About

“There’s really no such thing as the ‘voiceless.’ There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.” –Arundhati Roy

When the world talks about Palestinians living under occupation and in refugee camps, it is usually in terms of politics and numbers – specifically, how many killed, injured, homeless and/or dependent on aid.

But numbers are impersonal and often numbing. What they don’t convey are the daily personal struggles and triumphs, the tears and the laughter, and the aspirations that are so universal that if it weren’t for the context, they would immediately resonate with virtually everyone.

That’s why established and aspiring “word artists” from around the world have joined with youth in Gaza, and now Lebanon, to create We Are Not Numbers. Through this platform, we share and celebrate their stories, with experienced authors mentoring young writers.

We Are We Are Not Numbers (WANN) is a youth-led Palestinian nonprofit project in the Gaza Strip. It tells the stories behind the numbers of Palestinians in the news and advocates for their human rights. The idea for WANN was conceived in 2014 by the American journalist Pam Bailey, and was brought to fruition in early 2015 in collaboration with Dr. Ramy Abdu, chair of the board of directors for the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor (Euro-Med Monitor). WANN is registered in Gaza under the umbrella of Euro-Med and its fiscal sponsor in the United States is Nonviolence International.

Pam was inspired to start WANN by her work with Ahmed Alnaouq. During the Israeli military attack against Palestinians in the summer of 2014, Ahmed’s 23-year-old brother, Ayman, was killed by an Israeli missile. Ahmed sunk into a depression from which he thought he would never come out. During this time, he met Pam, who encouraged him to celebrate his brother’s legacy by writing a story. (Like many young people in Gaza, Ahmed was majoring in English literature to improve his language skills. She figured writing a story would help him achieve that goal.)

The two passed Ahmed’s draft story back and forth over three months. Pam published the resulting story on a Western news website, and Ahmed began  to come out of his depression. Pam wanted to extend these benefits to others, so WANN was was born? Professional English writers from around the world are paired with developing storytellers in Gaza, helping them share their daily struggles and triumphs. These are so universal that if it were not for the context, they immediately resonate with virtually everyone.

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Mission

The mission of WANN is to create a new generation of Palestinian writers and thinkers who can bring together a profound change to the Palestinian cause to get their voices heard. WANN provides the world with direct access to the Palestinian narrative without any restrictions and without foreign intermediaries speaking on behalf of the Palestinians.

 

Vision

Palestinian voices and narratives, based on peace and respect for human rights, are heard all over the world through peaceful, youth-led Palestinians.

Our Team

Ahmed Alnaouq

Co-Founder

Pam Bailey

Co-Founder

Walaa Sabah

Project Manager

Catherine Baker

Senior Editor

Mahmoud Wadie Mushtaha

Social Media Coordinator