Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) provides humanitarian aid and financial support to Palestinian and other Middle Eastern children. ¹ It operates a variety of projects in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Iraq, while engaging in anti-war and anti-Israel domestic activism. It has financial ties to Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Open Society Foundations, and is also associated with radical-left author and activist Noam Chomsky.

Founding and History

Middle East Children’s Alliance was founded in 1988 by Barbara Lubin and Howard Levine and expanded operations into Iraq in 1990. ² Lubin had previously been active in protest movements against the Vietnam War and in support of greater accommodations for the disabled, and was a member of the Berkeley School Board from 1982 to 1996. Levine had been a writer for the San Francisco Examiner. ³

MECA has a large board of advisors, including former U.S. Sen. James Abourezk (D-SD) and radical-left academic Noam Chomsky. ⁴

Activities

The main goal of Middle East Children’s Alliance is to provide humanitarian aid to Palestinian, Iraqi, and Lebanese children while engaging in pro-Palestinian activism in America. ⁵ To achieve these ends, MECA partners with a variety of local organizations within the Middle East. MECA operates a college scholarship program in West Bank and Gaza as well as a program to provide clean water. ⁶

In 2001, MECA chartered a bus and drove around the country in protest of American sanctions against Iraq. ⁷

MECA has accused Israel of “apartheid,” “genocide,” and “ethnic cleansing” towards Palestinians. ⁸ In addition, MECA has engaged in other anti-Israel activism, including support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, celebrating investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes, and signing multiple statements condemning Israel. ⁹

Funding

Middle East Children’s Alliance received $3,329,330 in donations and grants in 2019. ¹⁰ From 2016-2023, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund donated $430,000 to MECA for the “Creative Palestinian Communities Fund,” which organizes political activities in Palestinian communities. ¹¹ In 2020, MECA received a $400,000 grant from the Open Society Foundations, the private grantmaking foundation of billionaire George Soros. ¹²

1. “About Us.” Middle East Children’s Alliance. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.mecaforpeace.org/about-us/.
2. “History.” Middle East Children’s Alliance. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://www.mecaforpeace.org/history/.
3. Micky Duxbury. “Berkley Activist Barbara Lubin Shares the Wealth – and the Love – With Children in the Middle East.” The Monthly. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://themonthly.com/eastbayLife-06-09/.
4. “Staff, Board, and Advisors.” Middle East Children’s Alliance. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://www.mecaforpeace.org/staff-board-and-advisors/
5. “About Us.” Middle East Children’s Alliance. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.mecaforpeace.org/about-us/.
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7. “History.” Middle East Children’s Alliance. Accessed November 10, 2022. https://www.mecaforpeace.org/history/.
8. “Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA).” NGO Monitor. February 15, 2022. https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/middle_east_children_s_alliance_meca_/
9. “Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA).” NGO Monitor. February 15, 2022. https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/middle_east_children_s_alliance_meca_/
10. “Middle East Children’s Alliance.” GuideStar. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-3074600
11. “Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA).” NGO Monitor. February 15, 2022. https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/middle_east_children_s_alliance_meca_/
12. “Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA).” NGO Monitor. February 15, 2022. https://www.ngo-monitor.org/ngos/middle_east_children_s_alliance_meca_/