From Gaza to Europe and Back Again
Dec 14, 2021
Ibrahim Najjar is Anera’s project coordinator and agronomist in Gaza. I am 34 years old and this was my first trip outside Gaza. So you can imagine my excitement. First stop: France. I was traveling with a colleague, a friend from another NGO, and after some hassles at Egypt’s main airport, we were off to…
Read MoreInternational Day of Persons with Disabilities
Dec 3, 2021
International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed annually on December 3. We’re taking this opportunity to highlight the work of Rose Abou Elias. Rose connected with Anera years ago when she joined our youth sports programs, first as a participant and later as a trainer. Now she’s continuing this tradition and giving back through…
Read MoreAnnouncing the Winners of our Refugee Art Contest!
Nov 30, 2021
The moment you’ve been waiting for is here. The winner of our #RefugeesShareHope art contest is Abdul Kafi Wasfi Al-Hosni, a Syrian refugee living in Lebanon. Pictured above, Al-Hosni’s work responded to Anera’s call for artists to submit poems, photography, paintings or drawings that represent how they are giving back to their communities. The contest…
Read MoreA Profile in Passion for Gaza’s Children
by Suad Lubbad
Nov 29, 2021
Anera’s Early Childhood Development Program Feeds Preschoolers and Fuels Their Development Suad Lubbad’s personal mission is to help encourage young Palestinian children to grow, learn and develop the skills they will need to build their future. As a program officer with Anera’s Farms to Fosool (“classrooms” in Arabic) project, her priority for preschoolers is a…
Read MoreSmall Business Saturday
Nov 26, 2021
Small Business Saturday is the last Saturday in November, falling between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It was set up to encourage consumers to support local businesses by shopping small. We also think the occasion is a perfect one to showcase some of the amazing small businesses that women in Palestine have started up through…
Read MoreThanksgiving Greetings From Gaza
Nov 24, 2021
Thanksgiving is about coming together with hope. 🧑🤝🧑 This holiday season, we encourage you to think about how you can give thanks and give back. We also want to take advantage of the opportunity to thank you for being a part of our Anera community of supporters. #HappyThanksgiving to you and your loved ones.
Read MoreConnecting to My Grandparents’ Legacy Through Qualified Charitable Distributions
Nov 22, 2021
Both of my maternal grandparents spent their formative years in Lebanon before emigrating to the United States, where they eventually met. My grandmother, Melia Kiame, and her older sister Emily attended a boarding school in Beirut run by German Lutherans. They also spent time in Schweir (Dour El Chouier) with their grandfather, who helped farmers…
Read MoreHope, Pride and the Lebanon Elections
by Leena El-Ali
Nov 16, 2021
Things are really bad in Lebanon on every front. Everybody complains about governance issues. One way to bring about change is through the elections that are coming up. The legislative elections are scheduled for March 27, 2022, but diaspora voter registration closes in just a few days. There’s a great website called Sawti Voice that…
Read MoreAddressing Unemployment & Food Security in Ein El Hilweh Palestinian Refugee Camp
Nov 10, 2021
With the support of UNICEF, our vocational education cash-for-work cooking courses are addressing urgent community needs in Lebanon like unemployment and food security. Courses are taught at the Women’s Programs Association, our local partner in Ein El Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp. Students learn everything from food preparation, food preservation and small business entrepreneurship. And to…
Read MoreFalling Through the Social Safety Net in Lebanon
Nov 10, 2021
Government social safety net programs provide healthcare, health insurance, retirement funds, disability payments, education, and other welfare services to people. The social safety net system has always been weak in Lebanon, but due to the economic and financial crisis it barely functions, and many forms of support are nonexistent. Even before gaining independence from France…
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