Gaza continues to suffer an ongoing humanitarian nightmare with no real vision for improvement on the horizon for the countless children and their families who live there. Three quarters of the population require some form of aid for survival, and the downward spiral affects every sector of society — from mother to child, from the…
In Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains dire with high rates of unemployment and crushing poverty leaving parents unable to provide food for their children. Ongoing violence and continued uncertainty with massive unemployment and food insecurity leave little hope for Gazan’s. This, coupled with COVID-19 restrictions affecting both work and school, leaves children more vulnerable to…
The coronavirus pandemic is worsening the vulnerabilities of families in Gaza, as it is here at home and across the globe. Struggling to feed their families, the economic shock from the pandemic has given parents few options. Many rely on aid from the charity sector or the kindness of neighbors. Our Country Coordinator in Gaza,…
An integral part of our Ramadan food distribution program is the Chicken Farming Women Empowerment Project. The blockade, now in its 14th year, coupled with the crisis we are facing globally has demonstrated women are affected both at home and in the economy. In Palestine, 20% of all female-headed households live in deep poverty and…
Your support remains critical during these uncertain times. Concern mounts daily in Gaza with the potential spread of COVID-19. Like the United States, Gaza shops, restaurants, and schools are closed to contain the spread; however, the damage from a 14-year blockade of land, air, and sea further exasperates an economy already in shatters. The lack…
Solidarity In Time of CrisisReviving Hope for the Children in Palestine Our goal in holding these virtual conversations is to educate and activate you to action during the season of Ramadan. Our speakers are leaders in medicine, Middle Eastern history, social activism and more. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, keep an…
A failing economy, state of emergency and high unemployment rate have resulted in Lebanese people being unable to afford and/or reach adequate food. In response to this situation, we began an emergency food distribution this past weekend in Beirut’s Chiah-Shatilla Camp. Each kit of food given to families included: tuna, sugar, rice, cheese, pasta, lentils,…
With the world struggling to stop the continued spread of COVID-19, Gaza’s economy has been on the brink of collapse due to the strangulating blockade of land, air, and sea for 13 years. It is utter cruelty to continue with this manmade disaster and crucial, now more than ever, that the siege be lifted. Against…
With the massive transformation of our lives and communities, we know this pandemic will further marginalize already vulnerable communities both here at home and abroad. To keep you informed about the status of all our projects, as well as the opportunities you have to support our work, below is a summary of some of KinderUSA’s…
For the safety of the children and our partners, while the Coronavirus continues to impact communities across the globe, our response is to operate with remote management in place canceling all nonessential travel. For some areas of operation, local guidance impacts our ability to carry out our programs such as our Mobile Library in Lebanon.…
Gaza continues to suffer an ongoing humanitarian nightmare with no real vision for improvement on the horizon for the countless children and their families who live there. Three quarters of the population require some form of aid for survival, and the downward spiral affects every sector of society — from mother to child, from the farmer to the fisherman. This manmade humanitarian crisis and the insidious process of de-development of Gaza is shaped by the ongoing, illegal blockade of land, air, and sea. The end result: more than half of Gaza’s 2 million souls, including 400,000 children, live below the poverty line.
Increasing hardships find families selling their modest possessions to survive, with those who no longer have items for sale incurring debt at local stores and borrowing money from relatives and friends just to put food on the table. When even these stopgap measures prove futile, many families move in together to pool their resources, no doubt contributing to increasing levels of societal stress.
One beneficiary of KinderUSA’s recent Ramadan food distribution is Ibrahim, the head of an extended family of 12 who reside in a poorly constructed shelter of metal sheeting. Their very existence resembles a heartbreaking snapshot from a bygone era; in this age of technological wonder and abundance, just across the border from a “start-up nation”, Ibrahim and his family survive with no running water and use wood to cook their meager meals. Najlaa’, the woman of the house, reports that the family must collect the wood from the border, “which puts us at risk, but we have no choice. I don’t have a kitchen, and I don’t have a gas stove like most women in the world!”
At the close of Ramadan, KinderUSA met its goal and even extended the food distribution, providing aid to 2400 families in desperate need. What this means is that the children of Palestine we serve can count on you even in the face of a global pandemic and in times of national crisis. For these innocent children, it means that they are not forgotten by the rest of humanity.
It will take all of us working together, vigilantly, to combat the profound inequalities facing so many children across the globe. At KinderUSA, we’re grateful that you have our backs.
Thank you for your continued support, and may God continue to bless you for your compassion and generosity.
In Gaza, the humanitarian situation remains dire with high rates of unemployment and crushing poverty leaving parents unable to provide food for their children. Ongoing violence and continued uncertainty with massive unemployment and food insecurity leave little hope for Gazan’s. This, coupled with COVID-19 restrictions affecting both work and school, leaves children more vulnerable to nutritional needs and mental health concerns.
Zahran, a father caring for 11 family members, lives in Rafah near the ‘buffer zone’ with limited infrastructure in a makeshift home consisting of 3 rooms assembled with metal sheeting. Three of Zahran’s children are physically impaired requiring ongoing therapy and medication. Initially working in construction helped to bring food and medicine home but due to an on the job injury, Zahran lost his job then sought work in the agricultural sector just to feed his family.
When COVID-19 restrictions went into effect the first week of March, Zahran lost that job alon thousands of workers in the sector. Measures taken to prevent the spread of the pandemic has exacerbated an already fragile humanitarian crisis.
Zahran and his family are beneficiaries of the Ramadan Fresh Food Distribution including live chickens from our Women Empowerment Project, fresh vegetables purchased from small scale farmers, and fresh dairy prepared by female-headed households along with prepared mamoul (date filled pastry) as a special treat for the children. Enough food to last the month!
“We are grateful for this food you have provided. Each month, I feel helpless not knowing how I will feed my children. This month, I do not have to ask for a loan from the store or beg from the neighbors. My children have not had such good food like this in a long time. We cannot thank you enough. Ramadan Kareem.”
In the last days of Ramadan, our work continues. We are focusing on how we can address the increasing numbers of families in need that we were not able to reach. The COVID-19 crisis pushed numerous Palestinians into hunger with more and more facing a fate like Zahran and his family daily.
Thank you to all who have contributed to this important project and for standing with the Palestinian children. Our work is impossible without your support.
Thank you! KinderUSA’s virtual Ramadan speaker series was a great success because of you! Throughout the month of Ramadan, we had three captivating virtual conversations with Ilan Pappe, Juan Cole and Dr. Mads Gilbert to help raise funds for Kinder’s Ramadan Programs that benefit the neediest children and their families in Gaza. Your continued support makes that and much more possible. If you missed any of the conversations you can view them on our YouTube. And be sure to stay tuned for future conversations!
The coronavirus pandemic is worsening the vulnerabilities of families in Gaza, as it is here at home and across the globe. Struggling to feed their families, the economic shock from the pandemic has given parents few options. Many rely on aid from the charity sector or the kindness of neighbors. Our Country Coordinator in Gaza, Hana, said in a recent call that, “My sons have been doing what they can to help feed families in need. There are so many families without any food and they take from our home to give to others. The need is too great.”
Our staff on the ground are working tirelessly to support our implementing partners who are distributing fresh food for families in the most marginalized areas of Gaza during this month of Ramadan. Amin, a father of 7, lives in an area east of Rafah close to the border. He remains concerned for the safety of his children because of the frequent cross border violence. “Now I worry also about Coronavirus and how to protect my children.”
Their home is a single room with sand flooring. Unemployed, and living on less than $30 a month the social ministry hands out, Amin relies on food aid and often goes without just so he can provide essentials for his children. The family is a recipient of the Ramadan Fresh Food program and will receive two distributions during this blessed month.
“Thanks to Allah. Now we have enough food for Ramadan month. Chicken, eggs, maftool, cheese, and jam. Thank you all who support us!”
Your support makes our work possible and we know without it, the children we serve would suffer greatly. We also know that governments are using this pandemic to further restrict and control vulnerable populations such as the Palestinians. It will take all of us working together, vigilantly, to ensure that the profound inequalities facing many children and their families throughout the globe are not exasperated further.
An integral part of our Ramadan food distribution program is the Chicken Farming Women Empowerment Project. The blockade, now in its 14th year, coupled with the crisis we are facing globally has demonstrated women are affected both at home and in the economy. In Palestine, 20% of all female-headed households live in deep poverty and are unable to fulfill the minimum requirement for food and shelter. In Gaza, that number increases with over 70% of the women unemployed, making them the most vulnerable and marginalized.
Raising her 7 school-aged children alone while supporting her invalid parents, Shorouq is a single mother living in Gaza. Finding a job is virtually impossible due to her lack of education and formal work experience, especially being located in an area with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. Forced to drop out of school at 11, she worked any job she could in order to feed her family, going daily to the agriculture fields to pick vegetables to earn pay in food and at times, a modest stipend. Living in Gaza is hard enough, but as a single mother, the hurdles are daunting.
Shorouq is one of 34 women participating in KinderUSA Women Empowerment Chicken Farming Project. After receiving schooling from veterinarians, tools, and all necessary supplies, including 200 baby chicks, the business is up and running and KinderUSA is her first customer. Buying live chickens and eggs for our Ramadan food distribution at an amount above market price gives the women in this program an opportunity to start caring for their families and put food on the table.
“With a steady source of income from the chicken project, I will be able to meet the needs of my family and work from my home. I can care for my children in a good way and provide all their needs, inshallah,” said Shorouq. “Every day we give thanks for this business and that my children will be food secured in Ramadan and beyond, which is my highest ambition!”
Our Ramadan Farmers Food Distribution is fully operating. The gratitude by the recipients for healthy food that sustains them during this blessed month strengthens our resolve to continue, and reminds us of how much we have to be thankful for with supporters like you!
Our goal this Ramadan is to reach 2500 Families in 15 of the most marginalized areas of Gaza. Please, commit to at least one Family this Ramadan for $130.
Your support remains critical during these uncertain times.
Concern mounts daily in Gaza with the potential spread of COVID-19. Like the United States, Gaza shops, restaurants, and schools are closed to contain the spread; however, the damage from a 14-year blockade of land, air, and sea further exasperates an economy already in shatters. The lack of medical equipment and supplies in Gaza is a reality many see as catastrophic should the virus spread further in one of the most densely populated places on earth. According to the World Health Organization as of 19 April, no new cases of COVID-19 have been reported since 6 April, buying time for critical preparations.
With the first day of fasting approaching this Friday, KinderUSA’s Ramadan fresh food distribution begins after months of preparation working with farmers, chicken breeders, and women-headed households. Uniquely, this massive food distribution goes beyond serving one’s immediate food needs, it supports the local economy and empowers small scale local farmers and independent producers who have suffered from the severe hardships placed on them due to the blockade. Restricted access to modern technologies, materials, and open markets leaves these families struggling to keep their lands productive while contributing to the food security of the population.
Over the next month, KinderUSA will report on our efforts and the families we are serving. With so much need, the difficulty for our staff on the ground was making the decision of who is in the greatest need.
“Honestly, this was the hardest period for me. I know each year I say this, but each year it is worse than the last. We must hold our emotions until we are home, then we must hide from our families our pain. It is really hard.”
Hana, KinderUSA Country Coordinator
KinderUSA continues to take all necessary measures to ensure our staff, partners, and beneficiaries are following proper safety protocols to this already vulnerable population. We remain humbled by our supporters who refuse to ignore the plight of the Palestinian people, and all of the people struggling today from a pandemic that recognizes no boundaries.
If you have not already, please sign up for our Ramadan Virtual Conversation Series featuring Professors Ilan Pappe, Juan Cole, and Dr. Mads Gilbert beginning May 2. In the meantime, please be safe and Ramadan Kareem.
Solidarity In Time of Crisis
Reviving Hope for the Children in Palestine
Our goal in holding these virtual conversations is to educate and activate you to action during the season of Ramadan. Our speakers are leaders in medicine, Middle Eastern history, social activism and more. If you are unable to attend the live webinar, keep an eye on our social media and website for future broadcasts.
Ilan Pappé, Ph.D.
May 2, 8PM PST
Ilan Pappé is an expatriate Israeli historian and socialist activist. He is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, director of the university’s European Centre for Palestine Studies, and co-director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies.
Juan Cole, Ph.D.
May 9, 8PM PST
Juan Cole is a public intellectual, prominent blogger and essayist on the modern Middle East and South Asia, and the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan.
Mads Gilbert, Ph.D.
May 16, 8PM PST
Mads Gilbert is a Norwegian physician, humanitarian, and social activist. He is a specialist in anesthesiology and head of the emergency medicine department at the University Hospital of North Norway and Professor of emergency medicine at the University of Tromsø.
A failing economy, state of emergency and high unemployment rate have resulted in Lebanese people being unable to afford and/or reach adequate food. In response to this situation, we began an emergency food distribution this past weekend in Beirut’s Chiah-Shatilla Camp.
Each kit of food given to families included: tuna, sugar, rice, cheese, pasta, lentils, olive oil, mortadella, salt, vermicelli, tomato sauce, beans, chickpeas, and hummus.
So many are in need but still very much concerned for others in their community. Despite having no income, an aging grandmother living with her three daughters and two grandchildren requested to share her food kit with her two neighbors because she feared they would be left out.
So far we have reached 230 families and plan to reach more in the coming weeks. There are many more families who need our sincere help at this time. Any support you can offer via donations is duly appreciated. Inshallah.
With the world struggling to stop the continued spread of COVID-19, Gaza’s economy has been on the brink of collapse due to the strangulating blockade of land, air, and sea for 13 years. It is utter cruelty to continue with this manmade disaster and crucial, now more than ever, that the siege be lifted. Against this backdrop, KinderUSA is preparing for the largest food distribution of the year for families during the holy month of Ramadan.
An integral part of this program is the Women Empowerment Chicken Farming Program which brings career opportunities to poor women-headed households in the Gaza Strip. These women are often responsible for families with five or more children and have no alternative income sources. The knowledge they receive through this program is a source of hope because it teaches them the skills to become self-sustaining.
This year, KinderUSA is in the process of providing 34 women-headed households with 200 baby chicks to be farmed for sale on the open market. Women will also be provided the training and tools necessary to successfully raise the chickens and hatch eggs. During this process, the women learn indispensable information about running their own business and providing for their families.
From both previous stages of this important project and the current 34 women, KinderUSA will be purchasing the chickens and eggs for the Ramadan fresh food distribution, providing impoverished families with income to care for their own families. This process helps empower women to run their own business, boosts the local economy and provides food for more in-need families.
Once we move on, these women can look forward to growing their chicken farming business and become self-sufficient. This ensures their families’ food security in the future and provides a lifeline for families during these uncertain times.
Your support remains critical during this crisis and will allow us to continue to empower mothers and serve future generations of Palestinian children. Your donation of just $100 will provide 150 chicks to a family in need. By donating you are inspiring, teaching, and feeding families that would otherwise go unserved!
KinderUSA continues to support the Women Empowerment Chicken Farming program during everyone’s fight against COVID-19. The program continues to be operational but has instituted major changes to ensure everyone’s safety. Our partners are observing all safety protocols when interacting with the livestock and each other. In addition, COVID-19 information is being provided to every family to help prevent the spread of the virus to this already vulnerable population.
Your support remains critical during these uncertain times. We thank YOU for your support in empowering the women and children in Palestine!
With the massive transformation of our lives and communities, we know this pandemic will further marginalize already vulnerable communities both here at home and abroad. To keep you informed about the status of all our projects, as well as the opportunities you have to support our work, below is a summary of some of KinderUSA’s ongoing efforts.
With worldwide governments taking urgent preventative measures, KinderUSA has had to rethink how we implement our programs while ensuring both our beneficiaries and staff are protected. Schools, businesses, and public gatherings are closed compelling KinderUSA to ‘redesign’ programs in some cases, postponing others.
Children in the KinderUSA supported school in the Ein El-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp are now receiving lessons via WhatsApp. The parents also receive ongoing awareness updates on COVID-19 via the app. This is critical, as lack of information has increased the level of fear. The goal here, as in every refugee camp across the globe, is to mitigate a potentially catastrophic scenario. In Ein el Helweh camp approximately 80,000 people live in around 2 Km2. This, coupled with funding cuts to UNRWA and the economic crisis in Lebanon, leaves the populations vulnerable.
The nutritional meals program in both Gaza and Shufat camp has been postponed and we are redirecting efforts for Ramadan distribution in Shufat. There will be more information to come regarding this effort.
In Gaza, our Ramadan program is in full gear with farmers working their lands while the women micro-enterprise chicken farming project is ongoing and also preparing for Ramadan distribution. Throughout Gaza, our staff and partners are prioritizing social distancing and proper hygiene.
KinderUSA Ramadan farmers project is much more relevant during these extraordinary times and we remain committed to funding this vital program that helps vulnerable children and their families. “Our duty as humanitarians is to intervene in order to ensure the food security for the people in the Gaza Strip strengthening their immunity, especially the children,” said our partners Beit Lahia Development Society.
We will all get through this, but the power of our supporters is important and needed now more than ever.
Recognizing our privilege to work from home, we ask you to join us in offering sincere gratitude to all the moms, dads, brothers, and sisters who are on the frontlines helping to keep us safe. Most importantly, stay safe during these extraordinary and unsettling times.
For the safety of the children and our partners, while the Coronavirus continues to impact communities across the globe, our response is to operate with remote management in place canceling all nonessential travel. For some areas of operation, local guidance impacts our ability to carry out our programs such as our Mobile Library in Lebanon. While we continue to monitor the situation, we thought this would be a good time to expose’ the work your donations continue to make possible!
Children living in refugee camps and makeshift settlements across Lebanon lack access to the resources needed to cultivate their education. Specifically, the lack of free books inhibits a child’s learning and reading ability. Books play a pivotal role in developing proper language acquisition and understanding how to communicate which improves confidence and success in their studies.
To encourage young children to engage with reading, KinderUSA has partnered with Fingerprint of Change to implement a Mobile Library. This program helps develop literacy skills, opening doors to new futures, while fostering cultural understanding. It is paramount for children to develop these skills at a young age.
Since January, the Mobile Library has successfully served 141 children and youth across Lebanon covering camps from the north to the south conducting storytelling, incorporating learning activities, and exposing children to a variety of new books. These children are being exposed to learning resources and educational opportunities they otherwise would not have access to. In addition, the program has taught them to embrace learning as a positive, daily activity.
Your ongoing support will allow the Mobile Library to continue providing valuable educational opportunities to underserved children within the camps and beyond. By donating you are providing children access to free books and learning exercises that will feed their eager minds and grow into confident, independent learners!
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