From the Shell, a Thousand Seeds

Creating the conditions for recovery, growth and lasting impact

Pomegranates, with their tough outer shells and abundance of seeds, have long symbolized strength and renewal. Like the communities Anera serves, they are not easily broken. Even in the harshest conditions, they endure and, eventually, the seeds burst forth and grow.

This summer, as the people of Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan continue to navigate extraordinary hardship, we reflect on the strength that binds us together. In times of war, no shell can fully shield a community from harm – but through the care of donors, staff, and partners, we offer what protection we can. Together, we scatter seeds of hope and help cultivate the conditions where life might one day grow again.

Our Anera community sows seeds everywhere. 

In Gaza, they appear in the hands of Rana (pictured above), who began cooking on a single hot plate and now leads a team of 12.

With Anera’s support, Rana gained the tools, training, and supplies to launch a business. And, when war broke out, she and her team didn’t stop. Anera delivered firewood and ingredients, enabling them to keep cooking under fire and siege – feeding displaced families and patients. In the midst of destruction, these women are nourishing their community and sowing seeds of hope.

In Lebanon, seeds of hope take root in young women like Maryam. She always dreamed of working in a hospital but lacked the means to pursue that path, until she received a scholarship through Anera’s nursing scholarship program. “When I heard about this opportunity, I didn’t hesitate,” she says. Today, Maryam is one of the top students in her class. With determination and support, she’s not only building a career, she’s helping to cultivate seeds of hope through practicing her healing skills.

In the West Bank, we see seeds growing in the story of Abdelrahman. After surviving a nighttime bombing in the northern West Bank that took both his legs, Abdelrahman, 19, faced an uncertain future, but thanks to Anera’s support, he received two custom prosthetic legs at no cost – a gift his family could never have afforded on their own. With determination and the support of his father and medical team, Abdelrahman began walking again. Though life has changed, his ability to move through it with strength and dignity remains.

In Jordan, Basil has found a new purpose through Anera’s rooftop garden project. With guidance from Anera’s agricultural engineer, he learned sustainable farming techniques that he now shares with students, neighbors and fellow gardeners. What began on his family’s rooftop has grown into a community effort, where he works to inspire children to connect with the earth and help new families start gardens of their own. By combining education and cultivation, Basil is planting seeds in more ways than one.

Though the past year has brought unimaginable suffering, it has also revealed a deep well of strength that is rooted in the refusal to give up. The work continues – wherever, whenever, and however it’s needed – driven by purpose and powered by people.

Not every seed falls on fertile ground. Some land in dry, cracked soil, while others may fall among stones. But with the right care, and the right conditions, even the most unlikely, damaged places can bloom. At Anera, we see this every day in war zones, refugee camps, on rooftops and in rubble. Our work, powered by your generosity, helps shape the environment so that possibility can take root. Together, we clear the stones, tend the soil and shelter the seedlings. With every act of solidarity, we plant something new. And with time, care, and courage, it grows.