Dear Friend,

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Last week, eight children arrived from Jerusalem and performed beautiful Palestinian folk dances as part of ANERA’s Annual Dinner.

It’s this celebration of culture and heritage that makes ANERA so unique, and I wanted to give you a chance to see their amazing performance. Click here to watch a video of their dance.

Improving education is absolutely vital to transforming lives in the Middle East.  At the dinner, we heard heartbreaking stories about the urgent need for more schools in the West Bank, the deplorable conditions of preschools in Gaza and harsh realities created by lack of vocational training in Palestinian refugee camps of Lebanon.

But where there are challenges, there is hope.  That’s why I was so glad to see the smiling faces of the dance troupe from Rawdat El Zuhur, the elementary school in Jerusalem that has partnered with ANERA for the last 30 years. These children have experienced so much hardship, but they’ve also seen firsthand the impact that education and the support of caring people like you can have in their communities.

Take a moment to watch their performance, and if you’re able, make a donation to help us continue our work for children in the Middle East.

I know I wasn’t the only one who was deeply affected by the performances we saw and stories we heard. Thanks to the generosity of attendees, we raised more than a quarter of a million dollars for education projects throughout the Middle East and we have already started putting that money to use in the devastated communities of Lebanon and Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank.

Countless people left the dinner saying it was the first time that a night dedicated to the Middle East did not depress them. They were uplifted by children who had dreams and hopes for the future despite all the politics, violence and hardship around them. The children are the reason we had such a wonderful evening, the reason our education projects are so important, the reason I have faith in our ability to make a real difference.

Thank you for your ongoing support. Together we are transforming the lives of children who deserve so much more.

Gratefully,

Bill Corcoran
President