“Fuel is really a problem for everyone, along with electricity. Families cannot store food, nor can they cook. As a team we made the decision to distribute prepared meals so families can eat nutritiously,” said Loubane, Executive Director of FingerPrint of Change. Linked to the global food and fuel crisis coupled with three years of…
Wafa, a student from northern California, is working on her Masters in Public Health. For the past six weeks she has been volunteering with our partner the Women’s Center in Shu’fat camp gathering data and working alongside the amazing team. Shu’fat camp, located in East Jerusalem, houses an estimated 125,000 occupants, many of whom are…
Hammam, a 36 year old father of 7 is one of the families who struggles daily to feed his children. Like many fathers his age, job opportunities are non-existent so he, along with his wife, collect plastic dishes, sterilizes, and sells them for approximately $4 a day. Living in a one room house donated to…
Zana, a mother of 9, was abandoned by her husband 3 years ago, unable to cope with the various medical needs several of his children needed and no funds to meet the demands. “He left me facing life alone after discovering that his children suffer from a severe deficiency in the immune system. I am…
A recent report published by Save the Children (SC) found that four out of five children in Gaza suffer from depression, sadness, and fear resulting from a 15-year blockade that witnessed “six life threatening situations” which includes deadly assaults on the population and a pandemic. KinderUSA is providing some relief with our Gaza summer camp…
Gazans continue to struggle in a region with massive unemployment, toxic water, and crumbling infrastructure under a blockade of land and sea for 15 years. Food and fuel enter Gaza based upon “mathematical formulas” determined by the occupying forces, in a drip-feeding fashion, or just “enough for survival” according to the Amnesty International February 2022…
Life in Lebanon is difficult for most people the economic free fall, COVID-19, and the conflict next door in Syria. Palestinian and Syrian refugees live 88 percent below “minimal survival conditions,” according to a UN representative. Many families are food insecure with both petrol and food prices soaring and out of reach for most placing…
This Ramadan the need was great and our efforts together have made the difference in the lives of thousands of children and their loved ones. Ferial is a widow caring for 8 members of her family. At 69 years of age, her health is deteriorating, in addition to suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since the…
Seventy percent of the workforce in rural areas of Gaza is performed by women as laborers. Many of these women will do most anything to feed their families, earning sometimes as little as $1 a day. Working with our partner the Palestine Environmental Friends (PEF), KinderUSA funded through generous donors the Women Empowerment through farming…
Once again, Muslim and Christian worshippers have been attacked during the sacred days of Easter and Ramadan. Acts of provocation designed to instigate further conflict require Palestinians to exercise restraint as they do their best to observe the holiday rituals. Our work during the month of Ramadan attempts to ease the suffering so many families…
“Fuel is really a problem for everyone, along with electricity. Families cannot store food, nor can they cook. As a team we made the decision to distribute prepared meals so families can eat nutritiously,” said Loubane, Executive Director of FingerPrint of Change.
Linked to the global food and fuel crisis coupled with three years of severe economic and financial crisis, Lebanon is witnessing public services failing its population while the price of food items soars out of reach for most. With the war in Ukraine where 70% of Lebanon’s wheat came from along with depleted reserves due to the explosion in Beirut’s’ port, wheat is very difficult to procure, and families wait for hours in line for bread.
Palestinians living in the camps in Lebanon are not able to secure enough food to feed their families. With prices for food, medicine, fuel and rent continuing to rise, the level of poverty among Palestinian refugees is also increasing, now recorded at 86 percent according to the United Nation.
This is equally true for Syrians in informal settlements across the country, and impoverished Lebanese many of whom are now homeless. Access to healthcare, electricity, and clean water is also out of reach with families turning to aid groups for assistance.
Our partner on the ground, FingerPrint of Change, has begun distribution of freshly prepared food to 1600 families in the camps of Sabra and Shatila and Burj el Barajneh, along with settlements in Bekaa, and the south for the month of August. The food is prepared by women who are paid a small stipend, with all the ingredients bought locally to help boost the local economy.
This is an ongoing crisis in Lebanon where the country hosts the largest number of refugees “per capita per square kilometer in the world” according to the United Nations. Like all communities in Lebanon, refugees are making difficult choices to survive such as going without meals, necessary health care, and sending children to find work instead of going to school.
KinderUSA hopes to continue this project of food assistance to the most vulnerable beyond August. but we need your help. Please consider making an online donation today of $50, $100, $250 or whatever is meaningful to you. Thank you for your continued humanity.
Donate Wafa, a student from northern California, is working on her Masters in Public Health. For the past six weeks she has been volunteering with our partner the Women’s Center in Shu’fat camp gathering data and working alongside the amazing team.Shu’fat camp, located in East Jerusalem, houses an estimated 125,000 occupants, many of whom are permanent residents. It was initially established by UNRWA in 1965 in order to provide a safe haven for 500 families who were dispossessed and displaced, and continues to increase in capacity. Within the camp, there are significant food and water shortages as well as an overburdened sanitation system, leading to unsafe living conditions. The women and children, who are disproportionately affected by social and economic factors, face the greatest challenges and are amongst the most medically vulnerable. As a result, they must inadvertently compete for limited resources including food, water, and access to healthcare. A common question they asked me was “Which is more beautiful, Palestine or America?” and before I could respond, they’d follow with “Palestine, of course.” And I naturally agreed. This summer, thanks to the Women’s Center- Shu’fat Camp (WCSHC), I was afforded the opportunity to witness the significant impact that KinderUSA has had on the lives of Palestinian children in East Jerusalem. I spent a few weeks assisting the lovely staff at WCSHC with three concurrent summer camp programs, two of which were in Bedouin encampments. Through my interactions with the children, I learned about their motivations and ambitions, and they inquired about my experience living in America (many of them had never met an American and were quite fascinated by me).
The Emergency Food Distribution program is a continuation of our Ramadan distribution. Targeting 1000 families with no or limited income living in 12 marginalized areas of Gaza. Families are receiving fresh vegetables, fruit, dairy, chickens, and more. The project contracts 20 small scale farmers and 10 women cooperatives who equally benefit through the work provided, caring for their own families.
“I was super happy when I received a message [on the distribution], in that time my refrigerator was empty. When we received the food basket, we were all very happy and I felt the world was better. It contained 18 different types of fresh vegetables, including chicken and eggs,” said Zana.
KinderUSA is providing some relief with our Gaza summer camp for children in partnership with Beit Lahia. More than 1400 children are participating in basketball, mural painting, cultural competitions, and more. One young man, Ameer, aged 10, has had a very difficult life after his father left the family and he is now being raised by his grandparents. The SC report identifies caregivers’ inability to care for their children physically and psychologically with some leaving rather than face what they perceive as failure.
Wanting to join all the activities provided, Ameer was overwhelmed with joy. “What a day, this is one of my best days ever; I’m thrilled to be here, I like singing, and I asked the coach to give me the microphone to sing; I hope next time I will come with my sister, words cannot describe my happiness,” Ameer said!
In the forward of the SC report children wrote that “they want Gaza to be a safe and beautiful place where they can live in peace.” So do we.
“More than half of families report that their child has had to skip meals, and hundreds of thousands of children are out of school,” according to an UN expert. “If the situation does not improve immediately, an entire generation of children will be sacrificed.”
For 8 year old El Soloh who lives with his family of 5 siblings in Bourj el-Barajneh Camp in the suburbs of Beirut, a life of poverty has affected every aspect of their living conditions. His father used to work as a taxi driver but once fuel prices soared, he could no longer afford to drive and returned his rented vehicle leaving him unemployed for over a year.
Recipients of the Ramadan food distribution, El Soloh’s family found the pleasure they once knew around the iftar (breaking of fast) table. “Soloh and his siblings reminisced back to a time when their father would come home and discuss the days work, with their mother preparing a nutritious meal,” said Loubane Tay Executive Director of FingerPrint of Change, KinderUSA implementing partner. “KinderUSA not only secured a much-needed meal but also quality time during the holy month of Ramadan within the hard conditions Palestinians face in Lebanon,” Loubane continued. ”
Mariam, a mother of 8, lives in Khan Younis. Without an education and a family to feed, Mariam was thrilled to be chosen as a beneficiary of the farming project. Producing zucchini and other vegetables for sale in the open market, the family works together securing their livelihood.
“This helped me a lot to cover my family expenses and needs and to provide my children with food, clothes, toys and to allow them to access health services and complete their education”.
Haneen also lives in the Khuza’ area of Khan Younis supporting a family of 5 with no source of income. She applied for the farming project hoping to be selected after attending an introductory workshop.
“I felt extremely happy once my name was announced and I was selected as a beneficiary in this project!”Receiving all the necessary tools and training, Haneen farms zucchini and other vegetables in addition to Kohlrabi, rarely seen in Gazan farms.
“Everyone was surprised by this strange plant in the area, which I consider as an (integrated pharmacy) on its own, for all of its health benefits. I’m really thankful for KinderUSA and PEF who supported me to make this success possible!“, Haneen concluded.
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