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Recent visit to Nahr el Bared

This was the first opportunity PfP had to visit the playground since its establishment in 2009. PfP founder, Susan Abulhawa, was delighted to report back that the playground looks great and the kids are getting great use out of it. Susan took the opportunity, while in Lebanon, to visit the camp and spend some time with the kids at Nahr el Bared. It was then she noticed that there is a tremendous need for youth facilities and activities and Nahr el Bared remains horribly impoverished. But thankfully due to the generosity of PfP and MECA supporters, Susan was heartened to see so many smiles because of the playground Playgrounds

A letter from Jenin

“…..that letter made my day ……It is worth all the efforts that we did at the fund raising party, and makes me feel that we need to do more so we can help more and more of our children.” Palestinian Liberation Organization Refugees Affairs Department Popular Committee of Services Jenin Camp Acknowledgment Honorable, Playgrounds for Palestine In co-ordination with ANERA Popular Committee of Services – Jenin refugee camp is honored to present our deepest thanks and gratitude to Playgrounds for Palestine for the financing of the children play ground in the Jenin refugee camp, which was carried out in coordination with ANERA foundation. It

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 1 mile event. http://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/ PfP plans to host a party the evening before the marathon,

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 passed out and greatly enjoyed by the children. We are grateful to ANERA staff, donors Mary Afifi, Ellen Siegel and Jane Power, who

Host a Palestinian Olive Oil Party

When you help PfP fundraise by buying our olive oil or hosting an olive oil party, you are doing more than simply providing playgrounds for Palestinian children. The World Bank estimates that Palestinian agriculture accounts for about 25% of the GDP, and olive trees are raised on at least 45% of all cultivated land. Traditionally, the Palestinian market for olive oil was

PfP’s Summer Film Nights!

On August 12th, PfP is screening Saverio Costanzo’s 2004 film Private. This film explores the Palestinian situation through the means of an allegory. Here’s a short description: “Inspired by real events, documentary filmmaker Saverio Costanzo’s feature debut is a minimalist psychological drama about a Palestinian family of seven suddenly confronted with a volatile situation in their home that in many ways reflects the larger ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people.”

Thank you for another successful fundraiser

Thanks to all of you, our gala dinner and concert proved to be a wonderful evening and a successful fundraiser! We raised over $17,000 and still counting. To read all of the sordid details, click here To watch a video of the best moments of the evening, click here To donate, click here

Announcing A Gala Dinner and Concert for Gaza

On May 3, 2009, PfP will host a wonderful evening with friends and supporters for the benefit of the children of Gaza. The evening will feature a concert by renowned Lebanese singer/songwriter May Nasr. The evening will feature a concert by renowned Lebanese singer May Nasr. You can listen to her music online. Her voice is mesmerizing. Trained by Zaki Nassif, a composer for Fairuz, she is one of the few artists who can truly sing Fairuz songs with their full meaning and liveliness. It was the knowledge of this potential that brought Zaki Nassif out of retirement upon hearing May�s voice. The event will take place at the beautiful ACE Conference Center with is picturesque setting. The evening will also include…. Gourmet dinner, silent

My Annual Olive Oil Party for PfP, by Karen Kovalcik

When I first learned of Playgrounds for Palestine’s incredible mission and gifts to children in need of hope, the obvious reaction was how can I help? After a few conversations, I found out about the wonderful olive oil that comes from this holy land and how the purchase of it brings goodness to so many. I had no idea of the reverence of the olive trees in this region of the world, and the history of these 2000+ year old trees. The privilege of having olive tree in ones’ family and

Please sponsor our run in the Philadelphia Marathon!

Dear friends, family, and supporters of PfP – Please Sponsor Us! As many of you know, Ramzy Baroud and I are teaming up this year to run the Philadelphia Marathon in November to raise money and awareness of PfP. Toward that goal, on Sunday, 21 September, I (along with my wonderful neighbor, Nelson Dunham) ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon, mostly as a half way point in training, but also to put on the table for this email – to ask you to support us! You can see my (unimpressive) results by going to Searchable Results and typing in my name for the Half Marathon. Ramzy and I aren’t setting any records. Each of us has been told previously by our doctors that we

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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

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My contribution makes me happy for the cause, and is inspired by my friends, Holly and Scudder, who are getting married.