MIDDLE EAST CHILDRENS ALLIANCE

INTRODUCTION

Cover photo and photo this page

CREDIT: Ahmed Sohail

As 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.

The War Against the People of Gaza

July-August 2014
Palestinians killed: 2,200
Palestinian children killed: 550
Palestinians wounded: 11,000
Palestinian children wounded: 3,000
Gaza residents displaced: Up to 500,000
(at height of attacks)

Homes destroyed in Gaza: 20,000

Note: Numbers vary by reporting agencies and people continue 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.

SOLIDARITY WITH GAZA

Food, Water, Medicine,
Psychological Support, and More
During Israels 51-day attack on Gaza in July and August 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 support, 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 volunteers 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 displaced 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-

CREDIT: Ahmed Sohail

tees and Red Crescent Society of the Gaza

Strip;
Health screenings for hundreds of displaced
children and endoscopy equipment for vital diagnostic 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 summer camps and, thanks to one generous donor, English
classes for the large Samouni family who suffered devastating losses in the 2009 assault.

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 decades of occupation and years of a tight blockade;
many were also hit savagely by the latest Israeli
offensive.

Let the Children Play & Heal, MECAs long-time

psychosocial support program led by two partner organizations, 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

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 water for displaced families that sought shelter in UN
schools. When those units were damaged, water was delivered 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 Association to distribute water from their own Maia unit to families
in shelters in nearby refugee camps.
CREDIT: MECA

THE MAIA PROJECT

Providing 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 community 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 kindergartens are still under way. New units were installed
at three kindergartens, a school for the visually impaired, and nine schools in refugee camps. There are
now 65 units providing safe, clean drinking water to
60,000 children in Gaza.

Maia Units Installed in 2014

School 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

SHORUQ ORGANIZATION
Defending Refugee Rights,
Bringing their Stories to the
World
Shoruq organization in Dheisheh Refugee Camp, Palestine 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. Shoruqs 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 region 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 Shoruqs 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 advocacy. 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 training, 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 trophy
I have my own rights,
Im living in the dark
its time to turn on the lights
Palestine, occupation,
prisons, walls for segregation,

Shoruqs state-of-the-art recording studio and media training

enables Palestinian refugees to tell their stories to their communities and the world.
CREDIT: Shoruq

SILWAN, EAST JERUSALEM

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

The 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 archaeology. Israeli settlers have taken over Palestinian homes
and they harass and violently attack children and adults
alike. Administrative demolitions leave many homeless, threaten many more, and have eliminated community 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 family 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 arrested 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 tutoring for older students.

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

MECA SCHOLARSHIPS 2014

REFUGEES FROM SYRIA

For the current academic year MECA is providing

145 scholarships for students at ten Palestinian universities 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 Sacramento-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 especially needed and appreciated this year in the face of
widespread despair after the Israeli assault and the continuing siege.

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)

Refugees from Syria are determined to continue their education. MECA supporters are helping them by providing children with backpacks, school supplies, shoes, clothing, and
basic hygiene supplies.
CREDIT: MECA

Musab Sarhan lives in the Dheisheh Refugee Camp, outside

Bethlehem. His scholarship is provided by the BethlehemSacramento Sister City in memory of Sacramento, California
CREDIT: MECA
Palestinian-American Mary Bisharat.
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 assistance 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.

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 specifically 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.

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.
In 2014 Shatha Safi of Riwaq
Center for Architectural Conservation, 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.

For several years, MECA has been working with Riwaq

Association for Architectural Conservation to include
playgrounds in their restoration of historic Palestinian towns. Beit Skariya is surrounded by illegal Israeli 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: Holcim Prize

CREDIT: MECA

PLAYGROUNDS FOR TODAY WITH LINKS TO THE PAST

9

JENIN FREEDOM THEATRE 2014

MASARA VILLAGE
Healthy Food Prepared with Love
and Determination
MECA continues to support the mothers and grandmothers 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 maintain equipment like an industrial blender and a large
gas oven.

A new focus on young children was initiated in 2014

CREDIT: Jenin Freedom Theatre

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 productions 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, conferences, and other events in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. They launched three new photography 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.

Palestinian children need strong bodies because we are

first and foremost living under occupation. When the occupation is combined with poverty, this is an impossible
situation for the children.

10

CREDIT: MECA

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 countering the very deliberate Israeli strategy of fragmenting and dividing Palestinian society.

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.

February. The award-winning film documentary, A World Not Ours, the story of Ein elHelweh, 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 RawanYaghi who read from Gaza
Writes Back: Stories from
young writers in Gaza, Palestine.
May. Carry it Forward,
Celebrate the Children 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.

November. Three Poets,

Three Voices, One Message with Deema Shehabi, Shadab Hashmi and
Persis Karim, organized
and hosted by MECA volunteer Donna Khorsheed.

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, including a panel of student
leaders and KPFA
host Malihe Razazan.

December. Former UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories Richard Falk spoke about his new
book, Palestine: The Legitimacy of Hope.

November. Professor Steven Salaita,

who was fired from the University of Illinois because of his tweets about Gaza
spoke about Silencing Palestinian
Voices on Campus.
CREDIT: AP Photo/Seth Perlman

MECA EVENTS: A YEAR OF RAISING AWARENESS AND RAISING MONEY

11

FRIENDS RAISING FUNDS

During 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, California
4 Scientists and a Random Sampling of Obstacles,

13k Spartan Super Race
All Saints Catholic School Bake Sale,

Hayward, California
Art Forces Oakland to Palestine Mural Opening and

First Friday Events
Bath, Maine Gaza Fundraiser
Broadway United Methodist Church
Brooklyn Gathering for Gaza, New York
Cardiff Reds Choir Cor Cochion Caerdydd, Wales
Christy Moore in concert with Declan Sinnot f

or the children of Gaza, Dublin, Ireland
Civic Leadership Education and Action,

Brattleboro Union High School, Vermont
Clonakilty for Gaza, Ireland
Comma Press
Concert at the Blue Lamp, Aberdeen, Scotland
Constanza Jewelry, San Francisco, California
Corvallis-Albany Friends of Middle East Peace

Birthday Fundraiser
Dukes Peace for Gaza
Ebay Sale Benefits
Fancy Dress Halloween Night, Galway, Ireland
Friends of Palestine Western Australia, Screening, of

When I Saw You, Perth, Australia
Gasparilla Half-Marathon for the Children of Gaza,

Alaa Odeh
Gaza 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 California
Liverpool Friends of Palestine, England
Madison-Rafah Sister City Project Concert, Madison, Wisconsin
Hearts for Humanity,

Fremont, California
Manchester Palestine Action, England
Master Danadoosts Birthday, Novato, California
Micah Bazant Design, Sales of Artist Prints,

Berkeley, California
Mike MacKays Race to Build a Playground in Palestine
Nicole Em, Radical Emprints, Sales of artist prints,

Portland, Maine
Norman Finkelstein Talk, Palo Alto, California
Odyssey Bookshop Poetry Reading,

South Hadley, Massachusetts
Olympia Solidarity, Washington
Palestine Aid Society Community Fundraiser,

Youngstown, Ohio
Palestine Heritage Group Embroidery Sales,

Seattle Washington
Palestine-Israel Working Group of Nevada County,

Nevada City, California
Persis and Margys Gaza Kitchen Dinner,

Berkeley, California
Revolutionary Communist Group, Manchester, England
Salimpour School of Dance Performance and Party,

Berkeley, California
San Jose Houseparty, California
Second Saturday, Portland, Oregon
Southern Arizona BDS
Tangents Radio Benefit for Refugees from Syria,

San Francisco, California
Tree of Life Education Fund Concert Series

with Michael Dabroski
Uptown Body & Fender Benefit, Oakland, California
Visual Artists for Gaza Exhibition and Sale,

Galway, Ireland
WESPAC Foundation, White Plains, NY
Women Against Military Madness Gaza Teach-in,

Minneapolis, Minnesota
Zawayas Art of Resistance: Gaza at Intersection of Arts &

Social Justice, San Mateo, California

Income Meca 2013/2014

Individuals
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
Individuals

In-Kind Donations
(Medical Relief)
Revenue from Sales &
Public Events
Foundations & Matching
Donations
Benets for Meca
Interest Income

Total Expenses 2013/2014

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

Program Expenses
Fundraising
Administration

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

18%
12%
35%
16%
9%
9%

The Maia Project

Direct Aid
Children's Projects
The Scholarship Program
Public Education
Medical Aid

12

In Memoriam
On March 8, 2014 the Middle East Childrens Alliance 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.

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.

THERE ARE LOTS OF WAYS TO SUPPORT

MECAS WORK!
Matching Gifts

Check to see if your employer has a matchinggifts program. You may be able to double (or even
triple) your donation to MECA just by filling out a
form.

Workplace Giving

Sign 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 Stock

You can make a stock contribution by contacting:

TD Ameritrade
Middle 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 Deborah Agre. Neither your broker or ours is allowed
to give us your name. Email: Deborah@mecaforpeace.org Phone: 510-548-0542, ext. 314

Attend MECA Events

MECA regularly holds public events with activists,

writers and performers from the Middle East and
around the US. All funds from ticket sales and contributions go toward our work.

Donate your car or other property

Donate 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 Children

There 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 Percentage
I 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 Amount
Middle East Childrens Alliance, Berkeley, California, $_______ to be used for its charitable purposes.
A Residue
A 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, California, 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 Alliance

15

1101 8th street Berkeley, CA 94710

phone 510-548-0542 fax 510-548-0543
meca@mecaforpeace.org www.mecaforpeace.org
Board of Directors
Sherry Gendelman
Howard Levine
Barbara Lubin
Eugene Gus Newport
Osha Neumann
Michel Shehadeh
Staff
Ziad Abbas, Program Manager for Cross-Cultural Programs
Deborah Agre, Development Director
Safaa El Derawi, Maia Project Manager
Dr. Mona El-Farra, Director of Gaza Projects
Dr. Said Ghabayen, Water Expert and Technical Supervisor
Nancy Ippolito, Finance Administrator
Barbara Lubin, Founder and Executive Director
Danny Muller, Consultant
Penny Rosenwasser, Ph.D., Special Events Coordinator
Jos Sances, Art Director
Josie Shields-Stromsness, Program Director
Susan Silva, Administrative Coordinator
Nawal Tamimi, Volunteer Coordinator

Founding Advisors
Sen. James Abourezk
Maya Angelou
Anan Ameri
Dr. Swee Chai Ang
Dr. Fathi Arafat
Prof. Naseer Aruri
Rabbi Leonard Beerman
Prof. Joel Beinin
Jeanne Butterfield
Prof. Noam Chomsky
Ramsey Clark
Dr. Charlie Clements
Dr. Davida Coady
Hon. John Conyers
Angela Y. Davis
Ossie Davis
Hon. Ronald Dellums
Prof. Troy Duster
Kathy Engel
Samih Farsoun
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Max Gail
Allen Ginsberg
Hon. Jackie Goldberg
Yvonne Golden
Bluma Goldstein
Susan Goltsman
Khader Hamide
Rabbi Burt Jacobson
Hon. Grantland Johnson
June Jordan
Casey Kasem

Ying Lee
Riyad Khoury
Prof. Mel King
Felicia Langer
Jerry Levin
Ibrahim Abu Lughod
Bill Means
Holly Near
Prof. Hilton Obenzinger
Jack ODell
Father Bill ODonnell
Matti Peled
Antonio Rodriguez
Michel Roublev
Prof. Edward Said
Rev. Gus Schultz
Pete Seeger
Prof. Hisham Sharabi
Stanley Sheinbaum
Samir Totah
Leah Tsemel
Marc Van Der Hout
Alice Walker
Prof. Dick Walker
Sharon Wallace
Hon. Maxine Waters
Leonard Weinglass
Brian Willson
Leon Wofsy
Tawfiq Zayyad
Jim Zogby

Online Store and Annual Bazaar

Each year, MECA purchases approximately $100,000

in traditional crafts and foods from artisans and farmers in Palestine. By doing so, we are supporting womens bee-keeping, embroidery and soap making collectives, the Union of Agricultural Workers Committees,
deaf artisans at Atfaluna Crafts in Gaza, Palestines last
keffiyeh factory, and other small shops and non-profits 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 Camp
CREDIT: MECA

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

ShopPalestine.org