At the very beginning of the project we decided to spend as much of the donations we received and are still receiving here in Jenin. One aspect of this decision concerns the contractors, the other the products we choose to use.
For example the cinema-chair. The original chairs from the sixties, covered with pigeon feces, in large parts damaged and to narrow in width, were not usable anymore. Nevertheless the chair-legs were made of beautifully designed cast iron. So instead of importing a modern chair from abroad, spending the budget for example in Turkey, we decided to restore the existing chairs, upholster them, and at the same time enlarging the width so that they meet todays demands of comfort. It´s obvious that such a route requires more time and energy from our side to ensure quality, but our aim to support the very local economy was always a good guide when we had to make such decisions.

Concerning the contractors, we had to start from scratch, having no experience here with the local possibilities and habits of contracting. With the help from our local project manager and founding member of Cinema Jenin, Fakhri Hamad, we were able to build up a group of individuals and companies that are currently working on site. Within that group we have a large variety from very poor individuals, who have to look for some sort of income everyday to feed their families, family-run businesses, which manage somehow to survive this economy of lack, up to companies that work on a pretty high and professional level because they simply can afford it. All these people are trying to deliver the best they are able to, yet if you are lacking very basic things, like e.g. enough and sharp drill-bits, it´s hard to succeed. But even with simple materials and tools we are able to get the best result possible, but it turns out, that if there would be some sort of support to educate workers with basic knowledge about detailing and construction, it would be possible to use the limited resources in a more sustainable and long-lasting way.
Anyway, I will meet now Alaà, a father of five children, who is cleaning our new office-building, to pay him his salary so he can buy a bottle of oxygen, that one of his sons needs to get on a weekly basis. Alaà is always desperately looking for work, he even continued working after stepping into a rusty nail (he cant afford security shoes or simply has more important things to worry about). He just went to hospital to get a tetanus vaccination, and with a crutch continued to work the next day. I will try to find security shoes and give them as a gift from cinema jenin to all workers. It´s hard to accept, that somebody has to live and work under these conditions, just trying to survive, not beeing able to buy presents or special food for the Kurban Bayram (fest of sacrifice) for his family. And why are his sons, who are all in school-age, helping him instead of going to school?

Best regards Johannes