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The Olive Press

Sulaima’s World: Supporting Women and Children in Palestine

Jul 6, 2017

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Helping other women brings me the greatest satisfaction. As women, we don’t have the support we need in our society—especially working women and mothers. I always try to convey to women that their voices matter and that their development is in their own powerful hands. I get to help women through my job as a…

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Ramadan Pastries Fresh from Ola’s Oven

Jun 19, 2017

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Sambusek is a global treat originating in the Middle East. You may know of its cousins, the samosa and empanada. These crescent-shaped pastries can be stuffed with almost anything, but in Palestine they’re made with meat, cheese and zaatar.  Recently I learned how to make them with the help of two Palestinian sisters, Ola and Alia. Ola is…

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Ramadan Recipes from Jerusalem to Gaza City

by Anera

Jun 5, 2017

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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,…

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Ramadan Recipes from Nimeh’s Palestinian Kitchen

May 26, 2017

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There is never a hungry stomach in Nimeh’s Kitchen. For my mother, it is not a necessity nor is it a duty to cook, it’s an art. She cooks, we devour – and together we enjoy a perfect time. To celebrate the first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan, my mother decided to make…

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Rania’s Diary: Living Without Light in Gaza

May 10, 2017

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Early this week, I took a day off to stay home. It wasn’t for family time, school meetings or having friends over for dinner. I simply took the day off to wash the piles of laundry that had amassed on my balcony. Sadly, people here cannot focus on anything but the Gaza electricity crisis, which…

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What It’s Like to Be a Woman Doctor in Area C, Palestine

Apr 27, 2017

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Not only is Dr. Fathiya Misyef one of the leading OB/GYNs in Palestine, she is also a well-respected female doctor who heads the Al-Walajeh Clinic. Al-Walajeh is a small Palestinian village in Area C of the West Bank, some kilometers northwest of Bethlehem. I sat down with Dr. Fathiya to talk about life in the West…

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Palestinian Children Describe Their Preschool Renovation

by Anera

Jun 20, 2016

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The Refugee Women Training Center and preschool in the city of Ramallah is one of only three preschool teacher training facilities in all of Palestine. It was in bad need of repair when Anera took on its renovation. Listen to the kids at the preschool explain the changes and recall all the workers – from…

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What Does “Al Afiya” Mean to You?

by Anera

Oct 5, 2015

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We asked students & teachers at the Spafford Children’s Center in the Old City of Jerusalem to explain “al afiya” (العافية). Here’s what they had to say…

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Meet Tamer and Lana, Siblings from the West Bank with Gaucher Disease

by Anera

Apr 1, 2015

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Tamer, 14, and his sister Lana, 13, live in Jenin, West Bank. They both suffer from a rare inherited disease called gaucher that is life-threatening without treatment. For 10 years, Anera has provided Tamer and Lana with the treatment they need to combat gaucher disease. They go to the clinic every couple weeks to get…

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Crisis in Gaza 2014: Anera Response Log

by Anera

Dec 2, 2014

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Thanks to a dedicated and generous community of donors, Anera’s Gaza staff was able to respond immediately to the bombings in Gaza. Anera is one of the few international organizations that consistently gets health care and humanitarian relief supplies into Gaza. Since our Gaza office opened in 1984, Anera has built or renovated infrastructure, linked Gazan…

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