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ANERA's History

The Arab-Israeli War of 1967 left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians homeless and impoverished. As various international entities struggled to respond, a small group of concerned Americans began working to provide immediate assistance to the victims of the conflict. The result was the creation of American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA). From these modest beginnings, ANERA began decades of committed work responding to the critical needs of the Palestinian people and others caught in regional conflicts.

 

Take a tour through ANERA's history by visiting our interactive timeline.  

ANERA was founded in 1968. We have delivered programs in health, education and economic development that have touched the lives of countless Palestinian refugees and poor communities in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon.

 

ANERA's Beginning

How American Near East Refugee Aid Came to Be

Read about how and why
ANERA was founded.

 

 Recollections of ANERA's Early Years

Read a first-hand account
of the first nine years
of ANERA's work.

 

Newsletters
& Annual Reports

From April - June 1981 "Water is Life".

Our newsletter archives 
go all the way back to 1969. 
Read more >>

 

 Cover of American Near East Refugee Aid's (ANERA) Annual report from 1988

Our annual report archives
going back to 1972. Read more>>