It was on 1st  September 2019, when a group of De La Salle scout who went on hiking to Saint Saba’s monastery near the town of al-Ubeiydyia  have finally arrived to their destination. Already exhausted after hours of walking in that deserted valley under the burning sun, they were rather shocked and disappointed by being informed about the loss of a Romanian tourist in the valley.

Without hesitation, they offered their help and dedicated all their efforts along with some citizens of al-Ubeidyia to look for the lost woman. Searching for her was not an easy job at all taking into consideration the geographical nature of that area which resembles at a desert. The scouts have divided themselves into 2 groups; each went from a different direction. After an hour of serious work and failed attempts, they were finally able to find the woman. She was badly- injured, as it seemed she had fallen from the valley but, fortunately, she did not fall all the way down but found a chain of rocks which she grabbed waiting for help. In fact, the woman was originally with a group of other tourists discovering the area near the monastery, when she got lost walking in a different direction.

However, the scouts have now a new challenge; the woman was already bleeding from her leg, her faced was scratched, and obviously, she would not be able to walk normally. Therefore, the scouts and the volunteers from al-Ubeidyia carried her and started walking after offering her some water. The route was long and tiring… until, luckily, they met a shepherd who had a donkey. They put her on the donkey and continued their way to the monastery, where some other scouts were already waiting. They put her inside a minibus that drove her somewhere nearer to al-Ubeidyia, where the umbalence could arrive.

 Then, the woman was taken to the hospital, and our scouts felt proud that they have saved her life, since she was found in a very dangerous position. And, although it was tiring and complicated, they were all satisfied with their achievement

Their happiness was not only because they saved her life, but also that they reflected the real values of the Palestinian society, as well as the values of the scout and the Lasallian values. We, as Palestinians, are known for our hospitality and helping any person in need. We would like to send a message to everyone who is willing to visit Palestine not to be afraid and to feel comfortable especially that our Palestinian people are always happy to receive people from any part of the world and will always be...

We hope that the Romanian tourist will get better soon, and that when she returns to her country, she shall encourage more people to come to visit us. Finally, I can only say that this day shall never be forgettable to our youth scouts.