Playgrounds for Palestine was founded after Palestinian human rights activist, Susan Abulhawa, visited her home in Jerusalem after nearly 20 years in exile in August 2001.
PFP is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to building playgrounds and recreation areas for Palestinian children living under military occupation.
This project is motivated by the belief that the Right to Play is crucial to healthy development of all children. Palestinian children deserve more than mere shelter and sustenance. They deserve to thrive, having outlets for creative expression.
In building these playgrounds, we are affirming the Palestinian child's right to childhood. We are offering a minimal recognition of their humanity. This project is nothing short of an act of love, and we all work here on a volunteer basis. We do so because we know, from seeing the children play on our playgrounds, that we bring great joy to so many young souls who've been robbed of so much.
Some day the world will know what terrible deeds they allowed to happen against Palestine and her children. Until then, PfP will do its part to resist the occupation with the love we put into bringing these structures of fun and color to make little faces smile.
Click here to help us keep this project alive.
Playgrounds for Palestine
P.O. Box 559
Yardley, PA 19067
contact@playgroundsforpalestine.org
The Nuts and Bolts
A great deal of work and effort goes into building these playgrounds. Playgrounds that are purchased abroad are shipped and assembled using local labor. We transfer "ownership" of the equipment to a local Palestinian NGO or municipality that takes over the responsibility of maintaining the playground and providing access to all children. The land is always donated. In nearly every aspect of operations in Palestine, we rely on the generosity and dedication of ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) to help us ship the equipment, transport it on the ground, liaise with local organizations and local communities to install the playgrounds.
The Playgrounds for Palestine Team
Susan Abulhawa
is a writer, a mom, an activist, a biologist, and other ists. Her first novel, The Scar of David was recently published and you should buy it! She has written other things, mostly rants all over the internet, plus a couple of anthology contributions. She loves music but can't play and instrument and hurts most people's ears when she sings (which she does quite often, unfortunately for those around her). She's a news junkie, finds most anchors to be insufferable, and really loves Che. Every year she tries to cultivate a vegetable garden in her backyard, but only tomatoes will cooperate; so, she eats a lot of tomato sandwiches in the spring and summer months. She has a very needy dog that's always happy to see her and a daughter who thinks she's the most uncool person on the planet. She recycles everything she can, but guiltily drives everywhere. And amidst her cynicism, she seceretly dreams and imagines a more gentle world.
Jacqueline Berry
grew up in Cornwall in the UK. Before graduating from Lancaster University with a degree in Geography (Development Studies) she was fortunate enough to call Cairo her home for 3 years. She continued her informal education as she travelled around Europe, Asia and Latin America and moved to Philadelphia 6 years ago with her husband Anthony. For the last 10 years she made a career out of fair trade, but currently can be found recruiting volunteers for a non-profit organization in Philadelphia.
Linda Hanna
is a Syrian American born in the US. She holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and has taught Environmental Sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. She currently has her own environmental consulting firm and has been on several trips to share and learn environmental concerns with both governments and NGOs in the Middle East.
Betsey Piette
was born in western New York (USA) and attended the State University of New York at Buffalo where she became and activist against the US war in Vietnam with anti-racist solidarity work. Betsey spent nearly 15 years as a business manager of a child care center in Philadelphia, while furthering her studies for a certification in accounting, her current career. She is an organizer for the International Action Center in Philadelhpia and a contributing writer for Workers World Paper. She has participated in international delegations to Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Sonia Rosen
is a Moroccan American who was born and raised in the U.S. She graduated from New York University with a degree in English Education and Africana Studies and taught in New York public schools until coming back to Philadelphia to pursue her graduate studies in education, at the same time continuing to teach in a number of different contexts. She obtained a masters degree and is currently completing her doctorate in education at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, she is a singer in Tribe 1, a Philadelphia-based music ensemble. Sonia enjoys a busy life as an educator, musician, and activist with her wonderful spouse, Samer, who is also a strong supporter of PfP.
Anan Zahr
is a Palestinian Arab American , born in Acca and has been living in this country since the age of eleven. Anan graduated from the University of California at Berkeley from the Department of Near Eastern Studies and attended Graduate School at West Chester University in the Department of Education. Anan has been living in the Philadelphia area since 1980, worked as a teacher and owned and operated a Mediterranean restaurant. Anan is proud to be an Arab American activist in Philadelphia since the early 80's, she was a national board member of Palestine Aid Society for 12 years and is currently a board of member of the ADC-Philadelphia chapter. Anan has been married for 30 years and has 4 children, two boys and two girls.
