Kickstarter

In February of 2012, journalist Jacob Wheeler and filmmaker Aaron Dennis will follow a team of American and Palestinian athletes as they run the West Bank, from Hebron to Jenin (129 miles over five days) to raise awareness about the struggles facing olive farmers in Palestine. The "Run Across Palestine", a project of On The Ground aims to reestablish sustainable olive growing practices in a place where the economy, culture and identity are rooted in the ancient tree. 45 percent of the agricultural land in the West Bank is used for growing olives, employing 100,000 Palestinians.  The money raised by the run will go to fund the replanting of olive trees uprooted in recent years, and to fund scholarships for the children of the farmers.

Dennis and Wheeler will produce a 7-part documentary web series entitled "The People and the Olive",  telling stories of hope and perseverance in the West Bank. These videos will be posted with accompanying blog reports and will appear on On the Ground's website. Their work will also appear in Tikkun Magazine, TheUpTake.org,and other outlets.  After the completion of the run, these videos will be compiled and expanded into a short documentary.  This film will be available on DVD and will premier in Traverse City, Michigan.

"The olive tree plays a very important role as a symbol of our perseverance," said Run Across Palestine coordinator Vivien Sansour. "Planting an olive tree is a huge message of hope. When you plant an olive tree, you're planting a vision for the future."

In January 2011, Jacob Wheeler also covered On the Ground's “Run Across Ethiopia” — a 12-day run from Addis Ababa to Yirgachefe, the region where coffee was first harvested — to help build schools in fair trade coffee communities.

This video created by Aaron Dennis gives more details about the Run Across Palestine :

Dennis and Wheeler are donating their time to this effort. Your generous support will help cover their travel and lodging expenses. For that we are grateful.