ANERA ANNOUNCES $250,000 FOR GAZA DEVELOPMENT

June 21, 2010 | Washington, DC – American Near East Refugee Aid

(ANERA) is pleased to announce $250,000 in new funding for Gaza
development projects. The money, raised by ANERA from private
donors, will be used to expand existing ANERA programs dealing with
health, sanitation and food security.

ANERA has allocated $100,000 to enhance its program to extend water

and sewage systems in remote areas not yet linked to the main
systems in Khan Younis, Beit Hanoon and Jabalia. The program also
includes repair to existing sewage systems in Beit Lahia and Khan
Younis (read more).

The existing sanitation system and drinking water supply have

deteriorated dramatically because of the lack of spare parts and pipes.
An estimated 75 million liters of untreated sewage are pumped into
the Mediterranean Sea daily because pipes and spare parts have not
been permitted into Gaza. Repairs will be made using materials
available and produced inside Gaza.

“Repairing water and sanitation facilities in Gaza is a high priority for

us,” says ANERA president Bill Corcoran. “The deterioration of the
existing system presents an ever-growing health hazard for families in
Gaza.”

Another $100,000 has been earmarked for expanding the number of

household gardens in Al Musaddar, Wadi Al Salga, Nusairat, and East
Deir El Balah. Earlier this year, ANERA implemented a food security
program that includes helping families with seeds for household
gardens, small greenhouses and irrigation.

ANERA will use the remaining $50,000 to continue renovating

preschools damaged during the 2009 Gaza War. ANERA already has
completed 31 schools, installing proper sanitary facilities and drinking
fountains, repairing walls, and repainting classrooms (read more).

About ANERA
Incorporated in 1968 to help ease the suffering of Palestinian refugees
after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, ANERA is non-political and non-
religious and is one of the largest American non-profits working solely
in the Middle East for 40 years. In fiscal year 2009, ANERA delivered
$48.5 million for programs in the Middle East With offices in the West
Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan, ANERA employs more than 60 full-
time staff who are locally hired and work with local partners.