Dear %Name%,

In 1954 the United Nations created Universal Children’s Day devoted to the well-being of children everywhere.  It’s a date for worldwide understanding among children and attention to their welfare.  The November 20th observance comes just a few days before another notable occasion, America’s Thanksgiving Day.  Times have changed since 1621 when the pilgrims first celebrated the harvest reaped after their harsh entry into the new world.  There is much to share with the world’s children in 2006.

NEF (Near East Foundation) has been saving and nurturing children since our founding in 1915 during the Armenian Genocide.  Our orphanages rescued more than 100,000 children and equipped them with skills for their future. As you can see from the smiles on these children’s faces--we continue that work today.

The box this joyful West Bank kindergartener is carrying home doesn’t have turkey with all the trimmings, rather protein-rich milk products and other local foods to be shared with her entire family, impoverished by a collapsing Palestinian economy. This Moroccan child is now getting an education in a remote Berber village, attending a rehabilitated and equipped school with modern teaching materials and newly-inspired teachers--and previously rare parental support.

Because of NEF projects, thousands of other children in countries throughout the Middle East and Africa are smiling too. And sending a loud chorus of HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all NEF donors who have made their lives better, their futures brighter. Can you hear them?