Dear Friend and Supporter,

The spread of the novel coronavirus has thrown us into a life of uncertainty, deprivation, and fear. A life in which movement is severely restricted and the availability of medical treatment is in doubt. As I write this, the wave of infection is just now crashing down on us, its depth and duration still unknown.

That said, our new and we hope temporary reality is better than Gaza’s ongoing baseline. Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Gaza (with a greater number in the West Bank), and the spread of the virus in Gaza would quickly overwhelm the impaired health system and devastate an already devastated economy. The risk in Palestinian refugee camps is the same, and conditions in the West Bank are only slightly better.

With your critical and timely support, UPA is responding to this unfolding crisis by providing emergency food packages and hygienic supplies to threatened communities, and we will update you on those efforts in the coming months.

In 2019, your compassion allowed UPA to continue the expansion of its Health and Wellness Program, from life-saving surgeries to repair the cleft lips or palates of newborns to mental health support for children in Gaza suffering from on-going trauma. Your generosity enabled our Education Program to support dozens of Palestinian students at universities in the West Bank, Gaza and Jordan through the Mahmoud Darwish Scholarship Fund. Your financial support advanced our Community and Economic Development Program that addresses the high level of unemployment by providing capital and training for entrepreneurs and small business owners.

With your help, we accomplished a lot during the year. But we are not complacent, and we seek to expand and enhance our programs in 2020, including a strong response to the impact of the novel coronavirus on the communities we serve. We can only do that with your ongoing support. Working together, we can make daily life better and buffer the extreme consequences of cataclysmic events, such as the current pandemic.

I would like to recognize four Directors who rotated off our Board of Directors in 2019 and early 2020: Najat Khalil, Gaith “Joey” Musmar, Ghassan Salameh, and our former Chairman, Mohammad Tarbush. Their significant contributions over the years helped make UPA the organization that it is today, and we thank them.

I would also like to welcome to the Board three new Directors who joined us in 2019 and early this year: Ann Francis Barhoum, partner and co-founder of Olmos-Barhoum LLP, an immigration and family law firm in San Jose, CA, Dr. Eyad Abed, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Maryland, and Salma El-Yassir, a management professional specializing in Leadership, Negotiation and Decision Sciences with extensive experience in the private and development sectors. All of them have a demonstrated commitment to UPA’s mission, and we are fortunate to have them on our Board.

Our Board of Directors, our Executive Director, and our staff are inspired by your generosity, compassion, and commitment.

Thank you!
Isam Salah
Chairman of the Board