888. Now More Than Ever

This little girl captured my attention (and my heart) because she looks so familiar.  She looks just like I did as a child!  I wish I could locate the photo to prove it to you.  The point is this:  this little girl and the other Palestinian and Syrian refugees could be your child or grandchild or mine,  and the children deserve more than their current living conditions and fate.

In my opinion, the refugee situation in Palestine is not going to be improving any time soon.   More and more families are left homeless because of the occupation and the recent decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem.  Important funds have been cut by the United States that were earmarked for the Palestinians, who are living in occupation.   Organizations that provide aid, such as ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid, Washington, D.C.) are even more important to the refugees now during these times.

ANERA and its partners are determined to give some semblance of dignity to the refugees, as well as crucial medical assistance, improved water systems, education, distribution of important goods, etc.
In December 2017 alone, ANERA distributed 96,000 pairs of Tom's shoes to Palestinian and Syrian children in the Beddawi camp and in informal tented settlements of Lebanon.

Here are a few more facts about ANERA's 2017 statistics:
-ANERA distributed 50 - 40 foot containers of donated medicines;
-100,000 Palestinians were connected to reliable water sources;
-With ANERA's assistance, 8, 658 children returned to school in Lebanon alone;
-22 schools in Gaza and the West Bank were renovated
-94% of ANERA's revenue was spent on programs in Palestine and Lebanon.

The time to step up is now to provide assistance to these organizations.  I hope you will consider making a donation to ANERA in honor of The Innocents Project, my independent effort to raise awareness and funds for these precious children.  Please learn all about the services they lovingly provide at https://www.anera.org/   Thank you for your consideration.

"888  Now More Than Ever"
acrylic - 12x12 in

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/888--now-more-than-ever/647022