Belated: Israeli's Heart Africa (Again)

(Hat Tip: IsRealli)

Whether its turning Nigerian deserts into gardens, shipping medical supplies to Kenya or simply building schools in Ethiopia, Israel continues to display an active role in African continent.

Now, it looks as if an organization called Jewish Heart for Africa seeks to improve life conditions for the continent by providing electricity to rural villages via solar power.

(Jerusalem Post) Borowich, 30, founded Jewish Heart for Africa about 10 months ago and today she has projects running in Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania. [...]

"Four months ago, we installed solar panels in a village in Tanzania to provide electricity for the clinic. Seven thousand people rely on that clinic. We installed 14 lights, 10 inside and four outside. The panels also produce enough electricity to run a 66-liter refrigerator.

"We returned there two weeks ago and the doctor showed us how many kids have now been vaccinated [vaccines have to be kept chilled]. The villagers can find the clinic in the middle of the night because it is lit and the doctor no longer has to work at night by candlelight.

While one of the purposes of Jewish Heart for Africa is to improve the lives of residents within Africa, their secondary goal is to also improve the Jewish states image in the world (especially in less than fortunate countries).

Note: The organization is currently seeking volunteers (not to mention donations), so if you have some spare time, skills or pocket change, feel free to contribute in anyway that you can.

Update: Satellite image of continent added.

Israeli's Ship Medical Supplies To Kenya

With the riots still raging throughout certain sections of Kenya, Israel has shipped tons of medical equipment to help out those who are suffering.

(Israel National News) Foreign Ministry officials reported Monday that Israel had sent a planeload of aid to Kenya. The aid package includes three tons of medical equipment. Kenyan hospitals have faced shortages due to the large number of people wounded in recent riots.

Hopefully Kenya's leaders will be able to find a way to end the violence that has torn apart this once peaceful country. Until then Israel would probably be willing to send more medical supplies to the nation as needed, in an attempt to help Kenya's hospitals cope with those affected by the strife.

Trade Between Israel And Nigeria Reaches $1 Billion

(Image: Map of Nigeria, Credit: Oxford Cartographers via Commmonwealth Secretariat)

Despite being predominantly Muslim, the nation of Nigeria seems to be very comfortable trading with their Jewish counterpart--which may be a sign of the times that the middle east is becoming Israeli friendly.

(Israel National News) Israel and Nigeria now do business annually to the tune of some $1 billion, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said ahead of a meeting between Olmert and Nigerian Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, who is in Israel to raise interest among Israeli investors for projects in his country. [...]

Besides being one of the world's largest producers of crude oil, Nigeria offers opportunities in power generation, mining, agriculture and manufacturing, he said.

Israel is already helping Nigeria turn their deserts into gardens and this latest figure should help strengthen relations between the countries, at least economically.

Note: Hopefully the two nations will move beyond the status trading partners, as Nigeria could offer the Israeli Space Agency a nice plot of land to launch rockets from.

New Jewish School To Be Built In Ethiopia

(Image: Falash Mura children learning Hebrew in the Gondar compound, Credit: Uriel Heilman of JTA.org)

With the Israeli government winding down the Aliyah of Ethiopian Jews, a new organization called the United Jewish Communities federation (or UJC) is raising money to construct a Jewish school in the city of Gondar, Ethiopia.

(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) The school project is being undertaken by the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ), which funds aid operations in Ethiopia for the Falash Mura -- Ethiopians who claim links to descendents of Jews either by lineage or by marriage -- and has campaigned

"We're happy to have raised this issue, convened the federations and facilitated their support of this project," said Jim Lodge, UJC's vice president for Israel and overseas affairs. "Much of that money has been offered by federations, and we're in the process of getting that money to NACOEJ."

According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, the group has raised $350,000 to construct the school, which should help out Ethiopian Jews unable to make Aliyah to Israel.

Ethiopian Jews have been seeking ways to visit their homeland after centuries of exile. Hopefully the school will aid those left behind in the nation, as well as help improve their lives economically, if not spiritually.

Israel Helping Nigeria To Turn Deserts Into Gardens

(Hat Tip: Israel Times, Image Credit: State.gov)



An Israeli-American company has decided to partner with the nation of Nigeria in order to combat the ever spreading deserts that seem to be taking over the northern part of the country.

(Business Today Online) The projects, conceived by Framan Agridev, a Nigerian-Israeli partnership, is aimed at combating desertification across the northern part of Nigeria, provision of thousands of houses for displaced persons and creation of over two million jobs within three years.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the parties on August 20 2007 revealed that the "Desert to Food"project will gulp the sum of N1.92-trillion ($15-billion) in two years, while the "Swamp to Food" programme will gulp the sum of N256-billion ($2-billion).

Emeka Mba, FramanAgridev's managing director and group project coordinator, who spoke on the project, stated that agriculture could earn the country three-fold income than what oil could generate and that the three-tiers of government would be provided alternative sources of income through the project.

When it comes to turning deserts into gardens, Israel probably has the greatest experience in this arena, and it is good to see them sharing this know how with other countries.

Israel has already been sharing some of their secrets with Tibetan's, and hopefully the farmers of Nigeria will also pick up "a green thumb" from their Jewish friends.

Sudanese Refugee Enjoying Life In Israel

While the world debates how to intervene in the situation in Darfur, it looks as if Muslim refugees have found an unusual sanctuary in an unlikely nation--Israel.

(Baltimore Sun) Five years after he fled his Darfur village, and after jail spells in three countries, Ibrahim has found refuge in an unlikely place: a kibbutz in Israel.

The young Muslim is one of about 440 Sudanese refugees working in Israeli hotels and on farms while the government seeks to place them in a third country. [...]

Ibrahim said he feels isolated, because he speaks only Arabic and can't communicate with his kibbutz employers. But he does feel safe.

"Israel is nice," he said. "No one will hit you in the street or yell at you. I had to come all this way before I could find someone to treat me this way."

Despite the fact that Ibrahim official comes from what Israel regards as an "enemy nation," the Israeli government has extended hospitality towards refugees like Ibrahim, as they hash out details on where his future home will be.

Israel is currently attempting to find ways to relocate these people abroad (in Europe of all places) although the Sudanese refugees may be better off remaining in the Jewish state--at least until things calm down in Africa.

Yad Sarah Becoming Popular Among Muslims?

It looks like an Israeli method of hospitality is catching the interest of their Arabian cousins.

(Israel Today) The Islamic countries of Senegal and Mauritania are interested in franchising Yad Sarah in their countries. In cooperation with Israel's Foreign Ministry, these two nations' citizens will benefit from the organization.

Yad Sarah is an Israel-wide network of volunteers aiding disabled, elderly, and housebound people. The organization provides medical equipment to anyone in need.

For those of you who don't know, Senegal and Mauritania are located in northern Africa, alongside the Atlantic ocean. Despite their tiny representation of Muslim society, they may help further open a door towards real interaction between Issac's descendants and Ishmael's.

Update (2/9): Republished on IsraPundit.