Much loved Jewish actress and ActionAid Ambassador Miriam Margolyes recently visited ActionAid projects in the West Bank.  

Miriam has been an ActionAid supporter for over 20 years and is dedicated to seeing both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Her Jewish heritage encouraged her to look deeper into the issues in the Middle East and 15 years ago, she went to Palestine for the first time.

In September 2010, she returned to visit Al Arroub refugee camp in Hebron, where she spoke to elderly residents like El Hadj Said, 82, pictured, who remembered the time before the conflict took them from their former homes.

In Sosya, she visited a tented community in the South Hebron Hills where Palestinians are forbidden from building. The people she visited have little access to water and basic services. ActionAid is helping to restore ancient roman cisterns nearby which will hold large quantities of water for the families and their animals.

With ActionAid's help, people are finding ways to build themselves a stable future. Muna has been able to set up and grow her bridal wear business with the help of ActionAid.

Rasmieh supports a large family with her shop - and the 15 eggs a day, laid by chickens provided by ActionAid, help to keep her self-sufficient.

(Photos: Claudia Janke/ActionAid)