How Palestinian Children Can Get the Right Start
Oct 18, 2017
My childhood was the most beautiful time of my entire life. I used to spend my time playing in the alleys of Arroub refugee camp, my home in the West Bank. Despite the camp’s uncovered sewage canals, poor lighting and dusty, unpaved streets, life was not complicated. My neighbors and I made a playground of…
Read MoreSpotlighting the Refugee Crisis in Ai Weiwei’s Human Flow
Oct 11, 2017
There’s an expression in Arabic, khallyh yballt albahar, which translates to, “let him lay tiles on the seafloor,” and is usually said when someone insists on going through with a bad idea they’ve been warned against. I thought of the phrase as I sat down to watch Ai Weiwei’s new film, Human Flow. In it,…
Read MoreThe Stories Tapestries Tell
Oct 3, 2017
Inside an embroidery workshop in the heart of the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sabah stands at the helm of an important component of Palestinian identity and history. Not only is she an instructor of Palestinian embroidery, but she’s also a keeper of stories accumulated throughout the two decades of her career. Sabah’s workshop is…
Read MoreHealth and Power in Gaza
Sep 29, 2017
The situation in Gaza has been calamitous and unstable for a long time, but it’s never been as bad as it is now. The electricity shortage has thoroughly affected all aspects of life, particularly in sewage and health systems. Plants that process sewage, water and waste cannot function without electricity. So the sewage plants, for…
Read MoreDespite Water Scarcity, a Green Summer in Jenin
by Naser Qadous
Sep 14, 2017
Is there a sight more beautiful than lush fields of green? But fields need water and in Palestine, water is both the dilemma and the solution. The scarcity of water in the West Bank, particularly, has inspired us at Anera to think creatively. Why not make use of a non-traditional source of water that just…
Read MoreDisability 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
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…
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