MIDDLE EAST CHILDRENS ALLIANCE

INTRODUCTIONAs Israeli bombs began falling on Gaza last summer, the Middle East Childrens Alliance responded immediately to calls for help from our friends and partners on the ground. The urgent needs in Gaza became the primary focus of our work for the rest of the year. MECA was able to do a great deal of critical, life-saving work, in the face of great obstacles, thanks to your generous support. We wired funds almost daily to MECA Gaza Projects Director Dr. Mona El-Farra, who, with a core group of volunteers, delivered food, medicine, and even some hours of fun, to the ever-increasing number of families displaced by the bombardment. Thousands of new and long-time supporters from around the world sent donations in an act of solidarity and to let Gaza live. At the same time, we were able to maintain our support for vital community projects in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, continue to build playgrounds, award scholarships, and provide aid to refugees from Syria. We never want to see the kind of horror we saw in Gaza last summer. But if it happens, we know that MECA, our Palestinian partners, and our supporters have the determination and the ability to overcome enormous challenges.

2

The War Against the People of Gaza July-August 2014

Palestinians killed: 2,200Palestinian children killed: 550Palestinians wounded: 11,000Palestinian children wounded: 3,000Gaza residents displaced: Up to 500,000 (at height of attacks)

Homes destroyed in Gaza: 20,000Note: Numbers vary by reporting agencies and people con-tinue to die from injuries sustained last summer and from new explosions of abandoned shells. The number of those still displaced is estimated to be 100,000.

Cover photo and photo this pageCREDIT: Ahmed Sohail

SOLIDARITY WITH GAZAFood, Water, Medicine, Psychological Support, and More

During Israels 51-day attack on Gaza in July and Au-gust 2014, more than 500 children were killed, more than 500,000 people were displaced at the height of the attacks, and hundreds of thousands of people had no access to water or electricity. Thanks to MECAs team on the ground in Gaza and supporters around the world, we were able to quickly raise funds and provide medicine and medical treatment, psychological sup-port, food, milk, hygiene kits, and clean, safe drinking water.

Dr. Mona El-Farra, MECAs Gaza Projects Director, coordinated our relief efforts using a network of volun-teers and community-based organizations that MECA has worked with for the last 26 years. Even as bombs were falling, and during the brief ceasefires, MECA volunteers and partners went to shelters and remote areas close to the borders to bring assistance to dis-placed families. We prioritized areas where there were high rates of poverty before the attacks and sought out families who were staying with relatives or friends, in garages or in their damaged homes.

Donations to MECA for Gaza relief provided:1500 hygiene kits, 400 food parcels, and 420 packets of milk, in partnership with Gazas Ark; Funds to our partner organization Afaq Jadeeda (New Horizons) to prepare hot meals and provide clean water and recreational activities for kids at shelters;Antibiotics and medications to treat chronic conditions such as diabetes and arthritis that people left behind when they fled their homes, through the Union of Health Work Commit-

tees and Red Crescent Society of the Gaza Strip;Health screenings for hundreds of displaced children and endoscopy equipment for vital di-agnostic procedures.

Before the assault, MECA was providing medicine through the Red Crescent Society and food aid afte the UN cut aid to refugees. We also supported sum-mer camps and, thanks to one generous donor, English classes for the large Samouni family who suffered dev-astating losses in the 2009 assault.

3

Dr. Mona El-Farra, MECAs Gaza Projects Director about the distribution of food produced in Gaza: Through this small aid effort, we are helping the local producers as well as needy families in Gaza. These families have been impoverished by de-cades of occupation and years of a tight blockade; many were also hit savagely by the latest Israeli offensive.

CREDIT: Ahmed Sohail

MECAs Gaza Project Assistant and a water engineer, Safaa El-Derawi, visited schools in the early weeks of the assault to check on the units and test the water quality. Initially, 16 Maia units were providing clean, safe drinking wa-ter for displaced families that sought shelter in UN schools. When those units were damaged, water was deliv-ered to the schools and the water tanks MECA installed along with the units were used to store clean drinking water. MECA also provided funds to our Gaza partner, Afaq Jadeeda Associ-ation to distribute water from their own Maia unit to families in shelters in nearby refugee camps.

CREDIT: MECA

4

Let the Children Play & Heal, MECAs long-time psychosocial support program led by two partner or-ganizations, Afaq Jadeeda and Never Stop Dreaming, had been doing trainings for parents, social workers, and teachers of young children about how to recognize and address signs of trauma. From the beginning of last summers assault to the present, MECA expanded the program to bring psychologists, social workers, and specially trained volunteers to schools and community centers throughout Gaza. .

From the beginning of last summers assault to the present, MECA expanded the psychosocial support program, Let the Children Play & Heal, to bring psychologists, social workers, and specially trained volunteers to schools and community centers throughout Gaza.

CREDIT: MECA

Maia Units Installed in 2014School Name # Students A Gift from

Beit Hanoun Boys Elementary School A & B 1,300 Norman, Marcella, and Kirsten Pedersen

Jabalia Co-ed Elementary School A 1,400 Vince and Louise Larsen, Billings, Montana, USA.

Jabalia Boys Elementary SChool A & F 2,400 Genevieve McMillan-Reba Stewart Foundation

Al Darage Co-ed Elementary School A 1,650 Anonymous

Beit Hanoun Co-ed Elementary School B 900 Anonymous

Halab Co-ed Elementary School A & B 2,900 Anonymous

Al Zaytoon Co-ed Elementary School A & B 1,300 in memory of Siraj Eyad Abdul-Aal, 8 years old from Khan Younis

Rehabilitation Centre for the Visually Impaired 400 Global Giving community

Al Garara Co-ed Elementary School 2,000 Arabic Community in Australia

Khan Younis Girls Elementary School A & B 2,000 Arabic Community in Australia

Nasaem Kindergarten, Nuseirat 170 Supporters in Nevada County, California, and the Rachel Corrie Foundation for

Peace and Justice.

Al-Osama Kindergarten 180 Children in Brattleboro, Vermont

Ghassan Kanafani Kindergarten 200 Many Friends in Corvallis, OR, USA

Total Students 19,405

5

THE MAIA PROJECTProviding Water Before, During, and after the 2014 Assault on Gaza

Since 2009, MECA has installed water purification and desalination units in 36 UNRWA schools and 29 com-munity kindergartens throughout Gaza. All the water purification units at UN schools that were damaged by the Israeli assault were repaired by the end of 2014. Site visits and repairs for the units at community kin-dergartens are still under way. New units were installed at three kindergartens, a school for the visually im-paired, and nine schools in refugee camps. There are now 65 units providing safe, clean drinking water to 60,000 children in Gaza.

6Defending Refugee Rights, Bringing their Stories to the WorldShoruq organization in Dheisheh Refugee Camp, Pal-estine has been thriving since it started just two years ago. The women, children, and youth are telling the stories of their lives through the arts and media. Sho-ruqs audio recording studio, a youth debke (traditional Palestinian dance) troupe, oral history project, and more is bringing greater understanding about the lives of Palestinian refugees to the local community, the re-gion and, increasingly, other parts of the world.

Shoruqs state-of-the-art studio serves as an exciting classroom where young people learn technical skills that could lead to employment opportunitiesand they learn much more. The media program, like all Sho-ruqs work, keeps its focus on the rights of Palestinian refugees. So, workshop topics include womens rights, journalism ethics, media coverage, childrens rights, along with instruction in things like sound editing and recording, interview techniques, and song-writing. The youth are given opportunities to produce their own pieces and get them out as widely as possibleand then to train the next group of new participants.

Shoruqs other main area of work is legal aid and ad-vocacy. They have just released a report in English and Arabic Refugee Children in Conflict with the Law in Bethlehem with Childrens Rights International Network.

Shoruq Organization in Dheisheh Refugee Camp, Bethlehem, Palestine. Media train-ing, performance arts, summer and winter camps, legal aid and advocacy and hip hop song-writing workshops where one child wrote:

My name is Sophie, Im a Palestinian and thats my trophyI have my own rights, Im living in the darkits time to turn on the lights Palestine, occupation, prisons, walls for segregation,

SHORUQ ORGANIZATION

Shoruqs state-of-the-art recording studio and media training enables Palestinian refugees to tell their stories to their com-munities and the world.

CREDIT: Shoruq

7The Madaa Center, Strength amid Soldiers and Settlers

There are multiple threats facing children and families in Silwan and those threats grow all the time. Their land is being stolen under the guise of biblical archae-ology. Israeli settlers have taken over Palestinian homes and they harass and violently attack children and adults alike. Administrative demolitions leave many home-less, threaten many more, and have eliminated commu-nity facilities. Hundreds of peopleincluding children as young as six and many, many teenagershave been arrested, beaten by police, placed under house arrest, and barred from entering the village that their families have lived in for generations. The nearby settlements security personnel and Israeli soldiers have set up a near-permanent presence in the neighborhood. Israels evocation of Jerusalem residency strips people of their political rights, access to city services, and fam-ily unification. Every child in Silwan is affected by the situation there.

MECA helped Madaa hire a full-time social worker who makes home visits and runs group psychosocial sessions for children and youth who have been arrest-ed or experienced violence, as well as separate sessions with parents. We are also supporting Madaas librarian Tala Serhan, who teaches reading and writing, leads arts activities and field trips, and provides academic tu-toring for older students.

MECA supports the Madaa Creative Centers librarian who leads many activities and says,

We read stories and discuss them and then the children express themselves through writing, drawing, and drama. They need to express themselves because life in Silwan is so difficult.

CREDIT: MECA

SILWAN, EAST JERUSALEM

The families of Silwan now have a full-time social worker thanks to MECA supporters. She works with children like seven-year old Obaida Mheisen Ayesh who was arrested in December 2014, as well as children who have been targets of Israeli settlers and authorities, and the childrens parents.

CREDIT: Silwanic.net

Education is their priority

The most current need during this period is the protection of the education year for the children. We all have to do our best to help the children to continue to learn.

Mahmoud from the Child and Youth Center (CYC)

MECA purchased and distributed school supplies and shoes for 360 children from Syria in Shatila and Nahr El-Bared Refugee Camps in Lebanon, and clothing to 140 child refugees living in the Baalbeck and Waivel Camp in Lebanon. MECA partners in the camps spe-cifically requested clothes, shoes, and backpacks filled with school supplies because they are essential for kids to attend school regularly, catch up with their age group, and stay in school. In partnership with ANERA, MECA also provided tens of thousands of bottles of baby shampoo to refugees who are in need of the most basic necessities. The Palestinian Youth Movement raised more than $12,000 through MECA to fund classes for refugee children from Syria.

8

MECA SCHOLARSHIPS 2014

Musab Sarhan lives in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp, outside Bethlehem. His scholarship is provided by the Bethlehem-Sacramento Sister City in memory of Sacramento, California Palestinian-American Mary Bisharat. CREDIT: MECA

Musab says, Because my familys tough financial situation, I was obliged to postpone my university studying for one year. I thought it would be another year but when I heard about the Middle East Childrens Alliance and its assis-tance for students like me I became an optimist. I wish to be accountant and be very good in my job. The other answer is that I need to help my family.

For the current academic year MECA is providing 145 scholarships for students at ten Palestinian uni-versities in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza. Most of these scholarship awards come from the Elly Jaensch Memorial Scholarship Fund, established ten years ago by the children of Elly Jaensch, a refugee from Germany. Additional scholarships are funded by Sac-ramento-Bethlehem Sister City, Friends of Deir Ibzia, and MECA supporters who make contributions to the Ramzy Halaby Education Fund or from general support. Scholarships awarded to students in Gaza were espe-cially needed and appreciated this year in the face of widespread despair after the Israeli assault and the con-tinuing siege.

REFUGEES FROM SYRIA

Refugees from Syria are determined to continue their educa-tion. MECA supporters are helping them by providing chil-dren with backpacks, school supplies, shoes, clothing, and basic hygiene supplies.

CREDIT: MECA

MECA funded the construction of another beautiful playground in Beit Skariya village in partnership with Riwaq Association for Architectural Conservation. The playground is located next to the villages one room elementary school on land donated by the head of the village council. It includes a fun elephant climbing structure with a slide, a small stone pavilion area for childrens activities like theater, and swings.

Before the construction of the playground, one woman in the village complained, Our children are isolated here. There is no safe place to play because of threats from the settlers and transportation difficulties make it hard to take them out of the village to interact with other children or to participate in summer camps or sports.

Thanks to MECA and Riwaq, all this has changed. Two mothers told MECA how much the children loved having a space to play both during and after school. Every afternoon, they said, You can find most of the villages 60 children at the playground.

This small agricultural village, between Bethlehem and Hebron in the West Bank, is broken up into five enclaves by illegal Israeli settlements, Israeli-only bypass roads, and an Israeli military base. The settlements block access to the village, confiscate agricultural land, and settlers regularly harass and threaten the villagers. Many families have been forced to abandon their homes in Beit Skariya. As part of this project, and to help people stay, Riwaq renovated 18 homes and installed insulation in the school, which also serves as a clinic when a doctor visits and as the villages meeting place.

For several years, MECA has been working with Riwaq Association for Architectural Conservation to include playgrounds in their restoration of historic Palestin-ian towns. Beit Skariya is surrounded by illegal Is-raeli settlements and the children had no place to play. Now, two mothers reported Every afternoon, you can find most of the villages 60 children at the playground.

CREDIT: MECA

9

PLAYGROUNDS FOR TODAY WITH LINKS TO THE PAST

In 2014 Shatha Safi of Riwaq Center for Architectural Conser-vation, Palestine and Yara Sharif of NG Architects and Palestine Regeneration Team, United Kingdom won the prestigious Holcim Prize for Adaptive Reuse for the design of womens center and playground in the village of Beit Iksa. MECA is providing the funds for the playground, which has not yet been completed due, in part, to an Israeli check point prohibiting materials and workers from entering the village.

CREDIT: Holcim Prize

Healthy Food Prepared with Love and Determination

MECA continues to support the mothers and grand-mothers of Masara Village in the West Bank, who rise every day before dawn to prepare healthy food for the children in the village. In 2008 the women went to the pre-school/kindergarten and the two elementary schools to replace packaged junk food with healthy, homemade food, using many ingredients they grow themselves, including zaatar (thyme) and meat pies, falafel, popcorn, and fruit smoothies. MECA helps the group purchase monthly supplies and buy and main-tain equipment like an industrial blender and a large gas oven.

10

MASARA VILLAGE JENIN FREEDOM THEATRE 2014

Palestinian children need strong bodies because we are first and foremost living under occupation. When the oc-cupation is combined with poverty, this is an impossible situation for the children.

CREDIT: MECA

Last year, the Jenin Freedom Theatre (JFT) in Jenin Refugee Camp, West Bank, welcomed a new theatre school class and graduated another. They produced five new theatre plays, including their first-ever play for small children, restaged two of its most successful produc-tions to date, and took productions on tour across the West Bank, reaching an audience of more than seven thousand. The theatre introduced live streams, enabling audiences around the world to see performances as they happened; met international audiences at speaking tours in the UK and US; and were invited to give workshops and speak at seminars, confer-ences, and other events in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. They launched three new pho-tography courses for children and young adults, published two photography exhibitions, one book of novels, one photography book, and two issues of its youth magazine. Three of JFTs short films were selected for participation in several international film festivals.

The autumn was a milestone for The Freedom Theatre as work began on several theatre productions simultaneously, many of which went on tour to villages, Bedouin encampments, towns and refugee camps throughout the West Bank. These tours shared the aim of counter-ing the very deliberate Israeli strategy of fragmenting and dividing Palestinian society.

A new focus on young children was initiated in 2014CREDIT: Jenin Freedom Theatre

February. The award-winning film documen-tary, A World Not Ours, the story of Ein el-Helweh, Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon

April. MECA welcomed back bay area favorite Ali Abunimah with his new book The Battle for Justice in Palestine, along with Refaat Alareer and Rawan-Yaghi who read from Gaza Writes Back: Stories from young writers in Gaza, Pal-estine.

May. Carry it Forward, Celebrate the Chil-dren of Resistance. MECA collaborated with the Rosenberg Fund for Children to present a video of the

theatrical production about the 60th anniversary of the execution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.

August. In the midst of the assault on Gaza, MECA sold out the local premiere of Flying Paper, the story of Palestinian youth on a quest to shatter the Guinness World Record for the most kites ever flown.

September. Michel Gondrys Is the Man who is Tall Happy? a conversation with Noam Chomsky told through animation and interviews.

November. Nora Barrows Friedmans book release, In Our Power: U.S. Students Organize for Justice in Palestine, includ-ing a panel of student leaders and KPFA host Malihe Razazan.

November. Professor Steven Salaita, who was fired from the University of Il-linois because of his tweets about Gaza spoke about Silencing Palestinian Voices on Campus.

CREDIT: AP Photo/Seth Perlman

11

MECA EVENTS: A YEAR OF RAISING AWARENESS AND RAISING MONEY

November. Three Poets, Three Voices, One Mes-sage with Deema She-habi, Shadab Hashmi and Persis Karim, organized and hosted by MECA vol-unteer Donna Khorsheed.

December. Former UN Special Rappor-teur on the Occupied Palestinian Terri-tories Richard Falk spoke about his new book, Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope.

12

FRIENDS RAISING FUNDSDuring and since the Israeli assault on Gaza last summer, dozens of community organizations, artists, businesses, families, friends and neighbors hosted parties, read poetry, played music, cooked, ran races, danced, sang, and sold handmade items and original art work to bring people together during the crisis and raise funds for children in Gaza. Benefits were held in Australia, Ireland, Scotland, and cities and small towns throughout the U.S. Some raised hundreds of dollars; a few raised more than $25,000, for a combined total of $80,000making it possible for MECA to send emergency aid and support childrens psychological recovery. MECA and our partners in Palestine are so grateful for their initiative and their successes.14 Friends of Palestine Concert, San Anselmo, California4 Scientists and a Random Sampling of Obstacles, 13k Spartan Super Race All Saints Catholic School Bake Sale, Hayward, CaliforniaArt Forces Oakland to Palestine Mural Opening and First Friday Events Bath, Maine Gaza FundraiserBroadway United Methodist ChurchBrooklyn Gathering for Gaza, New YorkCardiff Reds Choir Cor Cochion Caerdydd, WalesChristy Moore in concert with Declan Sinnot f or the children of Gaza, Dublin, IrelandCivic Leadership Education and Action, Brattleboro Union High School, VermontClonakilty for Gaza, IrelandComma PressConcert at the Blue Lamp, Aberdeen, Scotland Constanza Jewelry, San Francisco, CaliforniaCorvallis-Albany Friends of Middle East Peace Birthday FundraiserDukes Peace for GazaEbay Sale BenefitsFancy Dress Halloween Night, Galway, IrelandFriends of Palestine Western Australia, Screening, of When I Saw You, Perth, AustraliaGasparilla Half-Marathon for the Children of Gaza, Alaa OdehGaza Rubble Bucket Challenge, multiple locations

Help Support the Children of Gaza Online Campaign by Roni Krouzman, Ari Makridakis, Manu Butter- worth, Joshua Cross, Rae Abileah, Sarai Shapiro, Chelsea Gregory, Siri Peterson Joining Hands House Party for Let the Children Play & Heal, Berkeley CaliforniaLiverpool Friends of Palestine, EnglandMadison-Rafah Sister City Project Concert, Madison, Wisconsin Hearts for Humanity, Fremont, California Manchester Palestine Action, EnglandMaster Danadoosts Birthday, Novato, CaliforniaMicah Bazant Design, Sales of Artist Prints, Berkeley, CaliforniaMike MacKays Race to Build a Playground in PalestineNicole Em, Radical Emprints, Sales of artist prints, Portland, MaineNorman Finkelstein Talk, Palo Alto, CaliforniaOdyssey Bookshop Poetry Reading, South Hadley, Massachusetts Olympia Solidarity, WashingtonPalestine Aid Society Community Fundraiser, Youngstown, OhioPalestine Heritage Group Embroidery Sales, Seattle WashingtonPalestine-Israel Working Group of Nevada County, Nevada City, CaliforniaPersis and Margys Gaza Kitchen Dinner, Berkeley, CaliforniaRevolutionary Communist Group, Manchester, EnglandSalimpour School of Dance Performance and Party, Berkeley, CaliforniaSan Jose Houseparty, CaliforniaSecond Saturday, Portland, Oregon Southern Arizona BDSTangents Radio Benefit for Refugees from Syria, San Francisco, CaliforniaTree of Life Education Fund Concert Series with Michael Dabroski Uptown Body & Fender Benefit, Oakland, CaliforniaVisual Artists for Gaza Exhibition and Sale, Galway, IrelandWESPAC Foundation, White Plains, NY Women Against Military Madness Gaza Teach-in, Minneapolis, MinnesotaZawayas Art of Resistance: Gaza at Intersection of Arts & Social Justice, San Mateo, California

Individuals

In-Kind Donations (Medical Relief)Revenue from Sales &Public EventsFoundations & MatchingDonationsBenets for Meca

Interest Income

Program ExpensesFundraisingAdministration

Program ExpensesThe Maia Project 194,190.00 18%Direct Aid 132,552.00 12%Childrens Projects 383,701.00 35%The Scholarship Program 176,386.00 16%Public Education 102,567.00 9%Medical Aid 99,614.00 9%Total Program Expenses 1,089,010.00

The Maia Project

Direct Aid

Children's Projects

The Scholarship Program

Public Education

Medical Aid

Total Expenses 2013/2014Program Expenses 1,089,010.00 73%Fundraising 312,738.00 21%Administration 98,907.00 7%Total Expenses 1,500,655.00

Income Meca 2013/2014Individuals 1,256,998.00 85%In-Kind Donations (Medical Relief) 99,614.00 7%Revenue from Sales & Public Events 37,430.00 3%Foundations & Matching Donations 45,012.00 3%Benefits for Meca 14,956.00 1%Interest Income 20,078.00 1%Total Income 1,474,088.00

15

In Memoriam On March 8, 2014 the Middle East Childrens Al-liance lost our dear friend David Halaby. David, along with his wife Mona, gave so much to MECA and the children of Palestine. They participated, with two of their sons, and other family members, in two MECA delegations to Palestine. David shared his familys story of exile from Jerusalem at a MECA event in Berkeley and was a generous and loyal supporter. For many years, we counted on David to pack, haul, store and unpack goods for the annual Joining Hands Palestinian Bazaar (See page 16). David was also a master woodworker, sailor, loving husband, father, and grandfather. MECA is so grateful for the outpouring of support from dozens of people who honored David by making contributions to protect and improve the lives of Palestinian children.

THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS TO SUPPORT MECAS WORK!

Matching GiftsCheck to see if your employer has a matching-gifts program. You may be able to double (or even triple) your donation to MECA just by filling out a form.

Workplace GivingSign up at work to give through the United Way or another work-place giving program. If MECA is not on the list of organizations, you can still choose it.

Gifts of StockYou can make a stock contribution by contacting:TD AmeritradeMiddle East Childrens Alliance, Account No. 883111095, DTC#1088 *Please Note: If you want MECA to know you are giving a gift of stock, please contact Debo-rah Agre. Neither your broker or ours is allowed to give us your name. Email: Deborah@mecafor-peace.org Phone: 510-548-0542, ext. 314

Attend MECA EventsMECA regularly holds public events with activists, writers and performers from the Middle East and around the US. All funds from ticket sales and con-tributions go toward our work.

Donate your car or other propertyDonate for Charity will tow your car, handle all the paperwork, and sell your carwith the proceeds going to MECA.Call 866-392-4483 or fill out an online form at www.donateforcharity.com. Be sure to select Middle East Childrens Alliance from the pull-down menu on the form.

Make a donation by phone, mail or online at www.mecaforpeace.or/donate.

A Legacy for Palestinian ChildrenThere are several ways to make contributions through your will. For further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Deborah Agre at deborah@mecaforpeace.org/510 548-0542, ext. 314.You can give: A PercentageI give, devise, and bequeath to the Middle East Childrens Alliance, Berkeley, California, _____ % of my estate to be used for its charitable purposes. A Specific Dollar AmountMiddle East Childrens Alliance, Berkeley, Califor-nia, $_______ to be used for its charitable purpos-es. A ResidueA residue is what assets remain after other bequests have been granted.All the residue of my estate, including real and personal property, I give, devise, and bequeath to the Middle East Childrens Alliance, Berkeley, Cali-fornia, to be used for its charitable purposes.Note: The above is suggested wording. Consult an attorney when preparing any legal document. If you work with a financial advisor, he or she can tell you about other kinds of planned giving that can benefit both you and the Middle East Childrens Al-liance

For the privacy of our donors, the online version of the MECA Annual Report does not include a list of supporters names. If you would like a complete Annual Report mailed to you, please email deborah@mecaforpeace.org with Annual Report in the subject line. Thank you.

Board of DirectorsSherry GendelmanHoward LevineBarbara LubinEugene Gus NewportOsha NeumannMichel Shehadeh

StaffZiad Abbas, Program Manager for Cross-Cultural ProgramsDeborah Agre, Development DirectorSafaa El Derawi, Maia Project ManagerDr. Mona El-Farra, Director of Gaza ProjectsDr. Said Ghabayen, Water Expert and Technical SupervisorNancy Ippolito, Finance AdministratorBarbara Lubin, Founder and Executive DirectorDanny Muller, ConsultantPenny Rosenwasser, Ph.D., Special Events CoordinatorJos Sances, Art DirectorJosie Shields-Stromsness, Program DirectorSusan Silva, Administrative CoordinatorNawal Tamimi, Volunteer Coordinator

Online Store and Annual Bazaar Each year, MECA purchases approximately $100,000 in traditional crafts and foods from artisans and farm-ers in Palestine. By doing so, we are supporting wom-ens bee-keeping, embroidery and soap making collec-tives, the Union of Agricultural Workers Committees, deaf artisans at Atfaluna Crafts in Gaza, Palestines last keffiyeh factory, and other small shops and non-prof-its who are preserving their traditions and supporting their families and communities, even while the Israeli Occupation strangles the economy. MECAs online store ShopPalestine.org and the annual Palestinian Bazaar with Joining Hands give people the opportunity to find beautiful handmade ceramics, toys, textiles, olive oil, and more, while helping sustain Palestines culture.

Womens Embroidery Collective, Dheisheh Refugee CampCREDIT: MECA

1101 8th street Berkeley, CA 94710 phone 510-548-0542 fax 510-548-0543meca@mecaforpeace.org www.mecaforpeace.org

ShopPalestine.org

Your best source for all union/USA made custom printed t-shirts & wearables, embroidery and promotional products.

All profits go to Miiddle East Childrens Alliance.

Ask about our new online pop up stores!!! Perfect for events, campaigns and fundraising

www.unionbug.com 510-845-8835 howard@unionbug.com

Founding AdvisorsSen. James AbourezkMaya AngelouAnan AmeriDr. Swee Chai AngDr. Fathi ArafatProf. Naseer AruriRabbi Leonard BeermanProf. Joel BeininJeanne ButterfieldProf. Noam ChomskyRamsey ClarkDr. Charlie ClementsDr. Davida CoadyHon. John ConyersAngela Y. DavisOssie DavisHon. Ronald DellumsProf. Troy DusterKathy EngelSamih FarsounLawrence FerlinghettiMax GailAllen GinsbergHon. Jackie GoldbergYvonne GoldenBluma GoldsteinSusan GoltsmanKhader HamideRabbi Burt JacobsonHon. Grantland JohnsonJune JordanCasey Kasem

Ying LeeRiyad KhouryProf. Mel KingFelicia LangerJerry LevinIbrahim Abu LughodBill MeansHolly NearProf. Hilton ObenzingerJack ODellFather Bill ODonnellMatti PeledAntonio RodriguezMichel RoublevProf. Edward SaidRev. Gus SchultzPete SeegerProf. Hisham SharabiStanley SheinbaumSamir TotahLeah TsemelMarc Van Der HoutAlice WalkerProf. Dick WalkerSharon WallaceHon. Maxine WatersLeonard WeinglassBrian WillsonLeon WofsyTawfiq ZayyadJim Zogby