A connection to our Palestinian homeland spanning generations
Sep 17, 2019
The paternal side of my family comes from Palestine. My great grandparents, who were from Nazareth, sent two of their sons to live in the United States in the early 1900s in order to avoid conscription into the Turkish army – as Palestine was then part of the Ottomon Empire. One of those sons was…
Read MoreMy aunt inspired my life-long support for the Palestinian cause
Sep 10, 2019
I grew up in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. My maternal aunt, Elizabeth Post, came to stay with our family every two years on ‘home leave’ when she was on vacation from her State Department jobs, often overseas. She worked in Beirut, Lebanon for eight years with UNRWA as secretary to the director of that…
Read MoreWhat Are Palestinian Refugee Camp Conditions Like?
by AneraSep 5, 2019
There are 58 official Palestinian refugee camps. They are located in Jordan, the West Bank, Gaza, Syria and Lebanon. Many of the camps were created in 1948 as a result of the first Arab-Israeli war. Other camps were added after the wars in 1967 and 1973 and more recently after the war in Syria for…
Read MoreWorking for Humanity: My Story with Anera
Aug 19, 2019
From freelance writer to national communication manager. I have been working directly with refugee communities, both Syrian and Palestinian, for the past eight years. I have worked with numerous humanitarian organizations, large and small, local and international, and saw many inspiring things, and many disappointing things. I saw hardworking individuals giving their best to help…
Read MoreA Celebration of Life
by AneraAug 15, 2019
In 1948, 17-year-old Hassan Ahmad Hassan and his family became refugees. They were forced to leave their home in Caesarea, a Palestinian town in what is now northern Israel, with little more than the clothes on their backs. Soon thereafter, his father passed away and left him the young patriarch of his family. Despite all…
Read MoreA Legacy of Palestinian Community Infrastructure
by AneraJul 24, 2019
Travel the length and breadth of the Palestine and you will see Anera-built infrastructure in communities from Jenin in the northern West Bank down to Rafah in southern Gaza. We have been building infrastructure in Palestine for nearly 50 years. In just the past 15 years alone, Anera has completed nearly 450 brick-and-mortar infrastructure projects,…
Read MoreGreenhouses Help Palestinians in Gaza
by AneraJul 10, 2019
Thanks to our supporters, 1,100 Palestinian families in Gaza now have a greenhouse which provides food and income security. Since 2007, Gaza has suffered a blockade and three wars. Eight out of ten Gaza families have come to depend on food aid. Farming is one of the few ways for Palestinian families to put food…
Read MoreThe Importance of Cooperatives in Palestine
by Naser QadousJul 5, 2019
By Naser Qadous, Anera’s agricultural programs manager A cooperative is defined as a legal entity representing a group of individuals that come together to achieve a common objective. Their purpose is to serve themselves and their community and to work together as a team. The first cooperative in Palestine – and in the larger Arab…
Read MorePalestinian Women Can!
Jun 21, 2019
“I was forced to become the primary breadwinner for my family after my husband and I divorced. I have had to stand for myself and support my four children. So I understand these women and the many challenges they face.” – Nariman Othman I am working as a project coordinator, leading implementation in the field…
Read More10 Ways to Help Refugees on World Refugee Day
by AneraJun 17, 2019
Dealing with the flood of refugees worldwide has become the world’s main humanitarian crisis. A decade ago, roughly 38 million people had been forced to flee their homes because of persecution or war. According to the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), that number stood at 68.5 million at the start of…
Read More