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The Olive Press

What I Saw in Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon

May 25, 2023

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I joined Anera in 2015. When I first started, I was taken aback at just how impressive and thoughtful Anera’s programs were (and still are!). The humanitarian and development needs in the communities where Anera works are frequently all too visible, and often it is tempting to rush in with stopgap measures to address acute distress.

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Breast Cancer Under Occupation: a Personal Perspective

Mar 16, 2023

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Breast cancer is a disease that affects millions of women around the world. In fact, one in every eight women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. For women living in conflict zones, including the West Bank and Gaza, breast cancer can be particularly scary. When I first learned about the high breast cancer death…

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The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in the Middle East

Dec 16, 2022

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Human-centered development and expanding quality of life In a planet of 8 billion people, with finite natural resources, life looks very different for those lucky enough to be economically prosperous. Billions of people right now are living in circumstances that sharply limit their aspirations, of material deprivation, of limited access to healthcare and many of…

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Before the Taps Run Dry

by Anera

Jul 25, 2022

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Responding to Gaza’s Existential Water Crisis The semi-arid Middle East suffers from a chronic scarcity of water. The causes are many: climate change, drought, desertification, urbanization, over-consumption, waste and pollution. Politics also can present special challenges when it comes to accessing and distributing water resources. In Gaza, many of these issues are present in an…

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Fundraising is an Art

by Anera

May 25, 2022

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Hanin Azzam Talks about Crowdfunding in the Middle East This is the third entry in our series highlighting Arab youth change-makers. Read the first piece in the series, an interview with Sandy Boutros, and the second piece, with journalist Tahreer Mortaga on her community space and yoga studio in Gaza. Hanin Azzam is a regional…

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Roots in Palestine: Dedicated to Palestinian Refugees Since 1968

by Anera

May 15, 2022

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For Palestinians around the world, May 15th marks the “Nakba” (literally “disaster” or “catastrophe” in Arabic) which commemorates the 1948 Palestinian exodus during the establishment of the State of Israel. The resulting humanitarian crisis has affected geo-politics, individual states, the environment and human development in the Middle East and beyond for 71 years. It was…

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Women on the Frontlines of Healthcare in Lebanon

by Anera

Mar 24, 2022

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Women are pivotal in combating the pandemic as frontline responders, nurses, doctors, social workers, pharmacists and other health professionals in Lebanon.

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Women on the Frontlines of Healthcare in Lebanon

by Anera

Mar 24, 2022

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Lebanon’s economic crisis has only gotten worse, fueled by political hegemonies and corruption and mismanagement of resources, and further inflamed by the widespread protests against the regime, the Beirut port explosion, and finally the pandemic. The COVID-19 outbreak deepened the economic crisis, leaving the country indebted, facing inflation, and a dramatically devalued Lebanese lira. Women…

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The Only Yoga Club in Gaza

by Anera

Mar 17, 2022

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This piece by Tahreer Mortaga is the second entry in our series highlighting Arab youth change-makers. Read the first piece in the series, an interview with Sandy Boutros, here. I am a Palestinian journalist from Gaza. I’ve always loved to write. In 2004, I began working for local news radio stations. And I later obtained…

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Meet Mandy: A Palestinian Engineer in Gaza

by Anera

Mar 8, 2022

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In light of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, engineer Mandy Abu Kombouz talks to us about her life as a female engineer in Gaza. Standing before the school in a white hard hat and orange safety vest, Mandy Abu Kombouz is 27 years old, veiled, proud, and the only female Palestinian engineer on…

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