BELGIAN TECHNICAL COOPERATON

Tulkarem - Wafa, 20/08/2009 - The developmental planning group in Al-Kafriyat, reviewed the developmental strategic plan for Al-Kafriyat area for the next four years, prepared by the Services Council in the town and funded by the Belgian Technical Cooperation.

This came during the public meeting for Al-Kafriyat inhabitants and organized by the Joint Council, at the pool and Brussels Public Park of the Council, which were constructed at the expense of the Belgian Technical Cooperation as well beginning of the current year.

During the meeting, the Chairman of Al-Kafriyat JSCPD; Mr. Farouq Ghanayem stressed in his speech that the seven villages of Al-Kafriyat being one indivisible unit, praising the big crowd from al-Kafriyat inhabitants who attended the celebration of the council, which reinforces the sense of unity, integration leading to Al-Kafriyat Municipality which will see the light soon and will bring together the seven villages under one umbrella

Mr. Ghanayem also stressed that the Joint Council will work with utmost sincerity, for al-Kafriyat to be one unit and the luminous beacon in the sky of Palestine, providing its citizens with all the services and high level of quality, perfection and developing the infrastructure for the whole region with utmost transparency, sincerity and comprehensiveness.

Then, Ghanayem said that out of the Joint Council strong concern to lead Al-Kafriyat to high level of advancement and development, coordination was made with the Belgian Technical Cooperation to prepare this strategic plan for the next four years addressing all aspects of life.

After that, Ghanayem thanked the Belgian Programme Director, Ms. Majeda Nabhan and the main planning team and coordinators of Al-Kafriyat, who worked hard for three whole months until it came to the light.

Ghanayem valued the role of the people and government of Belgium, represented by the Belgian Technical Cooperation, and he reviewed the projects that were financed by the Belgian Technical Cooperation in Al-Kafriyat during the previous years, and which were represented by the contribution of providing electricity for Khirbet Ijbara, establishment of a Multi-Purpose building at Al-Ras, Adding of classrooms in Kufr Jammal and Kufr Sur, pavement of internal roads in Kur, Kufr Zeibad and Kufr Abboush; in addition to providing the technical department at the joint council with an excavator and electricity elevator, construction of the Joint Council�s headquarter, the land built on it and the public park.

On her part, Majeda Nabhan said that choosing Al-Kafriyat to implement these projects did not come as a coincidence but based on studies and field visits by the Belgian Technical Cooperation team to the area where it showed that its people deserve help and to stand by them and they confirmed for everyone that their projects are the most successful ones in the country. She also reviewed the phases of the plan preparation, and pointed out that the Belgian Technical Cooperation will remain supportive for Al-Kafriyat seven villages represented by its Joint Council and leading to Al-Kafriyat Municipality.

In his turn, Eng. Ibrahim al-Hmuz from the Ministry of Local Government, described the developmental plan as successful and realistic and that will promote Al-Kafriyat and he thanked the donors and the Belgian Technical Cooperation who financed this study.

Dr. Khaled Al-Sahili, reviewed the activities that have been made to implement this plan which started four months ago where several workshops were organized at the Joint Council headquarters, in Ramallah and Nablus, where a description of each project was made till the final approval of the plan.

On behalf of the main planning team, Azmi Khalaf presented in his speech a quick overview of the planning team and the specialized committees who had worked professionally and with high expertise so that the result will be an honorable one at the area�s and its inhabitants level.

Khalaf also reviewed the functions of the team who put a comprehensive and unified vision for Al-Kafriyat area and that is "Al-Kafriyat � one independent, promising team, prosperous cooperation, and secure countryside, conscious and ambitious citizen".

He also pointed out that the study identified the priorities of needs of concern to the development of the area and the lives of its people and which was represented in eight main issues, calling the people of Al-Kafriyat to bless this developmental plan to be able to find donors to implement it.

During the meeting, the heads of the Village Councils of Al-Kafriyat, honored Majeda Nabhan and Farouq Ghanayem and offered plaques for the planning team members.

Please find the original article here and some pictures of the festivities below.
The Implementation Plan for Al-Kafriyat, as distributed during the meeting, can be downloaded here.