Middle East Childrens Alliance

Support for children's projectsmeca has long-term partnerships with several grassroots organizations in palestine and lebanon that address children's basic needs and offer them opportunities to play, learn, and envision a better future. We provide financial support and professional assistance for their programs, responding to requests for what is needed in each of their communities.in fy 2023-2024 meca: made grants to 14 community organizations to run arts, literacy, media, sports, and leadership programming for palestinian childrenthe maia project:the maia project to provide clean water to children in gaza began at the request of schoolchildren in gaza. Since october 2023, the maia project has shifted focus to build water purification units that can serve displaced families and to buy and distribute clean water by truck to different areas where families have no source of clean drinking water.in fy 2023-2024 meca: installed 8 new or refurbished water purification units to provide safe, clean water to displaced families in gaza installed solar panels to operate 5 water purification units made grants to buy and distribute clean drinking water to displaced families throughout gaza organized educational and art activities related to water rights in gaza schools contracted with an environmental engineer to conduct regular monitoring of the water quality and oversee the repairs and maintenance on all the units we have installed in schools and preschools across gaza.

Education and actionmeca works to build greater understanding of the lives of children in the middle east and to inspire people in the us to action through a range of educational and cultural programs.in fy 2023-2024 meca: presented at conferences, panel discussions, and university events about children in the middle east. Led educational workshops for teachers on how to integrate lessons about palestinian children into their classrooms. Organized virtual educational events with meca staff as well as speakers and artists to present on current events in the middle east. Printed and mailed educational newsletters made grants for educational and cultural programming in palestine including film festivals, youth media platforms, and theatre productions contracted with experts to oversee our educational work in the us and palestine

University aidin addition to supporting pre-schools, kindergartens, libraries and other educational programs in the west bank and gaza, meca provides financial assistance to young palestinian university students. Our scholarship funds enable talented and ambitious high school graduates to obtain degrees and the skills to make important contributions to their communities and their country.in fy 2023-2024 meca provided partial or full scholarships for 155 university students studying at ten universities in the west bank and gaza strip through the elly jaensch memorial scholarship fund, the mary bisharat memorial scholarship, the tree of life scholarship fund, the ramzy halaby education fund, and the katrina and beatrice halaby scholarship for palestinian women. Due to the closure of universities in gaza in october 2023 and then their destruction, scholarship students in gaza have been taking courses online when internet permits.