAP PART 8: HEADING HOME

February 10, 2012

Get Involved

Want to host a fundraiser, get your school involved, run with us in Palestine, or volunteer with On the Ground? Send us an email at info@onthegroundglobal.org

Dear friends,

As the team travels in the direction of home today, take a minute to consider a few things.

Even though the Run Across Palestine was an amazing project of epic scale, it can’t take away the struggles our olive-farming friends face every day.

They will continue to resist the occupation of their land, & we’ll continue to support them in their nonviolent quest for peace. Just as we foster the friendships we’ve forged in Chiapas & Ethiopia, we’ll always have a partnership with these farmers.

Because they’re people, just like us.

Because we all need to eat & sleep & work & laugh & love & be loved, no matter who we are or where we’re from.

Because as it’s scrawled on the Bethlehem side of the separation wall, We all bleed the same color.

Because friendships like the ones formed through RAP are beautiful & worth taking care of for years to come.

Here’s what team member Aubrey Ann Parker had to say about her experience: “I'm so happy to have had this opportunity to get to know the other side, but also to get to know all of the members of the team, both American & Palestinian. There is a special bond between people who experience hardships as we have these past weeks. I hope to continue to let that grow. And for all of you at home who have been supporting, this goes out to you, as well.”

We hope to see you at the welcome home party for the RAP team, where we’ll hear stories firsthand, give & receive hugs, see films & photos & put into practice the sense of community we all share as part of this project.

Part 7 of the The People and the Olive is scheduled to be completed Saturday or Sunday--but we promise to send as soon as it’s ready!

Peace,

Jennifer, Chelsea, & the whole On the Ground crew

Our mailing address is:
806 Red Drive, Suite 150, Traverse City, Michigan 49684 USA
Copyright (C) 2012 On The Ground * All rights reserved.

RAP PART 7: THE FINISH LINE

February 9, 2012

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Get Involved

Want to host a fundraiser, get your school involved, run with us in Palestine, or volunteer with On the Ground? Send us an email at info@onthegroundglobal.org

Dear friends,

There have been roadblocks.

There have been checkpoints.

There have been delays, sore muscles, hills, asphalt, dirt, more hills, sidewalks, traffic, even more hills, armed authorities in uniform, & one very large brick wall.

There has been a Run Across Palestine!

Check out the latest "People and The Olive" video of day 4 and 5... you can see and feel the power and emotion and pain and joy from the last two days!

At the end of their final day of running, the team arrived in Jenin at the Canaan Fair Trade headquarters, which are near the Palestinian Fair Trade Association’s main offices as well.

Canaan is where all the farmers bring their olives to be processed, so not only is it an appropriate place for the runners to finish their journey, it’s also the ideal spot for a celebration & gathering of the whole RAP team & our supporters. RAP culminated in singing, dancing, music, feasting, tears, & joy. Nasser tells us RAP is the biggest grassroots support event Palestine has ever had from another country. What an honor to be a part of it! The whole country, north to south, is celebrating & supporting this project.

"We each were dedicated a 200-year-old tree behind the building. Each tree has a unique shape, just like each of our unique roles to this team. Having finished an ultramarathon & having spent a week of intense cultural and physical perseverance, it was a very emotional moment for everyone." --Aubrey Ann Parker

We also want to give a huge shout out to Nasser Abufarha, who has made all of this possible: not only the Run itself, but the opportunity to bring life to these farmers through fair trade & cooperatives.

This relationship began because we consume their olive oil.

Their olive oil made it to us because fair trade opened up an international market for them.

How has fair trade changed the lives of these farming communities since its introduction in 2004?

Nasser found out about fair trade coffee in the early 2000's & thought, "This is what my people need!" He brought this idea back to Palestine & founded the PFTA with 12 farmers. Before there was this fair trade & cooperatives, individual families sold thier oil only at local markets--where they made less money per bottle (8 shekels) than it cost to produce it (12 shekels). When Canaan started, they began to buy at 15 shekels/bottle, then by 2009 they were buying at 22. What a huge difference!

Canaan works with 43 different farmer coops (1700 farmers), including six women’s coops. They spread the word starting in 2004 through workshops, educating the farmers about fair trade, talking about quality, organic, cooperatives, & certifications. Everyone was on board. But olive oil was not a fair trade certifiable item at that time, so Canaan drafted the standards for the oil, which were adapted by FLO (the international fair trade labeling organization), & here we are! Today, Canaan's farmers make a fair wage, work together, farm organically, & connect with the world through the exchange of goods.

You can continue to support these farmers by making a donation to RAP here & by buying their amazing goods: couscous, tahini, olives, honey, tapenade & so many more tasty delicacies.

Check out today’s video installment from The People and the Olive, & raise your glasses (coffee, tea, orange juice, beer, wine, whatever) with us as we toast the incredible efforts of the whole RAP team. We’re so excited to welcome them back home & hear even more stories of their adventure.

SAVE THE DATE for a Traverse City, MI welcome home party of stories, film, music, food & community, Wednesday February 29th. More details to come!

Peace,

Jennifer & the whole On the Ground crew

Our mailing address is:
806 Red Drive, Suite 150, Traverse City, Michigan 49684 USA
Copyright (C) 2012 On The Ground * All rights reserved.

RAP PART 6: 26 MILES TODAY

February 8, 2012

Get Involved

Want to host a fundraiser, get your school involved, run with us in Palestine, or volunteer with On the Ground? Send us an email at info@onthegroundglobal.org

Dear friends,

After 26 miles of running, the team ended Day 4 safely in Nos Ijbeal, a village of about 350 people. Three miles before their stopping point, a caravan from the community greeted them, singing songs, honking horns, & playing music. A marching band along with employees from Canaan Fair Trade & the Palestinian Fair Trade Association met them in the village with a large reception & homemade food prepared by the family of their host, Khadir.

Only 28 years old, Khadir is the youngest olive farmer working for Canaan Fair Trade, & he has a passion for organic agriculture. “Our village is very small,” Khadir says. “Most young people have left & the farmers that are still here are mostly older folks. I have to help. I profit for sure but my village is also my family.” Read Khadir's full story here. The RAP team has certainly felt the warmth of that family, enjoying fantastic hospitality & generosity along each leg of their journey.

If you’ve missed any of the videos from The People and the Olive, documenting this whole project, be sure to check them out:

1. Ready, Set… Run Across Palestine!
2. At the Starting Line
3. Not So Fast
4. A New Day
5. We’re Just Gonna Run

We’ll have a new video for you tomorrow – the media team is taking a much-needed respite from all the non-stop action.

One of our most exciting partnerships in this project is with Trees for Life, an organization that gives thousands of olive trees to farmers. Trees for Life is deeply invested in the Palestinian fair trade movement, & their work is helping to counteract the dramatic destruction of olive trees in the West Bank by the Israeli occupation army. Since Trees for Life depends solely on grassroots movement abroad, we (& they!) need your support.

Read more about Trees for Life here, & about the scholarship program here. Then please consider making a donation to On the Ground & Run Across Palestine. You can also choose to make an ongoing monthly donation, or donate in the name of your friends or family towards these projects, giving the gift of trees & education. With your support, we can work to provide more trees & scholarships to farming families!

Peace,

Jennifer & the whole On the Ground crew