PfP Blog

Save the Date!! April 3, 2010

  . . . helping children reclaim their childhoods February 2010 Newsletter  SAVE THE DATE!  PfP’s Annual Fundraiser Dinner on April 3rd!   It’s that time of the year again when all of us gather in one place to share an evening of  community, good food, LAUGHTER, good entertainment, and, best of all, the affirmation of our commitment to uphold the Right to Play for children in Palestine and refugee camps  elsewhere. This year, we will be returning to the University of Pennsylvania’s Hall of Flags in Houston Hall, and we hope you will join us. Featuring… Philly’s very own, very …

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Running a marathon for PfP

Ramzy Baroud (http://www.ramzybaroud.net/) joins PfP Board members susan abulhawa and Dennis Parrish as they train to run the Philadelphia Marathon in the Fall in support of PfP. Would you like to join us? Veteran Palestinian-American journalist and former Al-Jazeera producer, Ramzy Baroud has taught Mass Communication at Australia’s Curtin University of Technology, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He had this to say about PfP: “Playgrounds for Palestine is a unique organization, for not only does it provide the children of Palestine with a tangible channel that attempts to create some balance, between cruelty and humanity, poverty and joy, occupation and a sense of freedom, it provides us all with ample hope that a happier future is possible for the children of Palestine. I will keep this hopeful image in mind as I run the Philadelphia marathon in support …

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Request from Jacqueline Berry for Playgrounds for Palestine

  . . . helping children reclaim their childhoods  November 24, 2009 Dear Friends I am writing to request your help with a very important project.  As you know, I am on the Board of Directors of Playgrounds for Palestine (PfP), a non-profit 501(c)3 organization based in the Philadelphia area whose mission it is to build playgrounds for Palestinian children and to educate the world about their plight.  Since its founding in 2002, PfP has built 10 playgrounds in the West Bank, Gaza, and refugee camps in Lebanon, and we have 4 more playgrounds in the works.  In the past, each of our playgrounds has cost us around $13,000 to build and ship.  However, in recent months we have been able to cut our costs in half by manufacturing …

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Support Playgrounds For Palestine (with your feet or with your wallet)

Playgrounds for Palestine (PfP) is always looking for exciting new ways to raise much needed funds to build playgrounds for children in Palestine. This year is no exception, as PfP founder Susie Abulhawa will put on her racing shoes and run this year’s Philadelphia Half Marathon on September 21st. http://www.ingphiladelphiadistancerun.com/home.html And in case Abulhawa hasn’t put her body through a grueling enough experience in September, on November 23rd she and veteran Palestinian-American journalist (former Al Jazeera producer, and current Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Chronicle) Ramzy Baroud will then run the Philadelphia Marathon. Susie’s children Natalie and Amir also plan to do their part and run in the children’s …

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Fun Day, Another Playground, Olive Oil, and more…

  . . . helping children reclaim their childhoods  Fall Newsletter Dear Friends – We continue to be grateful to all of you, especially in these difficult times, for making it possible for us to bring some joy into the lives of children in very joyless places. All of us at PfP  Olive Oil  Day of Fun: Playground in the Mazin Afifi Park Houda and Dr. Ali Anaim have graciously given of their time and effort to help PfP by selling olive oil! They moved from California to Philadephia, PA where Dr. Ali Anaim is currently serving as a pediatric surgeon at Temple University Hospital. Says, Dr. Anaim, “When I got the email from PfP asking to help …

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We’re building two playgrounds in Lebanon’s refugee camps, this summer!

We’re very excited to report to our supporters that PfP will build two playground in Lebanon late this summer. In cooperation with MECA (Middle East Children’s Alliance) and ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) , the first system has already been purchased for a preschool and it includes two separate units, a “hide-away hut” and a full play module for ages 2-5 years. We’ve created a page for this playground on our website, where you’ll find more photos and which we’ll update as we get closer to implementation (https://playgroundsforpalestine.org/our-playgrounds.php?ID=9). The second playground will serve a wider range of ages and will likely be built in the Nahr …

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Thank you to Lake Shore Baptist Church

From all of us at PfP we would like say a huge thanks to the  for raising $730!! We so appreciate all the gifts and donations we receive, but when it involves kids and the kind of service project, education and generosity that were described in their letter to us, it goes beyond the usual level of gratitude that we feel. Check out their wonderful letter below – Each year the children of Lake Shore Baptist Church collect pledges and participate in a Bike-a-thon around the back lot of the church. The money raised benefits a pre-selected mission project which the children learn about in the weeks prior to the Bike-a-thon. Since we at Lake Shore value childhood and outdoor play, and were fortunate enough to give our own playground a major facelift, it seemed fitting to show our …

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Thank you to our olive oil hosts!

As PfP’s small enterprise of selling Fair Trade, organic, Palestinian olive oil continues to grow thanks to word of mouth and the wonderful volunteers who host olive oil parties for their friends and families. This fall, we would like to recognize the contributions of Houda and Dr. Ali Anaim in Philadelphia; and Stacy Grossman in Grand Rapids, MI. We are so grateful to them for their generous efforts in promoting Palestinian olive oil. Houda and Dr. Ali Anaim have graciously given of their time and effort to help PfP by selling olive oil! They moved from California to Philadephia, PA where Dr. Ali Anaim is currently serving as a pediatric surgeon at Temple University Hospital. Says, Dr. Anaim, “When I got the email from PfP asking to help out our children in Palestine, to enjoy and live their innocent childhood like other normal children, I honestly didn’t …

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Fun Day in Nahr el Bared

September 12 was no ordinary day for the kids of Nahr El Bared Camp. Over 200 children gathered in the Mazen Afifi Playground for a fun day organized by PfP partners Bait Atfal Assoumoud and ANERA. The purpose of the event was to entertain the children and at the same time embellish the park established by PfP, MECA, and the Afifi’s in partnership with ANERA. The kids enjoyed their gifts and a variety of fun activities such as wall painting, trees and flowers planting and other interactive games. Children planted eucalyptus trees and climbing roses. Running races and tug-of-war were held. The children helped paint colorful murals, and over 500 Spider Man and Cinderella stickers were …

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Summer Film Reminder–Yardley

      Please join us for our summer films! This is a reminder that PfP will be in Yardley this Saturday showing Jenin Jenin Jenin Jenin When: August 15th @ 7PM Where: Yardley Community Center, 64 S Main Street, Yardley PA Description: This documentary chronicles the Jenin Refugee Camp after the Israeli invasion of the West Bank and assault on the camp in 2002. Victims, many living in refugee tent cities, relate the story of devastation and brutality of the IDF assault on the camp. The film expresses their deep rage …

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Phoenix Elementary in Gaza

We are excited to announce the launch of an initiative we’ve been working on for a while. PfP established a school in Gaza for grades 1-5. We’re in our third week now of operation and it’s amazing. The school is a mixture of traditional and non-traditional learning. The first few days were focused on getting to know each other, consulting with children about what they want to get out of the school, how they want to decorate the space, and assessing their skills and abilities.

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“After the ‘Cast lead’ attack on Gaza, PfP shared a video of the kids finally able to go outside where there still stood a (PfP) playground.  It still brings tears to think about the joy of those kids swarming the playground…  It really brought home the great work PfP does. “