Our Collective Impact in 2024

The Power of Storytelling

Through the compelling power of documentary filmmaking and the incredible support of our community, we’ve raised $100,000 in donations. These funds have enabled us to create lasting change and provide crucial support to the Palestinian communities in need.

Freedom Farms Initiative

Thanks to the solidarity of our community, we’ve established six Freedom Farms across the West Bank. This initiative has successfully planted 1,500 olive trees in Palestinian soil. Each tree stands as a living symbol of resilience, hope, and the unwavering spirit of the Palestinian people. These farms not only provide sustainable resources but also help preserve traditional agricultural practices and strengthen community bonds.

Raed Abdel Aziz Yusef is a 50-year-old dedicated farmer. Married in 1998, he has three sons and a daughter, ranging in age from 8 to 24. After years of working in the occupied territories, Raed lost his job due to the Gaza war, leaving his family without its main source of income. Now, thanks to his new WOTW Freedom Farm, Raed has found a renewed source of income, security, and pride.

He sent this message to the viewers of Where Olive Trees Weep:

Thanks to your help through the Where Olive Trees Weep movie, my family now has a farm that brings us a steady income and some security. Each tree you helped plant means a lot to us. Thank you for standing with us Palestinians.

Mansour Bani Odeh is a dedicated husband and father who grew up immersed in rural life. He completed high school at eighteen and married Najah in 1999. Together, they have raised a family of four daughters and two sons. Mansour and Najah had long dreamed of transforming the 6 dunams of family land into a sustainable farm. Thanks to their new Freedom Farm, that vision has come to fruition, bringing both income and security to their family.

Partnership with MECA

SAND has formed a partnership with the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA), a dedicated nonprofit organization working tirelessly for children’s rights and well-being in the Middle East. In Gaza, MECA provides vital services including:

Emergency shelter
Food security programs
Clean water access
Medical assistance
Psychological support
Children’s educational programming

Together, we stand in solidarity with Gaza’s communities, supporting their steadfastness and right to remain on their land in the face of humanitarian crisis and severe food insecurity.

Direct Aid Initiative

SAND has been supporting individuals and families in Gaza covering directly first aid needs: food, water and tents.

Catharsis donations

A letter from Catharsis:

Dear SAND,

With the generous support from Where Olive Trees Weep viewers and donors, we have been able to provide free group and individual therapy to hundreds of Palestinians overcoming the continuous trauma of occupation and Genocide. By building community resilience and supporting children in navigating life as refugees from Gaza and those living under apartheid in the West Bank.

Due to the ongoing genocide, Catharsis is supporting 200 Gazans who are stuck in the Westbank and 100 families who have taken refuge in Egypt. We have provided over 20 group sessions to over 100 children and their mothers. In the coming weeks we will be providing individual support for children who do not have companions in the hospitals in Rafah. We will also provide somatic release sessions in the refugee tents in Rafah.

In Jenin and Nablus we held 4 retreats for children and women. In Jerusalem we organized 4 retreats and workshops to support families living under threat of detention or house demolition.