Palestinian olive harvest; photo and video project

The Olive Harvest is the highlight of the year for Palestinian farmers. It's a time of year that sees families coming together, all olives are handpicked, to take part in this century old tradition of harvesting olives from trees that have been in their families for generations. Every village has an olive press and the community gathers as fruit brought in to produce one of the most delicious olive oils in the world. The olive sector is a lifeline in Palestine and supports the livelihoods of over 100, 000 families across the West Bank. It is also a time of escalating violence on Palestinian farmers from the inhabitants of Israel's illegal settlements. Since 2004 Zaytoun has been organising trips to give people an opportunity to witness the olive harvest, help farmers pick olives, and tour Palestine. Zaytoun feels that visiting Palestine is a significant step towards appreciating the beauty of the culture and appreciating issues faced whilst living under military occupation. Zaytoun would like to document this key event and would like to build an image and video library which will help with our work of selling fair trade Palestinian products and campaigning about issues which impact the farmers we work with. A talented UK photographer has generously offered to do this work for us on a pro bono basis, waiving his fees and donating his time and talent for 10 days during which he will travel across Palestine to capture the best of the bountiful land and its wonderful people. Zaytoun would like to fund his flights, accommodation & meals, local transport and a guide/ translator who can show him around, introduce him to farmers, explain the effects of Israeli Occupation and guide him through the area. We are asking for your help to make this project happen. The trip will be end October/ early November and results will be available from the end of the year. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions.

by heather in London