Arundel woman ‘fell in love with Palestine’

Their warmth gave Anne a strong desire to live and work in the combat weary nation.

After 42 years working as a nurse, Anne, 65, of Kirdford Road, secured a job as a volunteer carer for a Palestinian woman with muscular dystrophy and flew to Bethlehem on January 20 this year.

She was worried when she arrived at Al Azzah refugee camp: “It was grey, dismal, shabby and rough looking. I wondered what I had let myself in for.”

Anne was pleasantly surprised when she entered Echlas Al Azzah’s home, the woman she would be caring for.

“It was spacious with a small garden and probably not how most people would imagine a refugee camp, although worn and shabby with no luxuries.”

Echlas, 43, is wheelchair bound, has only limited mobility in her hands and needs 24/7 care.

Anne added: “Echlas does not however let her disability stop her from achieving her goals. She travels around Bethlehem although many places are not wheelchair friendly, teaches Arabic to international students and has recently travelled to Germany to learn the language at great personal and financial cost.”

It is not surprising Echlas has great strength and courage. As a third generation refugee she and her family have endured and survived many challenges.

In 1948, when the Palestinians were forcibly driven out of their homes by Israeli forces, Echlas’ family had to move. Her parents lost three of their children to illness, her father was imprisoned for his political views and her mother struggled to pay the rent.

Eventually, her mother found a room in Al Azzah camp, set up by the United Nations, and gradually extended the room to create a family home.