The Importance of Cooperatives in Palestine
by Naser Qadous
Jul 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 MoreIt’s a state of emergency in Gaza
by Sami Matar
May 17, 2019
By Sami Matar Conditions in Gaza now are worse than they have ever been. Across all the governorates, the percentages of people who are jobless, who don’t have enough to eat, is up. Seventy percent of people in Gaza are food insecure. I see it in my own neighborhood and it’s the same situation everywhere…
Read MoreWorking to Empower the People and Environment of Palestine
Apr 19, 2019
As an environmental studies graduate and a recent volunteer in the West Bank, where I saw firsthand the threats to the natural environment, I am reflecting on Earth Day this year through the context of the Palestinian natural landscape. The environmental situation in the Palestinian territories is devastating. A range of factors create an unhealthy…
Read MoreLetter to My Mother in Gaza
May 13, 2018
Dear Om Mazin, it’s been more than five years since we were in the same room together and I miss that very much. Every passing day, I think about the joy of being in your company and in your eyesight. As a little boy growing up in Gaza, things did not always make sense. Back…
Read MoreHow 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 MoreHow Palestinian Farmers Cherish an Ancient Tradition
by Nada Dajani
Nov 3, 2017
In our Jerusalem office, we all know it’s olive harvest season when our colleague Ma’moun, our maintenance officer, takes an entire week off. Last week, he returned after a week off with a great feeling of fulfillment. He had turned a batch of ripe olives into luscious olive oil. Farmers across Palestine feel the same…
Read MoreHow Palestinian Children Can Get the Right Start
Oct 18, 2017
My childhood was the most beautiful time of my entire life. I used to spend my time playing in the alleys of Arroub refugee camp, my home in the West Bank. Despite the camp’s uncovered sewage canals, poor lighting and dusty, unpaved streets, life was not complicated. My neighbors and I made a playground of…
Read MoreThe Stories Tapestries Tell
by Nada Dajani
Oct 3, 2017
Inside an embroidery workshop in the heart of the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sabah stands at the helm of an important component of Palestinian identity and history. Not only is she an instructor of Palestinian embroidery, but she’s also a keeper of stories accumulated throughout the two decades of her career. Sabah’s workshop is…
Read MoreHealth and Power in Gaza
Sep 29, 2017
The situation in Gaza has been calamitous and unstable for a long time, but it’s never been as bad as it is now. The electricity shortage has thoroughly affected all aspects of life, particularly in sewage and health systems. Plants that process sewage, water and waste cannot function without electricity. So the sewage plants, for…
Read MoreDespite Water Scarcity, a Green Summer in Jenin
by Naser Qadous
Sep 14, 2017
Is there a sight more beautiful than lush fields of green? But fields need water and in Palestine, water is both the dilemma and the solution. The scarcity of water in the West Bank, particularly, has inspired us at Anera to think creatively. Why not make use of a non-traditional source of water that just…
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