For many parents, the most challenging part of the school day involves waking children from sleep and preparing them to leave the comfort of the home. Education is easily taken for granted. In Palestine, however, recently publicized cuts to UNRWA funding threaten the one bright spot in the lives of thousands of Palestinian children – education. Make…
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…
For many parents, the most challenging part of the school day involves waking children from sleep and preparing them to leave the comfort of the home. Education is easily taken for granted.
In Palestine, however, recently publicized cuts to UNRWA funding threaten the one bright spot in the lives of thousands of Palestinian children – education. Make no mistake – Palestinian children in Gaza are under attack.
Palestinian children already encounter numerous obstacles to earning an education. Regular outbreaks of violence and deteriorating living conditions affect every aspect of life. More than 90 percent of schools in Gaza run double or even triple shifts to provide space for children whose home schools were either destroyed in successive wars or await the arrival of construction materials for repair. Educators work tirelessly, at times facing classrooms filled with in excess of 50 students. Meanwhile, Palestinian parents struggle to scrape together the funds necessary to purchase clothing and supplies for their children.
This school year, KinderUSA is providing uniforms, shoes, socks, undergarments, and backpacks to 500 children from needy families in Gaza, where new clothing is often considered a luxury. Your generous contribution helps put a little light in the lives of these innocent children.
FOR AS LITTLE AS $40, YOU CAN HELP THESE CHILDREN CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION AND THE JOURNEY TO A BETTER LIFE.
Imagine, for a minute, the life of the average child in Gaza. For more than a decade, thousands of Palestinian families have faced periodic invasions and a brutal, ongoing siege, living in unsafe shelters, drinking unsanitary water, surviving on whatever food is available, and managing on a few hours of electricity per day. The streets are not safe. The skies can bring death. Even rare outings to the beach are hazardous. For so many of these children, school is a refuge from the trauma of life under siege, life under constant threat of war – a chance to learn, to meet friends and play…a chance to be normal children.
Help us remind these children that they are not alone, that they are not forgotten.
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!
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.
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.
We envision a free, just and peaceful Palestine where children thrive and look forward to a productive future, like children everywhere.
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