NEF 2004 Annual Report - Near East Foundation

Moving into our 90th year, the Near East
Foundation is showing--as it always has--
our ability to be flexible, adapt to
changing circumstances, and still stay
true to our core mission. In 1915, a
group of New Yorkers saw a tragedy
unfolding in the Middle East, which they
determined to ameliorate. In a week
they raised the first $100,000 of what
would become a hugely successful
undertaking: the feeding, clothing and
educating of more than one million
Armenians.
Today, another tragedy is unfolding in
the Middle East: wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan, combined with the growing
feeling here that the Muslim world “hates
us.” If we at the Near East Foundation
believed this, we would be unable to do the work we do. On the contrary, everywhere we go,
everywhere we work, we find people eager to partner with us to improve their lives, and those
of their families and fellow citizens.
We concentrate on people—not technology or bureaucracy or systems. Our 90 years of
experience in the region gives us the cultural knowledge to succeed; and we make a difference
not only in the lives of individuals, but over the region as a whole. Our reputation with
governments, other agencies, and our collaborating partners at the grassroots is unsurpassed.
Join us as we begin to celebrate 90 years of accomplishment in the most interesting and
rewarding work that I have ever experienced. In my decades of association with the Near East
Foundation as a member of the staff, board of directors, and now as chair of the board, it is
my honor to invite you to read this year’s annual report.
Best regards,
Linda Jacobs
Board Chair
© 2004 The Near East Foundation