November 2009
The Jericho Equestrian Club (JEC), established over 14 years ago, is headed by a Palestinian and an Israeli trainer. This exemplifies constructive and positive relationships between Israelis and Palestinians who cooperate to meet a strategic objective of co-existence and peace building. The Jericho Equestrian Club is working to create interaction between the two sides through horseback riding. Recently, the club extended its services to disabled people, which was made possible by the assistance provided by USAID. USAID’s Civic Engagement Program (CEP) supported the upgrade of the main pathways of the club, rehabilitated the spectator hall, and equipped the “Therapeutic Riding for the Disabled Program Center” with 2 mounting ramp wheelchair lifts, 5 specialized riding aids, and 5 western saddles to improve the club’s services for disabled people.
On October 14th, 2009, the Jericho Equestrian Club held an opening ceremony for the USAID/CEP project titled “Rehabilitation of the Jericho Equestrian Club for the Use of People with Special Needs.” About 100 people participated in the opening ceremony, including representatives of the handicapped societies, the US Consulate, USAID, the Governor of Jericho, the Head of the Jericho Police Department, and representatives of the local and international media.
USAID Mission Director Howard Sumka spoke at the ceremony, expressing his happiness that the various USAID projects respond to the real needs of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza. Mission Director Sumka said that this project meant a lot to him and to the American people. He added that the project is important because it directly improves people’s lives. |
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