Support through friendship

We are a  friendship organisation with a link between the people of Hanwell, in west London, and the people of Sabastiya in Palestine.  

We create friendship and understanding by encouraging visits, supporting projects and forming grassroots educational and cultural links between our two communities.

Why link with Sabastiya?

Palestinians in the West Bank have been living under military occupation since 1967. They can feel isolated and forgotten by the world.

A friendship link offers the people of Hanwell a better understanding of the situation and culture in Palestine and gives the people of Sabastiya a window to the outside world.

The idea originated from a “Palestine Day” held in Hanwell, where local people wanted to support a town in Palestine. Sabastiya was interested and, after a visit from a delegation in 2010, our group was born

Our Aims

Our Aims
 
HAFSA’s main aims are:
  • To promote and foster friendship and understanding between the people of Hanwell and those of Sabastiya.
  • To encourage visits by individuals and groups to and from the linked villages, including children and young people, and the development of personal contacts. By doing so, we aim to broaden mutual understanding of the cultural, recreational, educational and commercial activities of the linked villages.
  • To promote and encourage grassroots projects between Hanwell and Sabastiya.
  • To raise some funds for families in Sabastiya and to support sustainable grassroots project.

We are not political, but we listen to the people of Sabastiya and will draw attention to their hardships and to the abuses of their human rights. We aim to support them as best we can, and so promote a better understanding of the Palestinian situation and an appreciation of the rich history and culture of Palestine.

Our constitution - دستورنا

Please click here to see our HAFSA constitution.  Under the terms of our constitution we hold an annual AGM.  If you would like a copy of the minutes of the most recent AGM  then please contact us .

Join Us ألانضمام لنا

For as little as a £10 donation you can become a friend of HAFSA.

By making a donation to HAFSA you will be supporting our projects which help the village and give the people of Sabastiya some hope for the future.

By joining you get information about our activities and plans, you can participate in our events or visits to Sabastiya and will get an invite to our Annual General Meeting (AGM), during which you can help to elect (or become part of!) the management committee.