AMERICAN NEAR EAST REFUGEE AID INC
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Mission Statement
For 51 years, Anera has helped refugees and others hurt by conflicts in the Middle East live with dignity and purpose. Anera, which has no political or religious affiliation, works on the ground with partners in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Jordan. We mobilize resources for immediate humanitarian relief and for sustainable, long-term health, education, and economic development efforts. Our staff are from the communities they serve, navigating the politics that constrict progress to get help where it’s needed most. In this way, Anera delivered more than $69.8 million in programs in 2018 alone, and it’s how we will keep building better lives until hope finds its way in the Middle East. Anera is a registered 501(c)3 non-governmental organization. Our work is made possible through the support of thousands of private donors around the world and grants from numerous public and private institutions.
About This Cause
American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera) addresses the development and humanitarian needs of Palestinians and other marginalized communities in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, and Jordan. Incorporated in 1968 to help ease the suffering of Palestinian refugees after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, Anera is non-political and non-religious and is one of the largest American non-profits working solely in the Middle East for 51 years. Anera helps local institutions become more self-sufficient and effective in serving their communities. Every project is planned in consultation with the communities that ultimately benefit — an approach that ensures relevancy and commitment, and secures the long-term viability of the projects. Anera focuses on education, health, water, agriculture, emergency relief, and community development. Education Poverty and conflict can make it difficult to access quality education in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon. High levels of stress and anxiety negatively affect the healthy growth and development of young people. Run-down and overcrowded classrooms are not suited for learning and outdated materials make it difficult for students to keep up with their peers. Anera is implementing programs at all education levels, from preschool to vocational training, to aid and transform the lives of tens of thousands of students. In Palestine, Anera’s Right Start! program better prepares teachers and instructors to promote active engagement and learning in children through arts, music, toys and books; and enhances the parenting skills of caregivers. Over the past seven years, Anera has upgraded and equipped 165 preschools, trained 600 teachers, enhanced parenting skills of 13,000 caregivers, and delivered 20,000 literacy and reading packs to children. This year we are building six new preschools in Palestine. To better serve Palestinian and Syrian refugees who are often unable to recieve formal education in Lebanon, Anera has launched a non-formal education program to target out-of-school youth aged 14-25 to provide basic Arabic, English, and math training. In 2018 we were able to reach 8,212 youth with literacy and math classes. Anera has also implemented vocational training programs to address high rates of unemployment among refugees, providing classes in accounting, tailoring, electronics, cosmetology, and much more. Health Good health is a critical foundation of any society. But in Palestine and Lebanon, families have trouble accessing quality healthcare. Crumbling buildings, outdated equipment and a shortage of doctors and medicines diminish the standard of care that hospitals and clinics can provide. Thanks to supporters from all over the world, Anera is able to rebuild, upgrade and improve conditions in hospitals and clinics in Palestine and Lebanon; in just the past decade, Anera has built or upgraded 29 hospitals and clinics in the West Bank and Gaza. Since 1968 we have distributed over $400 million worth of vital medicines, equipment, wheelchairs, over-the-counter drugs and health care supplies that would not otherwise be available in the communities where they are needed the most. Last year we distributed over $43 million worth of necessary medical supplies, and through our Windows to Health program, trained health and social workers involved in dispensing medicines to ensure proper use. Water The semi-arid Middle East suffers from a chronic lack of water caused by climate change, drought, growing cities, over-consumption and waste. Factors such as pollution caused by raw sewage and rising seawater makes over 90 percent of Gaza’s drinking water unfit for human consumption. Nearly 10 percent of Palestinian communities in the West Bank have no access to piped potable water systems. In Lebanon, 3.7 million people lack the basic amount of water required by World Health Organization standards for daily washing and drinking due to depleted water sources and a rapidly growing population. For four decades, water access and sewage management has been at the heart of Anera’s work. Our engineers know the range and scope of the problems their communities face and have the expertise to fix them. We erect reservoirs, repair and expand water networks, renovate sewage systems, connect hospitals and clinics to water, invest in innovative irrigation systems and install clean toilets in preschools. In 2018, Anera launched the Ramallah Wastewater Reuse Project in conjunction with the Pattison & Vitol Foundations. The project recycles wastewater and protects the water supply by facilitating the reuse of 63 million gallons of wastewater annually. The treated wastewater is suitable for a variety of non-household uses, including construction and firefighting, and the irrigation of fruit trees, gardens and parks. Through the Gaza Urgent WASH Project, since 2015, Anera has improved water and sanitation systems in 28 communities, directly benefiting 68,361 residents. We also rehabilitated four water wells, connected 2,375 homes to water systems and another 1,481 homes to sanitation systems, provided 250 public health education sessions to local residents, and distributed hygiene kits to 8,921 families. Along with providing access to water, Anera ensures that families are educated in water, sanitation, and hygiene practices to prevent illness caused by water-borne diseases. In the event of an emergency, Anera is quick to respond by fueling desalination plants and pumping stations, refilling communal water tanks and delivering bottles of water where they’re needed most. Agriculture Farming has been a way of life in the Middle East for thousands of years, feeding families and generating work for local communities all over the region. Today, it is one of the few ways for Palestinians to make a living in an uncertain political and economic climate. But, the shortage of water in the region and decades of outdated cultivation techniques challenge today’s farmers. Anera works in rural communities on a small-scale and sustainable level. We install irrigation systems and build farm-to-market roads, wholesale markets and greenhouses. We support farming cooperatives that share resources and help farmers talk to each other about what works. Post-war assessments report that the 2014 war destroyed 51% of Gaza’s farmland, greenhouses and irrigation systems. Anera’s land restoration program is helping revive Gaza agriculture by leveling and plowing damaged fields, installing irrigation pipes and providing olive trees and vegetable seeds to 28 families affected by the war. In 2010 Anera began delivering greenhouses and equipment and providing agricultural training to scores of families in Gaza. Through our agricultural initiatives, we are giving families a way to put healthy food on the dinner table year-round and earn extra income, providing immediate relief and long-term humanitarian and economic solutions through the use of easily accessible resources Emergency Relief Gaza has endured 10 years of closure and three bombing campaigns that left lives and livelihoods in ruins. Lebanon's Palestinian camps are overwhelmed by the arrival of tens of thousands of impoverished, traumatized refugees from Syria. West Bank communities are fractured by military checkpoints and a 420-mile separation wall. Families are caught in the middle of a situation they can’t control. And Anera is always there to step in to ease their suffering. Our staff have a tried-and-true system for getting people and communities what they need most: medicines, food packages, clothes, blankets, hygiene supplies and more. Anera has delivered over $13 million in wartime humanitarian relief to Gaza, including much needed shipments of life-saving medicine. When schools, hospitals and farms are damaged by bombs or natural disasters, Anera rebuilds and restores them. We also help families rebuild their livelihoods—another casualty of conflict and crisis—through small business loans, job creation and job skills training. Anera’s psychosocial activities give children, who are particularly vulnerable to the psychological effects of war, a chance to release their anxieties through guided activities like drawing, dancing and acting. Anera also works with caregivers to provide better support to children and to cope with traumas they themselves suffered. Community Development In the towns and refugee camps of Palestine and Lebanon, the fabric that holds many communities together is threatened by poverty, conflict and isolation. In Gaza, 40 percent of Palestinians live in poverty. Unemployment rates reach over 50 percent. Hope for the future can feel elusive as heavy problems relentlessly bear down on families. Anera invests in community development in Palestine and Lebanon to strengthen the ties that connect people. Our programs improve family livelihoods by creating hundreds of jobs in construction, civic planning, health, education, tourism, and more. At the same time, we help women entrepreneurs with loans for their small businesses and deliver training programs that improve job skills. With your support, parks and playgrounds give families beautiful, safe places to come together and socialize. Sports programs and facilities offer youth from different backgrounds the chance to interact and learn teamwork. Trash clearing and recycling inspire volunteers to take control of a bad situation and turn it around for all of their neighbors. Artistic expression builds a shared humanity while giving voice to individuals.