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Lotty’s trip to Palestine ‘a massive eye-opener’

When featured in the April Link, hope that I’ve made a difference. school: Moriting Wa Thuto School
Lotty Hall, 23, had no real opinion “It was weird being around people in Kgubetswana, Clarens. A year
of the situation in the Occupied Pal- whose movements are completely later Lotty went to Parliament to
estinian Territories and the tensions restricted. There’s so much we take meet Prime Minister Tony Blair with
with Israel. for granted in the UK but those classmates as part of the Every Child
But now the former Greendown freedoms are just not present in Needs a Teacher campaign.
School pupil has returned from the West Bank. There are no equal To go to Palestine Lotty had to
travelling to the troubled region as rights with different court systems raise £800 as well as publicise the
part of an overseas volunteering for people of different backgrounds. trip before and afterwards. She
project. People are simply not treated in the said: “It’s hard not to side with
She said: “It was a massive eye- same way.” the Palestinians; everything seems
opener. I had no real idea of what it This is not the first time that Lotty to be weighted against them. But
would be like before I went but I’ve had travelled to far-flung places at the same time there have been
learnt so much about international to help others. While at university wrongdoings by both sides.
development; the trip has really Lotty won the Ramallah 10k she spent two summers teaching in “It is so complicated out there.
inspired me to keep doing more.” women’s race, pictured with the Uganda and was even an intern to Nothing is black and white and the
Lotty, from Middleleaze, was winner of the men’s race the legislature on her last trip. problems are so historic that there’s
selected as part of David Cam- In 2007 she spent 10 days with no easy solution.”
eron’s Big Youth Scheme under The level helping Palestinian students tell fellow Greendown School students Lotty starts an intensive teacher
International Citizens Service which the stories of their experiences. She visiting their South African link training course in September.
provides funds for young people to said: “It wasn’t what I expected at
fight poverty across the world. all. Ramallah is a lot more cosmo-
She travelled via Jerusalem to The politan than I imagined with lots
West Bank to work with International of different nationalities, except for
Services on their Right to Education Israeli obviously. I was also surprised
Campaign, returning in June. to see global brands like KFC and
The situation between the Palestin- Pizza Hut there. It seemed bizarre.
ians and the Israelis remains tense, “The one thing that I soon learnt
particularly after last year’s seven- is how slow the bureaucracy is to
week long aerial bombardment of make any changes happen. There’s a
Gaza by the Israelis in retaliation to mountain of paperwork that means
mortar attacks in 2014. it’s hard to make a real difference in
Based in Ramallah at Birzeit Uni- a short period of time but I was able Lotty, third from left, taking
versity, Lotty worked at a grass roots to help on several projects and just part in a family selfie

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