MIDDLE EAST CHILDREN’S ALLIANCE • Winter 2024

As Genocide Unfolds,
MECA Provides Emergency Aid
The people of Gaza, most of who are refugees from
the 1948 Nakba, have been living under Israeli military
occupation since 1967, and under a 17-year blockade that
has deliberately caused deprivation and impoverishment.
Since October 7, they have been struggling to survive
Israeli bombs, a ground invasion, snipers, and an Israeli
siege that leaves them searching daily for food, water,
and electricity. At least half of all homes are destroyed
and nearly the entire population displaced. All the while,
the U.S. president and government officials repeat Israeli
lies and say they want the Israeli army to “minimize
civilian casualties,” while sending weapons and money, “When we play during the session we forget the terrifying scenes.
and continually saying “No” to a ceasefire. Children who We want to play and enjoy our lives.”
have so far survived the military assault are now dying of – A child in a shelter who participated in the
psychosocial activities MECA’s partners provided.
starvation and disease.
Whatever numbers we could quote now of children Beginning on October 8 and ongoing, MECA’s Gaza
who are dead, injured, orphaned, permanently disabled, team of staff, partners, and volunteers, led by Nutrition
and homeless will be higher by the time you get this Coordinator Wafaa El-Derawi, has delivered food, hygiene
newsletter. A new acronym has been coined to identify supplies, drinking water, blankets, warm children’s
many of the children who make it to hospitals: WCNSF clothing, and plastic sheets for weather protection
(Wounded Child No Surviving Family). Every child in to more than half a million people, plus fuel for three
Gaza is traumatized. hospitals running on generators. MECA partners provide
In the midst of this unmitigated horror, MECA’s staff, psychosocial support in shelters and have distributed
partners, and volunteers have shown resourcefulness, 4,000 toys and coloring books, including for injured
courage, and collective spirit that are nothing short of children being treated at one of our partner hospitals.
awe-inspiring.
MECA delivered thousands of
packages of diapers along with
other hygiene products to prevent
disease and provide some measure
of dignity to displaced people.
Day after day, the MECA team delivers food, water, and
hygiene supplies to the displaced families in their own
neighborhoods who they know need it most. Recently,
they have begun distributing ready-to-eat meal
packages from the World Central Kitchen.

Hot meals delivered to children

in Gaza City, one of the most
devastated and desperate places
in Gaza. It seemed like a miracle,
but it was really the incredible
resourcefulness and ingenuity
of MECA’s longtime partner,
Youth Vision Society (YVS). (In
December, YVS also purchased
and distributed 1,000 winter
jackets for kids.)
 All of Us, All Over the World, Are Living on Gaza Time
By Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch, Executive Director
On November 23, I woke up in the middle of the night to
take the ferry to the Indigenous People’s Sunrise Ceremony
on Alcatraz Island. It was dark and very cold, but as I got
close to the pier, I came upon an amazing sight: the darkness
was filled with people wearing keffiyehs and “Free Palestine”
sweatshirts, waving Palestinian flags. As we got on the ferry,
the people looked sleepy, but they were chanting, “Free,
free Palestine!” I’ve been to the Alcatraz ceremony many
times, but this was the first time I saw this much support for
Palestine.
On the island, Gaza was the center of every speech. The
prayers for all Indigenous people were all in solidarity
with Gaza. As the sun came up, we saw the flags of all the
Indigenous nations, and there were the Palestinian flags
among them. Everyone who has their own history of a Nakba
feels what is happening in Gaza in their hearts. We could feel
Gaza cross all the seas and oceans and land in Alcatraz.
When the al-Juthoor Palestinian dance group started
performing they asked everyone to join. Soon there was
a huge circle of debka dancers around the fire. Many of us
were in tears, seeing everyone coming together, chanting and
dancing for Palestine, for Gaza.
The solidarity movement is building throughout the
world. I am amazed by the huge marches, the sit-ins, the
creative actions people are taking to express their solidarity
and to try to stop the war machine. The new generation has
found a cause and they are making it central to their lives. A
few weeks ago, I met a student in Los Angeles who told me
that Gaza has made them learn more about the world than in
all their life previously.
Gaza is deepening people’s understanding of the
connections to the struggles against racism in their own
backyards. Rashad Timmons, working with the Michael
Brown Sr. Chosen for Change Organization, is collecting
gloves for children in Ferguson, Missouri, where Michael
Brown, a young Black man, was killed by the police in 2014,
during the major assault on Gaza. For each pair of gloves
donated, he contributed money to MECA for Gaza. At the
same time, Chosen for Change issued a strong statement
of solidarity: “We continue this tradition of transnational
solidarity by speaking out against the genocide of
Palestinians and the militarized warfare on Black and
Arab lives in the settler colonies of the United States and
Israel. We continue this tradition by creating and believing
in a world where children and families, from Ferguson to
Palestine, can live free from oppression, occupation, and
suffering.”
2 MECA NEWS
Gaza has exposed the
international power structures—
the politicians and organizations
that pretend they care about
human rights and democracy,
Indigenous rights, hunger, and
genocide. Now they are naked.
Gaza has exposed who they really are.
We are also seeing enormous generosity from the
community, who express their solidarity by taking action
and supporting MECA’s work on the ground. For the past 20
years, we have had a Palestinian bazaar in the late fall to sell
pottery, glassware, food, embroidery and other crafts made
in Palestine. It is always a wonderful event, but this year was
unbelievable. Thousands of people came, many waiting in
line for an hour in the rain just to get in the door. In the first
hour, our 400 keffiyehs sold out.
We are witnessing a huge shift in people’s understanding
of what’s happening in Palestine and their determination
to take action because they know they have to stop this
genocide. That brings hope for justice, even in the midst
of hundreds of people dying every day, massacred in their
homes, schools, hospitals, and in the streets. The people of
Gaza are bringing us together. We can see their spirit. They
have hope that this will change the world.
As a Palestinian, I can say we will never recover from what
is happening in Gaza. But the colonizers will never weaken
our determination for a free Palestine. The steadfastness of
the people of Gaza has created a vision of freedom, not just
for Palestine but for all the people in the world.
 Gaza Diaries: Wafaa’s Words of Agony, Pain, and Resilience
By Waed Abbas

My colleague, Wafaa, has been
leading MECA’s aid distribution
efforts in Gaza since October.
These are her words, which
came to me over voice notes on
WhatsApp in the days after the
short truce in November.
How could I comfort this amazing woman who’s lost loved
one after loved one and who has refused to stop working
since day one of the war on Gaza?
One thing I can do is share her words:
To say that we’re in awe of our colleagues in Gaza is an
understatement, our colleagues are physically and mentally
broken, yet they continue to work. They continue to do their
best to attend to the needs of people in Gaza.
If they keep going, who are we to stop?
We should go out every day to the streets screaming our
lungs out for a permanent ceasefire and for justice to prevail.
Keep talking about Palestine, keep organizing for
Palestine, and never stop seeking justice.
Free Palestine from the river to the sea until we are all
free.

During the truce I decided, after catching my breath

from the nonstop bombing, that I wanted to try to get
to the people I was unable to reach during the attack
days.
But I found no one. One of my closest friends and
colleagues, the only one who can comfort me during
such circumstances, was killed. I tried to visit his
parents, wife, and kids but I couldn’t find them or their
home. Apparently, they left seeking refuge somewhere
else, and we don’t know where they are at the moment.
I have also lost touch with a second childhood friend,
maybe because of bad internet and phone connections.
Or maybe she was killed, or maybe she’s buried under
the rubble, or maybe she’s one of the hundreds or
thousands of bodies left in the street to perish with
no one to even give them a proper dignified burial. Or
maybe she’s alive and I just cannot find her.
My third close friend I was seeking, I’ve come to
learn that he was actually able to leave Gaza when the
Rafah crossing was semi-open, and he got his children
out. I was relieved … at least I know one of my close
friends is actually alive …
You know what terrifies me the most? It’s not dying
because of an Israeli bombing. My true fear lays in
surviving and finding no one there waiting for me. I
consider the most precious gift in life to be the people
we surround ourselves with. I had three close friends,
and now I have no one.
We have no time to collapse or cry or react or
reflect. Right now, we need to keep pushing through.
As you know, we’ve been working non-stop with other
local organizations since the 9th of October to respond
to people’s needs. Then gradually, we started losing
our colleagues and volunteers one by one. They were
either killed or injured or they had to move with their Wafaa and her niece Maryam at the opening of a MECA playground
families to other locations looking for safety. in Khuza’a, Gaza in 2021. When the UN-backed report on hunger
The next day I couldn’t do anything but try to rest. I in Gaza came out recently, Wafaa remarked, “I didn’t need official
told myself that I need to cry, but I couldn’t. I know that figures and statistics. I can see the children are malnourished and
hungry everywhere I go in Gaza. I can even see the change in my
after the war is over, we all will cry. we will do nothing own niece’s face, which has become gaunt.”
but weep. Until then, we’ll rest for a bit and keep going.”
Note: These are edited excerpts of a much longer piece that you can find on MECA’s blog at www.MECAforPeace.org/blog MECA NEWS 3
 The War on Palestinians is in the West Bank too
By Josina Shields-Stromsness, MECA Program Director, Bethlehem, Palestine

No one wants to detract attention from

the horrors being perpetrated on Gaza and
the urgent need to stop the genocide, but
life throughout Palestine has become more
dangerous and more oppressive, especially
since October 7..
Three MECA staff people live and work
in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We
don’t see each other or our partners much
anymore because Israel has closed most
roads between Palestinian cities with metal
gates, mounds of dirt, and more military
checkpoints. Even when a road is considered
“open,” armed settlers could attack you in
your car. Young soldiers with their guns
pointed at you can—and regularly do—stop In 2023, 124 Palestinian children were killed by Israeli occupation forces and settlers in the
West Bank and an estimated 880 were arrested, usually violently taken from their homes in
your car to search you and beat you. the middle of the night.
People in Masafer Yatta and the South CREDIT: Human Right Watch
Hebron Hills live in a state of constant terror.
Many families, and even entire villages have been forced to
leave their homes and lands because of the constant violence
of settlers and soldiers. MECA’s partner Fatma, from the Rural Even Palestinian kindergartners
Women’s Association, reports that children wake up in the
night screaming in fear. Many children can’t attend school
know how bad things are, despite
because walking there and back is more dangerous than ever. adults trying to protect them. You
At a school MECA has supported in the Jordan Valley, settlers can hear them talk about whose
strung up dolls and toys covered in fake blood.
Brutal raids on Jenin Refugee camp caused major damage home was raided in the night,
at the Freedom Theatre, the cultural and community center whether their houses will still be
of the camp. The director, other theatre staff, and dozens of
standing when they return from
others were kidnapped from their homes, beaten, and held
without charge or trial. school, and how sad it is that
The result is that no one feels safe. No one is safe. Gaza children in Gaza are dying.
commands our urgent attention, but we cannot lose sight of
the brutality and ethnic cleansing taking place in the West
Bank and East Jerusalem.

Below: MECA’s incredibly successful annual Palestinian bazaar

4 MECA NEWS www.shoppalestine.org

 Educators Reach Out to MECA’s
Remembering Teach Palestine Project about Gaza
the Remarkable Since October 7, the Teach Palestine Project (TPP) has
been flooded with requests from educators asking for
Nabila Mango support teaching about what’s happening in Gaza and
throughout Palestine. They are requesting accurate sources
of information, age-appropriate resources, and strategies
for creating safe and inclusive learning environments for
all students. TPP has led dozens of workshops and worked
with scores of teachers and teacher leaders, as well as adding
Gaza-specific curriculum and resources to the website. TPP
priorities are protecting all students, especially Palestine,
Arab and Muslim youth who have been traumatized by
events in Gaza and often by the response of their schools; and
supporting teachers with content, pedagogy and community.
CREDIT: Najib Joe Hakim

In mid-November, we received the tragic news that our

dear friend and community member, Nabila Mango, had
passed away. She is survived by her beloved daughter,
Bisan Shehadeh. Nabila was a life-long educator,
activist, and advocate for the Palestinian right of self-
determination. She was among the first supporters
of MECA upon its founding in 1988 and was the first
to receive MECA’s lifetime achievement award. We at On January 20, almost 100 teachers and teacher leaders
MECA, feel the loss of Nabila Mango deeply and honor from throughout California and beyond attended TPP’s
her many legacies. in-person conference in Oakland, California, Teaching to
Born in Jaffa in 1944, Nabila was one of over 750,000 the Moment: 75 Years of Resistance, Resilience and Sumood.
Palestinians forced from their homes during 1948 Workshops included “Supporting Palestinian and Arab Youth
Nakba when she and her family walked the long road in Schools,” “Connecting to Palestine Through Hip-Hop and
to seek refuge in Jordan. As a teenager she returned to Art,” “Teaching Gaza—Multiple Narratives and International
Palestine to study at Birzeit University. In 1965, Nabila Law Frameworks,” “Teaching Palestine in Elementary
immigrated to the US where she obtained a degree School,” and many more.
in library sciences and went on to work at Harvard
University and later the University of Chicago.
In the 1970s, Nabila landed in the San Francisco Bay
Support MECA’s profit making business!
Area where she worked as an Arabic teacher, community
organizer, and counselor supporting Middle Eastern 510-845-8835 • www.unionbug.com
immigrants in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. In unionbug@unionbug.com
2000, she co-founded the Arabic music ensemble Aswat
in order to teach and promote Arab culture through
music. She firmly believed that collaboration in the arts
was crucial to building bridges of solidarity between
diverse communities. Nabila had a remarkable talent for
connecting people and one of her greatest legacies is the
community she grew through her love of arts, education,
and community service.

#15178

MECA NEWS 5
 Beloved Student Shot Down in West Bank
Muhammed Majid Hammad, a beloved and admired about school, and
young man who received a MECA university scholarship this I want to create
year, was killed by Israeli forces on October 10, 2023 near more spaces for
his home in Al-Arroub refugee camp in Hebron. He was just the children and
nineteen and in his second year at Palestine Polytechnic rest of the people
University. in my community.
On his scholarship Muhammed’s
application, he wrote: mother called us
“I did lots of research to share this sad
into different specialties news, saying, “I
that would both fulfill my am not saying
interests in life but also help this because he
me give back to my society, was my son, but
and I finally found the perfect ask anyone about
specialty, architecture and him, from his
design… I want to help friends to his university professors … they all just loved him,
people in my refugee camp and they wept at his funeral.” Right away she asked for the
to maintain their simple remainder of her son’s scholarship funds to be donated to
beautiful houses …I want to another student.
make school rooms better Muhammed, your legacy of dreams, hopes, and ambitions
so students get more excited will live on, and we will never forget you.

Muhammed often shared his ideas and designs on Instagram

Mount of Green Olives:

ShopPalestine.org Artisan Profile:

Award-Winning Free Trade Olive Oil

The Middle East Children’s Alliance is proud to be U.S.
distributors of outstanding olive oil from Mount of Green
Olives (MGO). MGO olive oil is available online, at our annual
bazaar, and at our Berkeley office. (Please call first.) MGO
works with farmer cooperatives and individual farmers in the
northern West Bank, most of whom have inherited their lands
and orchards from previous generations. They care for their
trees using ancient methods with traditional organic fertilizer.
Today their safety, land, and livelihoods are under threat from
the Israeli military and violent settlers, especially during the
October-November harvest season. For centuries, Palestine’s
fall olive harvest season has been a time of celebration: a time
to enjoy the good weather and share food in the olive grove,
while children played outdoors and showed off their holiday
A Palestinian child harvesting olives in Gaza.
clothes. Now, the Israeli occupation makes the olive harvest CREDIT: Mahmoud Ajjour, The Palestine Chronicle
season more difficult and dangerous every year. Violent and
unrestrained settlers attack farmers and their trees, while trees. An estimated 80,000 families rely on the income from
the Israeli military confiscates land and regularly prevents their olive orchards. This year many farmers could not access
farmers from reaching their orchards. For decades, Israel has their lands due to the tight closure of the West Bank and the
uprooted, damaged and burned tens of thousands of olive ongoing attacks in Gaza. The economic loss is devastating.

6 MECA NEWS
 Grassroots Fundraisers for Gaza

MECA has been overwhelmed

since October 7 by the hundreds of
groups, businesses, and individuals
in the U.S. and beyond who took
the initiative to raise funds in their
communities. There were concerts,
online gaming tournaments, art
sales, book readings, bar nights, bike
rides, a kite-flying gathering, not to
mentions the dozens of Instagram
fundraisers.
We wish we could thank all of you
personally and list all of them here,
but we only have space for a few
highlights.

Left: Playgrounds for

Palestine contributed
$25,000 for emergency aid
for children in Gaza. We look
forward to the day MECA &
PfP can return to our efforts
to provide playgrounds and
opportunities for joy for
children in Gaza.

Below: A group of artists

in Galway, Ireland created
postcard size art for a
one-day sale, which raised
thousands of Euros for
MECA’s work in Gaza.

Above: In 2021 PaliRoots raised

funds for MECA to purchase a
mobile ICU ambulance for Al-
Awda Hospital in central Gaza.
It was a literal lifesaver when
the Israeli bombing began in
October.

Left: Calendar art from the

Palestine Feminist Collective
who reached out to their
supporters around the world
and raised more than $170,000
online, and they haven’t
stopped yet.

MECA NEWS 7
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July 21, 2024 MECA@MECAforpeace.org,