Resolutions from Palestine

2018 Resolutions

by Mazin Qumsiyeh - qumsiyeh.org

January 1, 2018

Happy new year 2018 to you, your family, and friends. May this new year bring us all closer to peace, justice, and sustainability.

These were six resolutions for 2017

1. Stay positive and create positive focus amidst the difficulties

2. Do things methodically (also scientifically) and work smart encouraging others to do the same (efficiency)

3. Minimum one MS and one proposal submitted every month

4. Stay focused and never give-up

5. Take care of family and friends and work more with youth

6. Have “joyful participation in the sorrows of this word"

I am glad we managed to achieve most of this consistently; at times it was hard to stay positive when several of our friends were abducted and are now in Israeli jails, we lost dear friends like Qavi and others, we deal with injuries and illnesses etc.

The achievements for 2017 at the Palestine Museum of Natural History and Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability at Bethlehem University were remarkable and help us keep our sanity.

For example, we actually submitted 15 proposals and got several already funded. We served thousands of students and other community members (empowerment, environmental awareness etc). We completed many projects related to research, education and conservation.

None of the achievements could have been done without support of so many people (see below).

Since the 2017 resolutions worked, we will maintain them but add that in 2018, we will:

7. finish and submit two books besides publishing research and other papers at an accelerated pace

8. finish infrastructure and open our botanical garden (also community garden, medicinal and herbal plants, children garden and agricultural experimental station).

9. Get going on the green building for the museum and institute (costing about $1 million of which we have received kind donation of $400,000)

Again none of these (now 9 resolutions) would be possible without team work. We do have a baseline paid staff members (3) which will grow in 2018. But we rely mostly on volunteers and donors. In 2017, we had over 300 donors (donations in money and in-kind like books, tools, seeds etc), over 150 volunteers (from over 20 countries), and countless positive educational interactions through workshops, lectures, seminars etc.

In 2018 we can do much more with YOUR SUPPORT:

Short videos of our work

https://youtu.be/AZOoOzXU7tQ (on education)
https://youtu.be/APxvAZh8qrQ (on volunteering)
https://youtu.be/BPhFLOsEIM0 (general on what PMNH/PIBS is about)

To donate: https://www.palestinenature.org/support-us/donate/
To volunteer: https://www.palestinenature.org/support-us/volunteer/

Stay Human and come visit us

Mazin Qumsiyeh (& the team!)
A Bedouin in cyberspace, a villager at home
Author and activist
Professor and (volunteer) Director
Palestine Museum of Natural History
Palestine Institute of Biodiversity and Sustainability
Bethlehem University
Occupied Palestine
http://qumsiyeh.org
http://palestinenature.org
Join me on facebook https://www.facebook.com/mazin.qumsiyeh.9