"We welcome the recent news of a plan to ease access to civilian goods entering Gaza after more than three years of closure.  But we must not lose sight of the  fact  that severe restrictions in the movement of goods and persons is still in place and that a blockade of any sort is a form of collective punishment which is illegal under international law,” said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Chairperson KinderUSA.

KinderUSA is continuing its work in the health sector where there is a steady deterioration of care.  The shortages and rolling black-outs of electricity, the lack of medical supplies, and the appalling condition of medical equipment all contribute to an antiquated system that is functioning at less than half of capacity.

Working in cooperation with a local organization, KinderUSA is supporting a Cystic Fibrosis project in the Gaza Strip that is providing full and comprehensive health services that include consultation, diagnosis, treatment, and psychological and social rehabilitation for children and their parents. Cystic fibrosis is a chronic disease that is deadly if untreated or poorly treated but with regular basic care children can survive into adulthood. Toddlers are the highest percentage of patients being seen by the staff of professionals, though infants and pre-school children are among the treated.

Many parents are unable to cope both financially and with the proper skills to care for children with Cystic Fibrosis who need a clean environment, a regular supply of oxygen and Inhalation therapy which need electricity in order to function along with medications such as enzymes and antibiotics.

Follow-up care for these children, who often times are misdiagnosed, is paramount for improving the quality of life of the family as a whole.

The new focus on Gaza due to the tragic loss of life may give some hope for the next generation. We are doing our best to make a difference but the current situation will only deteriorate and cannot be solved with aid alone.  The only sustainable solution is to lift the closure.

We at KinderUSA mourn the tragic loss of life on the Mavi Marmara ship that was on its way to Gaza on Monday.  We commend those on the ships whose goal is to break the inhumane siege on over a million people and to bring badly needed humanitarian supplies.

The blockade against Gaza is entering its fourth year. According to groups like UNICEF, Amnesty International, the UN Relief Works Agency and the World Health Organization, over three quarters of the population in Gaza are food insecure relying on aid subsidies in order to meet the minimum standard for subsistence.  Only 23% of the population in Gaza is able to afford the high prices for basic items such as poultry and dairy products.  Malnutrition among children has increased significantly since the siege began.

The primary victims of this blockade are the children many of whom know only a life with limited choices.

As Ramadan approaches, KinderUSA continues to work with our partners in Gaza as we prepare farmers to harvest and distribute locally produced agriculture to families in need and enable our women's cooperative to provide locally made cheese.  We are motivated to continue our support by the solidarity from concerned individuals like you who believe we must find the resolve to end the siege before its destructive consequences become irreversible.

We thank you for your continued support that allows the children in Gaza to survive another day with the hope that someday, God willing, the future will be brighter.

While the worlds’ attention is on the horrific disaster in Haiti with the Haitian government recently reporting over 100,000 dead and hundreds of thousands more injured, the Gaza Strip continues to spiral down a path of catastrophic deterioration.  The blockade on Gaza, now in its third year, brings more children to the brink of starvation each day with a record 1 in ten already suffering from severe malnourishment leading to stunting, a condition attributed to chronic lack of protein and micronutrients.  This is a manmade disaster with no end in sight, affecting an entire generation.

The economy is in collapse, unemployment continues to rise (41.5% officially as of the first quarter in 2009), and poverty desperately high at 80% with families living on less than one dollar a day per person.   The health sector, already volatile, is rapidly eroding affecting a society already on the brink.  In a report issued 20 January 2010, the World Health Organization stated “The closure of Gaza […] and the last Israeli military strike […] have led to on-going deterioration in the social, economic and environmental determinants of health.”  The report goes on to note that last year, “. . . 27 patients have died while awaiting referral . . .” to cross Eretz for medical treatment.

Prior to the blockade, 630 truckloads of goods including construction materials entered Gaza daily.  Today only 25% of that number trickles in with only 35 types of goods allowed, most of which are staple food imports. Just enough to drip feed a society though they are forced to remain in the freezing cold without structures, huddled in makeshift tents, under plastic sheets, or in the debris of their former homes as cement, lumber, and other building materials are not allowed.  As former President Jimmy Carter noted last year, ““I understand even paper and crayons are treated as "security hazards" and not permitted to enter Gaza.”

These are all the physical signs of a manmade tragedy.  Unseen amongst the children is trauma in knowing that there are no safe places in Gaza as their homes, schools, and play areas have been destroyed with no signs of repair.  The level of insecurity these children feel in incalculable and will affects every aspect of life for years to come.

Watching the images on television of the devastation that Haitian children are enduring, we find comfort in knowing that the world is pulling together bringing hope to their lives.  The children in Gaza seek the same hope.