The American Near East Refugee Aid, ANERA, was created in 1968 to help ease the suffering of Palestinian refugees after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967. Non-political and non-religious, ANERA is one of the largest American non-profits working solely in the Middle East.

In fiscal year 2010, ANERA delivered $50 million for programs in the Middle East and delivered over $70 million in projects last fiscal year. With bureaus in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan, ANERA employs more than 75 full-time staff in the Middle East who are locally hired and work with local partners.
 

In Gaza, ANERA initiated the Milk for Preschoolers Program in 2003 when it discovered that children were suffering from anemia, vitamin A deficiency and chronic malnutrition. Many were at risk of irreversible physical and neurological damage. The program now provides 25,000 children in over 180 preschools with a daily box of fortified milk and a packet of fortified wafers.

ANERA also created a “food fortification” project, which focuses on nutrition. “Vitamin A to Zinc” or “A2Z,” helps ensure the quality of fortified Palestinian wheat flour and educates them on the importance of nutrition.

Tragically, the struggle continues. “With 38 percent of Palestinian Gazan children anemic, we’re aiming to reach as many of the children as we can there,” said ANERA’s CEO, Bill Corcoran, in a phone interview with Arab News.

Not only do anemic children have stunted growth, but anemia also slows down the children’s learning since they can’t focus as easily. “It attacks their blood supply, so it affects their vision, brain development and muscle growth,” said Corcoran.

ANERA hasn’t stop there, expanding the programs for Early Childhood Development to the West Bank. Its ability to deliver on time and their reputation for integrity has not gone unnoticed. Over the summer, The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded ANERA a $2.7 million grant in Gaza plus another $5 million for water and sanitation projects in the West Bank.
 

But delivering has not always been easy. ANERA currently faces more issues than roadblocks, as Israeli settlers have violently attacked several of ANERA’s staff.

“Settlers have not been attacking us because we’re ANERA,” said Corcoran. “They are randomly attaching anyone who has Palestinian license plates on their cars. The result has caused a lot more anxiety for our staff, and we are implementing much more strategic and security rules for them there.”

Yet, ANERA’s president said they are used to working with challenges. “We’re been at this for 43 years, bad times and good times, but we have never stopped.”

Corcoran, who replaced ANERA’s longtime president Peter Gubser (who succumbed to cancer in 2010), is proud of ANERA’s record. “Our medical shipments to Gaza and the West Bank are all on time, and all of our activities for early childhood development are on schedule,” he said.

However, ensuring timely shipments depends on open access. Corcoran says ANERA maintains “good relations with authorities on all sides, everywhere where we work. Where others might have problems with one side or the other, we have a long standing reputation for integrity and accountability, so the authorities trust that what we’re shipping is what we are shipping.”
 

Another ANERA success story is the delivery of wheel chairs into the West Bank and into Jordan. Some people there were housebound, but a wheelchair has allowed them mobility. “The average wheel chair would cost a Gazan a month’s salary,” said Corcoran, who added that ANERA is now outfitting wheelchairs for children, while is enabling some to attend for the first time ever.
 

ANERA also had several summer programs for children; one of the most popular included giving cameras to children. For most of them, it was the first time they had ever held a camera. “It gave them a whole new world, and it opened up their minds and we were amazed at their creativity and the beautiful photos that they took,” said Corcoran.

Another program distributed toothbrushes to children in ANERA summer camps. “They learned how to use toothbrushes, and it was fun,” said Corcoran. “In Gaza, the effort was especially focused on health awareness, which made nutritional learning fun.”

ANERA held several camps last summer, including two in Gaza and two in the West Bank. Over 2,000 Gazan attend ANERA’s preschools and 400 children attend ANERA schools in the West Bank.

Often, camps focus on sports and other summertime distractions, but ANERA’s focus was on arts and culture, something that could be continued throughout the school year.

“We were trying to teach them about traditional music with traditional Palestinian instruments, so they learn to appreciate their own traditions and not just Western music,” said Corcoran.

ANERA’s programs are trying to change the standard of education for young children, to make learning fun and to focus on activities that are child-centered rather than passive and academic.

Young adults are also part of ANERA focus, and it offers vocational training for young adults in Lebanon and Palestine.

Corcoran explained that these vocational training projects in Lebanon work with Palestinian refugees and Lebanese under-privileged youth in northern Lebanon and is funded by a Qatar Foundation. “They have been working with us for about a year,” said Corcoran, who said Kuwait and Qatar also helped fund for the milk for Gazan preschoolers.
 

USAID also made ANERA responsible for implementing the Emergency Water and Sanitation program (EWAS) in the West Bank and Gaza. The $60 million program will span five years — until 2013.

Not only will ANERA provide emergency relief in water and sanitation sectors there, but also will rehabilitate, expand and upgrade water and sewage systems and deliver potable water to communities in need. The project also includes installation of new pipes to carry potable water or sewage, as well as repair of water and sewer line breaks and small pumping systems.

Yet, non-governmental organizations can only do so much, said Corocran. “The international community and the Arab League should not delay in promoting new ideas to help the Palestinian community.”