When my dear friend and founder of Playgrounds for Palestine, Susan Abulhawa, asked me to write an article for the newsletter, I was certainly honored. Now that I am completing this task at the eleventh hour, I guess I underestimated the thought and emotion that would swell in me as I attempted to explain my motivation and actions for
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.
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 el Bared Camp.
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
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
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 passed out and greatly enjoyed by the children. We are grateful to ANERA staff, donors Mary Afifi, Ellen Siegel and Jane Power, who attended the event and made it possible. To see more photos
This event, which took place on a beach close to the city of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, was organized by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as part of the Summer Games program. The Summer Games Program is designed to provide Palestinian youth in the Gaza Strip with arts and crafts activities, festivals, and Arabic and math education during the summer months. This kite festival was an attempt to break the previous Guinness World Record for kite flying. By all accounts, the
This ship which carried reconstruction and 3 tons of medical supplies, in addition to childrens’ toys, also carried passengers such as Cynthia McKinney, a former US Congresswoman and presidential candidate, and Mairead Maguire, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. The reason for the ship’s detainment is the Israeli-enforced blockade on Gaza. The ship’s supplies were confiscated, and the IDF has stated they will be delivered “subject to authorization.” The
Dear PfPers, Some good news! The two playgrounds that we installed in Gaza, one in Rafah and one in Khan Younis, a few years ago have been spared and they’re getting good use. We added some pictures of the playground in Rafah and expect more pictures from Khan Younis soon. We had been worried that the playgrounds may have been damaged over the four week long Israeli air and land assault that left most of Gaza in rubble. And with everything that Gazans had lost, including so many lives
JC Boushh, a supporter and volunteer at PfP, traveled to Beirut on November 26th to install a playground in the refugee camp of Nahr el Bared, and to train local workers to install our second playground at Ein el Hilweh, two playgrounds we’re putting up in partnership with Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) For more photos of the installation, click here We will post more about these playgrounds at a later date. Keep checking the website for updates on Ein el Hilweh
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. It was decided to name the school: Phoenix Elementary. مدرسةالعنقاء As you can see, the
Enjoy, laugh, play! Our donation is for the children of Palestine in memory of our beloved friend, Marita Boullata. Marita lived in Palestinian in her early marriage. She championed its land, culture and people, especially children.