Honoring two long-time members of the Anera community
by AneraOct 31, 2019
At our Annual Dinner on October 11, 2019, Anera proudly honored two wonderful supporters: Ambassador Edward “Skip” Gnehm, for his years of service to Anera, to diplomacy and to the greater good in the Middle East, and the Tarazi family, for leading by example and for giving back to Palestine through education, humanity’s most important investment. Edward…
Read MoreWildfires and mass protests – an update from Anera Lebanon
Oct 25, 2019
I am writing this from home because we haven’t been able to go to the office. This is now the ninth day of demonstrations. The day before yesterday the protests accelerated and there are now more roadblocks. Even if you live in Beirut you won’t be able to get from neighborhood to neighborhood in a…
Read More5 unstoppable girls of the Middle East
by AneraOct 10, 2019
Every year, October 11 marks International Day of the Girl, a day to recognize and support the rights of girls around the world. This year’s theme is GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable, and we’d like to introduce you to a few strong and inspiring girls we know from Palestine and Lebanon. Heba “I wore my first prosthetic leg…
Read MoreWorld Teachers Day
by AneraOct 4, 2019
Today, October 5, is World Teachers Day, an annual UNESCO thematic day to recognize the essential role that teachers worldwide play in creating opportunities and hopeful futures for the next generation. Providing teachers with the skills, recognition and tools that they need to excel is vital to achieving the fourth UN Sustainable Development Goal on…
Read MoreGetting Out of the Cycle of Poverty in Tripoli, Lebanon
by AneraSep 30, 2019
Cash assistance has given poor and working families in Tripoli, Lebanon a chance to pull themselves out of a cycle of poverty and debt. See how it’s making a difference. In response to the economic hardships created by the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon, Anera and UMCOR – United Methodist Committee On Relief have provided…
Read MoreA 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…
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