I have never forgotten this humane and creative organization
Nov 1, 2018
I was born in Rochester, Minnesota, where my father was a staff doctor at the Mayo Clinic. My mother was from a Navy family. As a young woman she joined the Red Cross at the start of WWII. She was sent to a Naval hospital in Algeria, where she met my father. Her unit followed…
Read MoreAnera’s Impactful Programs in Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza
by Sean Carroll
Oct 15, 2018
In July 2018, I traveled to Lebanon, Jordan, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. I visited 24 current and past Anera projects in Lebanon and Palestine, including eight in Lebanon, six in the West Bank and 10 in Gaza. This trip came at critical moments in each country. In Lebanon, even as it is still…
Read MoreAnera’s Land Reclamation Projects in Palestine Bolster Rural Communities
by Naser Qadous
Oct 15, 2018
Terrace walls are almost as ubiquitous as the olive trees that grow behind them on the arid hills of the West Bank. The crumbling remains of terraces cut by Roman farmers dot the landscape. Driving along the steep road that leads from Qabalan to Jorish today, the role that terraces continue to play in conserving…
Read MoreHonoring my parents by giving back
by Awad Da’Mes
Oct 4, 2018
Born in a Jerusalem hospital in 1935, the circumstances were not without drama. The region was then under British rule and it was a time of great upheaval and continuous revolt. My mother went into labor with me in the midst of an outbreak of fighting between Palestinians on one side, and British and Haganah…
Read MoreA Career in Early Childhood Development Leads Back to Palestine
by Ilham Nasser
Sep 10, 2018
By Dr. Ilham Nasser Dr. Ilham Nasser reflects on the journey that led her to work with Anera as an early childhood education specialist and become a leader in drafting and launching the first national curriculum for preschool and kindergarten education in Palestine. Research studies inform us that the first six years of life are…
Read MoreBlessed in My Activism
by Elaine Kinch
Sep 6, 2018
I’ve been concerned about justice and human rights since I was young. I became an activist after I began raising my children. For me, if people’s rights are violated, if they are systematically impoverished, then there can be no sustainable peace. One of my professors at the University of Wisconsin saw me at a demonstration…
Read MorePromoting Good Hygiene in Burj El Burajneh Refugee Camp
Sep 5, 2018
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon lies Burj El Barajneh; the most densely populated Palestinian refugee camp in the city and home to more than 17,000 registered refugees; all living within a mere 1 square kilometer area. Overcrowding, poor economic conditions, and social and political marginalization have made the community in this camp vulnerable…
Read More50 Photos for 50 Years
Aug 20, 2018
Anera is delving into our photo archives and featuring one emblematic photo for each year of our existence. The series will cover one decade at a time, starting in April and finishing in August, when the organization first opened its doors 50 years ago. #anera50for50 The Fifth Decade: 2008-2018 Throughout the West Bank and Gaza, Anera…
Read MoreThree Generations of Support: Our Family & Anera
by Betty Sams
Aug 9, 2018
In August of 1967, 50 people from all over the U.S. came to our home in Bethesda, Maryland for dinner. It was two months after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, and they represented the many different committees that had mobilized to raise and send aid to the Palestinians, both those who were suffering under occupation and…
Read MoreAnera & Americares: 25 Years of Partnership in Medical Aid
Jul 20, 2018
Two principles stand as cornerstones in the enduring partnership built by Anera and Americares: efficiency and impact. For 25 years, shipments of medical aid and supplies requested by health workers have allowed local organizations to respond to the direct needs of communities deprived of health resources across Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. “Together we…
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