Budrus Village Profile
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Budrus Village Profile Prepared by The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem Funded by Spanish Cooperation 2012 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Acknowledgments ARIJ hereby expresses its deep gratitude to the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID) for their funding of this project. ARIJ is grateful to the Palestinian officials in the ministries, municipalities, joint services councils, village committees and councils, and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) for their assistance and cooperation with the project team members during the data collection process. ARIJ also thanks all the staff who worked throughout the past couple of years towards the accomplishment of this work. 1 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Background This report is part of a series of booklets which contain compiled demographic information and a needs assessment of the populations of each city, town, and village in the Ramallah Governorate. These publications come as a result of the comprehensive study of all localities in the Governorate and aim to depict the overall living conditions there, whilst also presenting plans to assist in developing the livelihood of the Jerusalem population. This was accomplished through the "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment;" a project funded by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID). The "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment" was designed to study, investigate, analyze and document the socio-economic conditions of the Ramallah region, along with reporting the programs and activities needed to mitigate the impact of the current insecure political, economic and social conditions there. The project's objectives are to survey, analyze, and document the available natural, human, socioeconomic and environmental resources, and their existing limitations. Based on these findings, the project further aims to conduct a needs assessment for the development of the rural and marginalized areas in the Ramallah Governorate. In addition, the project aims at preparing strategic developmental programs and activities to mitigate the impact of the current political, social, and economic instability, with a focus on the agricultural sector. All locality profiles in Arabic and English are available online at http://vprofile.arij.org. 2 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Table of Contents Location and Physical Characteristics _______________________ 4 History _________________________________________________ 5 Religious and Archaeological Sites __________________________ 5 Population ______________________________________________ 6 Education ______________________________________________ 7 Health Status ___________________________________________ 8 Economic Activities ______________________________________ 8 Agricultural Sector ______________________________________ 10 Institutions and Services _________________________________ 12 Infrastructure and Natural Resources _______________________ 12 Environmental Conditions ________________________________ 14 Impact of the Israeli Occupation ___________________________ 15 Development Plans and Projects ___________________________ 17 Implemented Projects ____________________________________ 17 Proposed Projects _______________________________________ 17 Locality Development Priorities and Needs ___________________ 18 References: ____________________________________________ 19 3 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Budrus Village Profile Location and Physical Characteristics Budrus is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah Governorate located 21km north-west of Ramallah City. Budrus is bordered by Qibya and Ni‟lin lands to the east, Qibya lands to the north, the Green Line (the Armistic Line 1949) lands to the west, and Ni‟lin lands to the south (ARIJ GIS, 2012) (See Map 1). Map 1: Budrus location and borders Source: ARIJ GIS, 2012 Budrus is located at the sea level with a mean annual rainfall of 528mm. The average annual temperature is 19 o C and the average annual humidity is approximately 62% (ARIJ GIS, 2012). Since 1996, Budrus has been governed by a village council which is currently administrated by 9 members appointed by the Palestinian Authority. The village council does not have a permanent headquarters or a vehicle for the collection of solid waste (Budrus Village Council, 2010). 4 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate It is the responsibility of the village council to provide a number of services to the residents of Budrus, including (Budrus Village Council, 2010): Infrastructure services such as water provision and administration. Solid waste collection and social development services. Implementing projects and case studies pertaining village development. History Budrus‟ name comes from the words „Tahan‟ and „Daras‟ which literally mean milling and threshing, as the village was known for planting grains of wheat and barley (Budrus Village Council, 2010). The village was established 500 years ago (Budrus Village Council, 2010) Religious and Archaeological Sites There is one mosque in the village, Budrus Mosque. There are a few sites of archaeological interest in the village, including an ancient church and the Prophet Ali shrine (Budrus Village Council, 2010). 5 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Map 2: Main locations in Budrus Village Source: ARIJ GIS, 2012 Population According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the total population of Budrus in 2007 was 1,315, of whom 649 were male and 666 female. There were 236 households living in 273 housing units. Age Groups and Gender The General Census of Population and Housing carried out by PCBS in 2007 showed the distribution of age groups in Budrus is as follows: 36.7% were less than 15 years of age, 59.9% were between 15 and 64 years of age, and 3 4% were 65 years of age or older. Data additionally showed that the sex ratio of males to females in the village was 97.4:100, meaning that males and females constituted 49.4% and 50.6% of the population respectively. 6 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Families Budrus residents are from several families, mainly the Khalifa, Mahmood Hussein, „Elyyan, „Awad, Khalaf, Sbeih, „Odah, Abu Safa, Ali „Awad and Marar families (Budrus Village Council, 2010). Immigration The field survey conducted by the ARIJ team in 2010 showed that around 150 people have left the village since the Al Aqsa Intifada in 2000 (Budrus Village Council, 2010). Education According to the results of the PCBS Population, Housing and Establishment Census-2007, the illiteracy rate among Budrus population was approximately 7%, of whom 77.5% are females. Of the literate population, 15% could only read and write with no formal education, 24.3% had elementary education, 30.3% had preparatory education, 15.7% had secondary education, and 7.6% completed higher education. Table 1 shows the educational level in the village of Budrus by sex and educational attainment in 2007. Table 1: Budrus population (10 years of age and above) by sex and educational attainment S Can Associate Higher Maste E Illiterate read & Elementary Preparatory Secondary Bachelor PhD Unknown Total Diploma Diploma r x write M 16 50 121 184 73 34 10 - 1 - - 489 F 55 100 122 120 84 14 18 - - - - 513 T 71 150 243 304 157 48 28 - 1 - - 1,002 Source: PCBS, 2009. There are two public schools in the village, administered by the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education (Directorate of Education in Ramallah, 2011) (see Table 2). Table 2: The Schools in Budrus by name, stage, sex, and supervising authority School Name Supervising Authority Sex Budrus Co-educated Elementary School Government Mixed Budrus Co-educated Secondary School Government Mixed Source: Directorate of Education in Ramallah, 2011 In the village (in 2011) there were 347 students, 33 teachers, and 20 classes (Directorate of Education in Ramallah, 2011). The average number of students per teacher in the school was nearly 11, whilst the average number of students per class was approximately 17. 7 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate The educational sector in Budrus village faces some obstacles, primarily (Budrus Village Council, 2010): The students‟ weak educational attainment. The lack of playgrounds. The absence of scientific laboratories. Israeli occupation procedures that involve attacks on and arrests of students. Health Status There are a number of health facilities available in Budrus village, including a motherhood and childhood center and a medical laboratory included in a health clinic run by UNRWA. In case of emergencies or the absence of any required health service, residents of Budrus use Qibya or Ni‟lin health centers, 4km and 8km from the locality respectively (Budrus Village Council, 2010). The health sector in the village faces some obstacles and problems, including (Budrus Village Council, 2010): The lack of health and medical services available in the village. The lack of an ambulance in the village. The Israeli occupation harassments. Economic Activities The economy in Budrus is dependent on several economic sectors, mainly the services and employees sectors, each of which absorbs 30% of the village workforce (Budrus Village Council, 2010) (See Figure 1). The results of a field survey conducted by the ARIJ team in 2010 for the distribution of labor by economic activity in Budrus are as follows (Budrus Village Council, 2010): Government or Private Employees Sector (30%)