Assalamu alaikum and Ramadan Kareem! We are in the midst of a new Ramadan season. Many of us visit family and friends to break fast throughout the month, often feasting on our favorite foods within the safety of our homes. During this blessed month, we must not forget to care for those who are unable…
Living in Gaza is a challenge for anyone, but today it is especially so with the with electricity running at a mere 4 hours a day, limited availability of clean water, and a blockade that persists, entering its 11th year. Our annual Ramadan Farmers project distributes fresh food to the most marginalized areas, mostly where…
Did you know that 47% of households in Gaza don’t know where their next meal will come from? (OCHA, 2016) Since March 30, over 40 Palestinian protesters, including 5 children, have been killed and over a thousand injured, among them hundreds of children who were attacked with live ammunition. Participation in a demonstration does not constitute…
In Gaza, Women, who account for 49% of the population, bear a heavy share of the burden of economic strangulation imposed by the 11 year blockade. During that time, the number of women seeking employment has increased 200%. Many of these women are highly educated and now find themselves as the breadwinners of their family…
Assalamu alaikum and Ramadan Kareem! We are in the midst of a new Ramadan season. Many of us visit family and friends to break fast throughout the month, often feasting on our favorite foods within the safety of our homes. During this blessed month, we must not forget to care for those who are unable to feed their families. These are dire times for many innocent Palestinian children and their families.
This week, thanks to you, we distributed food to over 800 families in Rafah and Khan Yunis. Given their very difficult living conditions, families were beyond thankful to receive our offerings of support. Each food basket includes the following: 4 live chickens, 2 flats of eggs, fresh picked vegetables, freshly made cheese, jams, maftool, and pressed dates. We purchase the food from 40 women cooperatives and 70 small-scale farmers, many of whom lost their land, but now rent a plot to provide and income and food for their families. Your support of this program gives them the start they need to continue!
We are so thankful to be able to ease a portion of each family’s burden during this tough Ramadan season. Yet none of it would be possible without your continued support. The children in Gaza are asking for food, not toys this Ramadan. A donation of just $130 enables KinderUSA to feed a family of 6-8.
Now more than ever, your donation can make a vast difference in the life of a Palestinian child. Help us make a difference in their lives!
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See below for more photos from our food distributions this past week.
Living in Gaza is a challenge for anyone, but today it is especially so with the with electricity running at a mere 4 hours a day, limited availability of clean water, and a blockade that persists, entering its 11th year. Our annual Ramadan Farmers project distributes fresh food to the most marginalized areas, mostly where families live in makeshift shelters and rubble from the successive wars. With more than 4,000 people per square kilometer, it remains the most densely populated place in the world.
Every year, the goal of the project is to support and ensure the food security of vulnerable households in the Gaza Strip with this year targeting 13 different areas in 4 separate governorates. Year after year, our project increases as more and more families are hungry and in need of nutritious food. This past year, our partner Beit Lahia, served over 26,000 beneficiaries, employed over 95 farmers and over 70 women cooperatives whose families also benefited adding another 1320 beneficiaries. Each family received fresh food inclusive of live chickens, fresh dairy, vegetables, jam, maftoul, and pressed dates to name a few items, twice a month throughout the month of Ramadan.
At the close of the project, more funds were available and we continued to serve another 825 families in desperate need for two more months, providing fresh food once in each month. Our office staff in Gaza hear and see firsthand heart wrenching stories about our beneficiaries who are living on the brink. Thank you to all who contributed to this most important KinderUSA project and have not forgotten about the children and their families in Gaza. We could not have served this many people without your generosity!
Our goal for Ramadan 2018 is to feed a minimum of 2500 families of 6-8 and more, an estimated 20,000 people in need. Please help us reach as many families this season as possible. Our work is only possible with your support. May you experience the blessings of Ramadan that come with giving generously to those in need.
Did you know that 47% of households in Gaza don’t know where their next meal will come from?
(OCHA, 2016)
Since March 30, over 40 Palestinian protesters, including 5 children, have been killed and over a thousand injured, among them hundreds of children who were attacked with live ammunition. Participation in a demonstration does not constitute an act of hostility or direct endangerment of life, and certainly is not a justification to use live fire. What is happening is an abhorrent violation of humanitarian law and those responsible should be held responsible. It’s heartbreaking to think that during a time of reflection, peacefulness, and devotion to faith, our children in Palestine could suffer without food through the hot days and long Ramadan nights, while we’re eating our fill.
80% of Palestinians in Gaza rely on humanitarian aid for food, while budgets are being slashed for the global programs they rely on! (Oxfam, 2016)
The protests reflect growing frustration and despair as Gaza becomes unlivable. The situation will further erode as a result of massive cuts to UNRWA imposed by the current US administration. The infrastructure and delivery of services such as sewage treatment are threadbare.
Health services in Gaza are on the brink of collapse while blackouts lasting 18-20 hours have forced the closure of some health facilities. Over one million children are vulnerable to waterborne diseases with 96% of potable water “unfit for human consumption” according to the World Health Organization. More than half of these children are suffering from post-traumatic stress, including fears, anxiety, and nightmares. One of the mothers of our beneficiaries reports that her 8-year-old child, Amer, “screams while sleeping.”
Our upcoming Ramadan Farmers’ project will provide badly needed work and nourishment for over 2500 families. Many of our farmers who live near the border “fence” have risked their lives in preparation for the distribution next week, with some being injured by live ammunition.
Not only do our farmers and women’s’ cooperatives prepare for the families who will benefit from the distribution, they are also thinking about their own children who are equally suffering.
Children are every society’s most precious natural resource. Palestinian families are no different. The cruelty in Gaza is hard to witness from a distance. What must it be like on the ground?
Please help us reach as many families this Ramadan as possible. Our work is only possible with your support. May you experience the blessings of Ramadan that come with giving generously to those in need.
In Gaza, Women, who account for 49% of the population, bear a heavy share of the burden of economic strangulation imposed by the 11 year blockade. During that time, the number of women seeking employment has increased 200%. Many of these women are highly educated and now find themselves as the breadwinners of their family after their spouses are either incapacitated from injury or deceased.
Such is the case of Nisreen, a widow caring for her 7 children. She lost her husband to cancer 5 years ago and has struggled to survive ever since. In Gaza, cancer is a death sentence, and not for lack of expertise, but rather for lack of proper treatment due to the siege.
Living in a two room house with no doors, windows, electricity, nor safe water and sanitation, life for Nisreen and her children is unbearable. Her older children want to help, but they too find they increasingly have no options for employment. This kind of despair has led many to the borders over the past few weeks to demonstrate their frustration and desperation.
Sadly, many of the youth have lost all hope, turning to drugs and other negative outlets to help them cope. Children are forced to drop out of school and work in risky occupations to help put food on the table. Cuts to UNRWA, which provides critical services to over 75% of Gaza’s population coupled with non-payment of salaries are leading to a complete collapse across all sectors.
“The lives of these children and their families have value and cannot be taken with impunity,” said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, KinderUSA Chair, “We have to help replace despair with hope, reminding the global community that Gaza’s children belong to all of us.”
With that in mind, we at KinderUSA along with our implementing partner, Beit Lahia, have implemented a project ensuring food security for 38 female-headed households through the donation 200 chicks along with the essential tools and training required. Nisreen and 37 other women will raise chicks for roasting and laying hens to be included in our Ramadan food package distribution. KinderUSA purchases from the women and will replenish their stock at the close of the month allowing them to sell on the open market to care for their families. With enough support, we can expand this project so that it benefits more families in need, offering them a source of income and dignity throughout the year.