Ras Karkar 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 information about each city, town, and village in the Ramallah Governorate. These booklets came as a result of a comprehensive study of all localities in Ramallah Governorate, which aims at depicting the overall living conditions in the governorate and presenting developmental plans to assist in developing the livelihood of the population in the area. It was accomplished through the "Village Profiles and Needs Assessment;" the 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 and the needed programs and activities to mitigate the impact of the current unsecure political, economic and social conditions in Ramallah Governorate. The project's objectives are to survey, analyze, and document the available natural, human, socioeconomic and environmental resources, and the existing limitations and needs assessment for the development of the rural and marginalized areas in 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 the 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 Content Location and Physical Characteristics ______________________________ 4 History _______________________________________________________ 5 Religious and Archaeological Sites ________________________________ 6 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 Ras Karkar Village Profile Location and Physical Characteristics Ras Karkar is a Palestinian village in the Ramallah Governorate located 10.1km west of Ramallah City. Ras Karkar is bordered by Al Janiya village to the east, Al-Itihad to the north, Kharbatha Bani Harith to the west, and Kafr Ni'ma village to the south (ARIJ GIS, 2012) (See map 1). Map 1: Ras Karkar location and borders Source: ARIJ GIS, 2012 Ras Karkar is located at an altitude of 488m above sea level with a mean annual rainfall of 579.2mm. The average annual temperature is 17 o C and the average annual humidity is approximately 61% (ARIJ GIS, 2012). 4 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Since 1998, Ras Karkar has been governed by a village council which is currently administered by 9 members appointed by the Palestinian National Authority and an additional two employees working in the council. The village council has a permanent rented headquarters but does not possess a vehicle for the collection of solid waste (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010). It is the responsibility of the village council to provide a number of services to the residents of Ras Karkar, including (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010): 1. Infrastructure services, such as water network provision and management. 2. Solid waste collection, road construction, pavement and rehabilitation, and social development services. 3. Protection of archeological and historical sites in the village. History Ras Karkar‟s name is derived from two words. „Ras‟ (literally meaning „head‟ or „top‟) was chosen due to the village‟s location on a hilltop, and „karkar‟ was added in relation to a set of ruins located in the village and known as Karkar (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010) (See photo below for Ras Karkar village). Photos of Ras Karkar 5 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Religious and Archaeological Sites There is one mosque in the village, Ras Karkar Mosque. There are a few sites of archaeological interest, including Samhan Castle, prophet 'Ayyub‟s shrine, and Ash Sheikh Anbar Shrine and Khirbah (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010) (See Map 2). Map 2: Main locations in Ras Karkar Village Source: ARIJ GIS, 2012 Population According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the total population of Ras Karkar in 2007 was 1,563, of whom 799 were male and 764 female. There were 288 households living in 308 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 Ras Karkar is as follows: 41.2% were less than 15 years of age, 55.5% were between 15 6 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate and 64 years of age, and 3% were 65 years of age or older. Data additionally showed that the sex ratio of males to females in the village is 104.6:100, meaning that males and females constitute 51.1% and 48.9% of the population respectively. Families Ras Karkar residents are from several families, primarily the Nofal, Samhan and Fheida families (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010). Education According to the results of the PCBS Population, Housing and Establishment Census-2007, the illiteracy rate amongst the Ras Karkar population was approximately 5.6%, of whom 78.5% were female. Of the literate population, 17.1% could only read and write, with no formal education 29.5% had elementary education, 22.4% had preparatory education, 17.5% had secondary education, and 7.5% completed higher education. Table 1 shows the educational level in the village of Ras Karkar by sex and educational attainment in 2007. Table 1: Ras Karkar 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 14 92 193 123 116 14 35 - 5 - 3 595 F 51 107 149 137 87 13 20 - - - 2 566 T 65 199 342 260 203 27 55 - 5 - 5 1,161 Source: PCBS, 2009. There are two public schools in the village run by the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education, but there are no kindergartens (see Table 2) (Directorate of Education in Ramallah, 2011). Table 2: The Schools in Ras Karkar by name, stage, sex, and supervising authority (2010/2011) School Name Supervising Authority Sex Ras Karkar Girls Elementary School Government Mixed Al Janiya-Ras Karkar Union Co-educated Secondary School Government Mixed Source: Directorate of Education in Ramallah, 2011 In the village (in 2011) there were 532 students, 37 teachers, and 22 classes (Directorate of Education in Ramallah, 2009). The average number of students per teacher in the school was nearly 14, whilst the average number of students per class was approximately 24. Due to the lack of secondary-level schools (scientific stream) in the village, students of Ras Karkar village attend Kafr Ni'ma village schools, 3km from the village, in order to complete their secondary education (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010). 7 Palestinian Localities Study Ramallah Governorate Moreover, the educational sector in Ras Karkar village faces some further obstacles, primarily the small size of the schools and the need to expand the school buildings (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010). Health Status There is only one health facility available in Ras Karkar village, a health center under the authority of the Health Work Committees. Therefore, residents of Ras Karkar attend Kafr Ni'ma village's health clinics and centers, 3km from the locality (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010). Furthermore, the health sector in the village faces some additional obstacles and problems, including (Ras Karkar Village Council, 2010): 1. The lack of health facilities in the village; there is only one health center and it does not operate on a regular basis. 2. The health insurance does not cover the patients‟ medicine and prescription needs. Economic Activities The economy in Ras Karkar is dependent on several economic sectors, primarily the Israeli labor market which absorbs 60% of the village workforce (Ras Karkar