Distribution of the Ramadan food baskets of fresh poultry, dairy, fruit, and vegetables is ongoing in both the West Bank and Gaza where small scale farmers and women cooperatives are the primary contributors to the project.  In Gaza, farmers whose land was affected from the most recent invasions are cultivating their land and yielding fresh crops.  This project not only boosts the local agricultural sector, it restores both dignity and independence to the farmers who have struggled to care for their own children.

Families of 7 have been identified and are receiving the fresh produce to prepare a nutritious meal for their families throughout the month of Ramadan.  All families in Gaza received live chickens to take home and butcher for their meals as many are affected from the rolling black-outs and cannot ensure the freshness of the birds.  “I enjoyed talking to beneficiaries during distribution especially children in spite of the heat and the humidity.  Children loved everything and the chickens the most since it’s a long time since they ate any.  Chicken prices are too high and increased during Ramadan so the poorer families are not able to eat fresh chicken and very much appreciated it especially with the maftool.  I interviewed a few mothers at the distribution and all were very pleased with the content of the baskets received.  They are extremely happy with the chicken and one woman said her family hasn't eaten chicken for more than 7 months,” Nehaia, KinderUSA Country Director Gaza.

KinderUSA is conducting iftars the last week of Ramadan employing local women in the rural areas of Shejeaya and Zaitoun to prepare fresh cooked meals for families to carry home and break fast.  The cooperatives will prepare chicken, rice, and qatayef for distribution along with juice to impoverished families over a 3 day period in 3 locations reaching over 1500 people.

"It is only through your continued generosity that our work is possible," said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Chairperson of KinderUSA.  "There is no substitution for an environment of peace, stability, and prosperity, but until that day comes, we will continue to work with you, our partners, to help the children of Palestine."

Pakistan's worst floods in recorded history began more than two weeks ago in the mountainous northwest and have spread throughout the country. Some 20 million people and 62,000 square miles of land - about one-fifth of the country - have been affected.  Years of low rainfall had left many farmers struggling on the edge of financial survival, and they now face the worst floods in generations. Weeks after massive downpours first battered northern Pakistan, submerging tens of thousands of square miles of crops, over 1600 people have been killed and millions are homeless, as floodwaters continue to swell inflicting layer upon layer of misery to the population.

"Make no mistake, this is a global disaster," Ban Ki-Moon UN General Secretary said at the UN general assembly. "Pakistan is facing a slow-motion tsunami. Its destructive powers will accumulate and grow with time," he warned.

International Blue Crescent (IBC) and KinderUSA, long-time humanitarian partners who have been working in the region since the 2005 earthquake, have submitted an urgent appeal for funding  focusing on the Muzaffargarh district located in the southern Punjab region.  It is reported as the worst affected where more than 700,000 people have been displaced and hundreds of villages destroyed.  Children, women, and the elderly continue to be the most vulnerable in this catastrophic nightmare.

Food, water, hygiene products and shelter are in the greatest need with many families stranded in uninhabitable structures awaiting aid.  IBC has opened an office in Muzaffargarh with an initial three month commitment in partnership with  KinderUSA focusing on 1000 displaced families.  Funding permitted, our goal is to distribute hygiene kits, dried food packages, and bedding items.

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of life and the magnitude of this humanitarian castastrophe.  Many children have lost one or both of their parents and every day that passes they become more vulnerable to disease and malnutrition.  I urgently appeal to all of our donors to respond,” Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Chairperson KinderUSA.

We are appealing to the generosity of all donors during this crisis to come forward and donate $500, $250, $100, or whatever you can give to help these families who have lost everything.

For years, theatre and drama have been used in conflict areas as a way of working through the struggles with violence and everyday life. Yes Theatre, in the West Bank, works to promote theater and drama as effective tools for improving the psychosocial well-being of Palestinian youth.  Partnering with KinderUSA and War Child Holland, Yes Theater promotes engagement with the dramatic arts in Hebron, producing drama plays with school students, performed for other school students and the community at large. The themes of the plays are conceived by students providing them with an activity outside of school introducing the values of team building, democracy and nonviolence by using drama and theatre.

Hebron is known as a divided city with restrictions on everyday movement for Palestinians due to the proximity of religious sites in addition to the Wall and settlements.  Palestinian children are confronted daily with various forms of conflict: difficulties within the family, aggression in the streets, and the violence of open conflict and war. Yes Theatre in partnership with KinderUSA and War Child has designed the project to give Palestinian children an opportunity to express their individual voice, their sense of self, and their creative life, finding an outlet from the intensity of daily life.

Beginning production early in the year, Yes Theatre students performed 29 shows during the months of May and June.  Reaching an audience of nearly 4800 children, parents, teachers, and local Palestinians in Hebron with 1800 children participating, the project with your generous donation increased awareness that young people are powerful community members who can speak out to all, with reason, sensitivity, and imagination.