it's time for light — all donations matched!
Donate now to send solar lights to Gaza's Children
The sole power plant in Gaza has shut down. Electricity is out 20 hours/day, making the simplest of tasks difficult. Help send solar-powered Luci lanterns through the blockade to children in Gaza so they can study and play safely when the power is out. We've partnered with Palestinian NGOs to distribute lights directly to families in need. A 2-for-1 matching grant now sends twice as many lights. Help empower Gaza's next generation, help open the blockade, and bring hope to all. It's Time for Light.
Challenge: 10 years of blockade on Gaza has resulted in widespread darkness with power only available for four hours a day in rolling blackouts. 750,000 children are affected by electricity shortages and are forced to use kerosene lamps and candles with horrific accidents. Life is put on hold when the sun goes down - studying is difficult and playing is unsafe. Imagine being a student and not having light to finish your homework, or a little child without a nightlight. Solar lanterns change this.
Solution: With your help, we are delivering thousands of solar-powered lights to children in Gaza so they can read and study. Rebuilding Alliance has been working with Non Governmental Organizations in Gaza since 2003. Pre-clearance is secured before shipments through both Palestinian and Israeli Customs offices. We will soon send our 4th pallet with a double shipment of 5860 solar lights for arrival in time for exams. With your donation our 5th shipment can arrive during the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Long-Term Impact: The reassurance of a little light lets Palestinian children know that the world cares about their future. In Gaza, there's a special tradition during Ramadan to give children a 'fanous' lantern to help them realize their own light within. Let's extend that tradition to people the world over, encouraging all to shine a solar light in their own home to come to know the children and families of Gaza, and to connect with each other through this program to build sustainable peace for all:
#bealight
#PayPal4Palestine petition delivery and rally
On Tuesday the 16th at noon, a group of community activists delivered a petition with 120,000 signatures to PayPal headquarters in San Jose urging that PayPal services be made available to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Currently, PayPal has a discriminatory policy of serving Israeli settlers in the West Bank, but not the Palestinians next door. This poses a significant obstacle to Palestinian entrepreneurs, and makes receiving and making payments for business and charitable purposes difficult. In particular, the inability to use PayPal is a major roadblock for the Palestinian agricultural sector, as well as the I/T sector, which is one of the very few industries that actually has the potential to grow and thrive even under the conditions of the Israeli occupation, with its severe restrictions on movement and access.
PayPal took a stand by halting plans for a new facility when North Carolina passed a law discriminatory against transgender people. They ought to take a stand for equal rights now, too. Not to mention, PayPal risks becoming the target of boycotts by offering services to settlers and thereby profiting from the Occupation. Extending PayPal to Palestinians makes it not only the right decision morally, but financially as well.
Race of Recognition Dinner
April 23rd, 2017
Google Maps has finally added 236 previously-omitted Palestinian villages to its maps of the West Bank. To celebrate, we hosted a dinner and award ceremony to present Rebuilding Alliance's Peacemaker Award to those whose hard work and dedication made this possible. In addition to Right to Movement - Palestine (accepted by co-founder George Zeidan), Bimkom: Planners for Planning Rights, and the Geospatial Information Systems Department at the Palestine Ministry of Local Governments, the Peacemaker Award was presented to Rep. Anna Eshoo, who has been tireless in the pursuit of justice. Watch part of her acceptance speech below.
