Overview of the Project

so this is the letter that i sent out to people, it sums up a lot of ideas. more to come...

It has probably been several years since the last time we have seen one
another face to face, as I personally have been here and there, and we
have all been busy. Currently I am in school studying Chinese Medicine,
and I have been dreaming of a project to start community-based acupuncture
centers or education facilities where Palestinians can learn the basic
tools of acupuncture and apply them in the ER as well as in daily life.
There are incredibly simple, effective, and economical methods to address
a variety of illnesses and traumas, including PTSD (or simply traumatic
stress disorder, as it were) among other things. (Each acupuncture needle
costs about 2cents, so an entire treatment can be done for less than 25
cents.) The idea, however, is to be able to leave communities with tools
to continue the work in the future without being dependent on the outside.
Disempowerment at the level of basic health is an oppressive form of
control and dehumanization, and the contribution to self-sufficiency can
be viewed as a form of struggle and resistance in itself. The main idea
for this trip is to begin to make contacts and networks within Israel and
Palestine among activists, medical practitioners, and grassroots
organizations to begin a long-term project of training individuals with
basic health care methods.

So I have three weeks at the end of this summer that I have a short break
from school where I would like to try to make this trip. I have put
together a budget - a plane ticket will cost about $1650, and calculating
about $30 per day (to be on the safe side...) brings a total of $2250 . Of
course, I will be staying with as many friends or sympathetic individuals
as I can throughout my stay, but I can't always count on that. I will be
making this trip by myself, unless anyone who gets this email is
interested! The more, the merrier. Below I have listed several goals for
this trip:

1. To begin the groundwork and investigation process of starting a project
that will ultimately lead to the mass training of Palestinian civilians in
basic acupuncture. This includes making contacts in Israel and the
Occupied Territories. Most of my time will be spent listening and speaking
with individuals and organizations to determine the best way to move
forward, and if there is even space to move forward.
2. To return better prepared with ideas for developing acupuncture
protocols specific to the needs of Palestinians.
3. Do as much documentation as possible. This is part of a committment to
be able to come back and do education about the trip and contribute to a
broader educational function when back home
here in the US.

I need your help! I am already up to my ears in debt from loans for
school, and I need assistance to help get this project off the ground. To
make things more complicated, I have been so busy with school that I am
starting my fundraising quite late, and must raise the money within the
next two to three weeks if I want to be able to get a reasonably priced
ticket. If any or all of the above goals moves you I would be very
grateful for any and all support, either financial or moral, that may be
out there. This trip is an effort to honor the struggles that we all have
close to our hearts.