How Music Therapy Helps Palestinian Children
by Anera
Nov 10, 2017
By Buran Saada, Anera teacher trainer and music therapist When I was only a school girl, I discovered my voice. My music teacher noticed that I could adapt to different music styles, so she picked me to sing in the school choir. In high school, I joined a band called Al-Awda, meaning “the return,” alluding…
Read More7 Ways Palestinians Are Celebrating Olive Harvest This Year
by Anera
Nov 2, 2017
As November begins, Palestine is in the midst of its olive harvest season, which began last month. That means that from Gaza to the West Bank, Palestinian farmers are heading to their trees to pick the ripe fruit, gather and sort it, and send it off to local presses to make staples like olive oil…
Read MoreVideo: Tapestry of Humanity
by Anera
Oct 25, 2017
What do people from different walks of life have in common? The farmer in Palestine, the teacher in a refugee camp, the precocious preschooler, the Gaza entrepreneur. In our film Tapestry of Humanity, we visit unique individuals who show us that we all have one thing in common, regardless of where we come from: our…
Read MoreSyrian Refugees Receive School and Hygiene Kits
by Anera
Aug 4, 2017
In Lebanon, half of all Syrian children do not go to school. For refugee youth like Nour and Ali, school is largely inaccessible due to the cost. Now they’re getting a chance to enroll in our non-formal education courses with donated school and hygiene kits, provided by UMCOR and delivered by Anera. The kits give…
Read MoreGaza’s Atfaluna School Leaves No Child Behind
by Anera
Jul 24, 2017
As a group of children sit around a library table in Gaza City, the librarian starts to tell a story. “When the olive harvest season finally arrived…” “I was excited to start picking the olives,” adds one of the children. The story continues from child to child. When it’s over, they put it together and…
Read MoreTwice Displaced: Palestinian-Syrian Refugees in Gaza
by Anera
Jun 20, 2017
For World Refugee Day, our team visited one of the 250 families who fled the Syrian war to find refuge in the most unlikely of places—Gaza. Suad and Mahmoud had a stable and comfortable life before the war. As Syrians of Palestinian descent, they are “twice displaced” and have now found themselves in Gaza. There,…
Read MoreMamdouh’s Story: How 10-Year Gaza Blockade has Devastated Fishermen
by Anera
Jun 7, 2017
June marks the somber 10th anniversary of the Gaza blockade. The past decade has crippled Gaza’s economy and standard of living. The fishermen who populate the enclave’s shoreline have been some of the most deeply affected by the blockade. While Gaza’s fishermen used to be able to make a living off the sea, many like…
Read MoreRamadan Recipes from Jerusalem to Gaza City
by Anera
Jun 5, 2017
To celebrate Ramadan this year, we asked our staff in the Middle East to share some of their favorite recipes. From salads to pastries, these dishes from Gaza and Jerusalem are sure to brighten up long days of fasting. Ramadan Kareem! Sabah’s Maqluba Maqluba is Arabic for “upside down.” It’s a fitting name for this rice dish,…
Read MoreHow Your Solidarity Means the World to Refugees
by Anera
May 23, 2017
Anera’s Hani Almadhoun reflects on celebrating Ramadan, from Gaza to Utah. I started fasting at the age of seven. As a little boy, it was exciting to see all of my family under one roof, elbowing each other, trying to get more of that popular dish before it ran out. Mom and Dad always made sure…
Read More5 Reasons Why #RamadanSolidarity Matters This Year
by Anera
May 3, 2017
When our team sat down to discuss the approaching month of Ramadan, what dawned on us was that this was a Ramadan unlike any other. Sure, the traditions may be the same, the message of reflection remains central and it’ll be observed by millions. From one corner of the earth to the next, families will gather…
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