Disability Won’t Stop Heba’s Dreams of Being Gaza’s Top Horse Rider
Aug 29, 2017
Hi Heba! Can you tell us about your background? My name is Hebatallah, meaning gift from God in Arabic. I am 17 and in the 11th grade in Gaza City. I am the eldest of three sisters and one brother. I had a congenital amputation at birth. Doctors say my case is so rare. It…
Read MorePhotojournalist Mohammed Zaanoun Reflects on Gaza’s Scars and Beauty
Aug 7, 2017
Can you tell us about yourself? My name is Mohammed Zaanoun. I am the fourth of 12 siblings. Most of us work in the media world. I was only 19 when I became a news photographer, which had been my parents’ dream. I’ve won several photography awards, but the most prestigious was the “Palestinian Hero…
Read MoreSyrian Refugees Receive School and Hygiene Kits
Aug 4, 2017
In Lebanon, half of all Syrian children do not go to school. For refugee youth like Nour and Ali, school is largely inaccessible due to the cost. Now they’re getting a chance to enroll in our non-formal education courses with donated school and hygiene kits, provided by UMCOR and delivered by Anera. The kits give…
Read MoreSpaghetti for the Soul
by Nada Dajani
Jul 26, 2017
In East Jerusalem and across the West Bank, Dar Al-Tifel Al-Arabi is known as a renowned school for girls. In the past, it was also known for its large boarding section which housed 300 orphans and other underprivileged girls. But due to military checkpoints and restrictions around Jerusalem, the number of boarders has drastically decreased….
Read MoreGaza’s Atfaluna School Leaves No Child Behind
Jul 24, 2017
As a group of children sit around a library table in Gaza City, the librarian starts to tell a story. “When the olive harvest season finally arrived…” “I was excited to start picking the olives,” adds one of the children. The story continues from child to child. When it’s over, they put it together and…
Read MoreSulaima’s World: Supporting Women and Children in Palestine
Jul 6, 2017
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…
Read MoreTwice Displaced: Palestinian-Syrian Refugees in Gaza
Jun 20, 2017
For World Refugee Day, our team visited one of the 250 families who fled the Syrian war to find refuge in the most unlikely of places—Gaza. Suad and Mahmoud had a stable and comfortable life before the war. As Syrians of Palestinian descent, they are “twice displaced” and have now found themselves in Gaza. There,…
Read MoreRamadan Pastries Fresh from Ola’s Oven
by Nik Nevin
Jun 19, 2017
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…
Read MoreClimate Change, From Paris to Palestinian Camps
Jun 12, 2017
Combating climate change is a global issue, yet we recently saw that not all countries are on board. Namely, only three: Syria, Nicaragua and the United States. The good news is that the Paris Climate Agreement shows how widespread environmentalism has become. All 175 other nations in the world signed on, vowing to protect the…
Read MoreMamdouh’s Story: How 10-Year Gaza Blockade has Devastated Fishermen
Jun 7, 2017
June marks the somber 10th anniversary of the Gaza blockade. The past decade has crippled Gaza’s economy and standard of living. The fishermen who populate the enclave’s shoreline have been some of the most deeply affected by the blockade. While Gaza’s fishermen used to be able to make a living off the sea, many like…
Read More