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.…
Dear KinderUSA Supporters, In this extraordinary time, all of us at KinderUSA want to assure you that more than ever, we are committed to our mission to serve, and advocate for the Palestine children and their families. Due to the unparalleled events unfolding across the globe and here at home, KinderUSA is canceling our annual…
Following the tremendous success of our 2019 Ramadan Fundraising Iftar, we invite you once again to break fast with us as we help the most impoverished children and their families in Gaza and the refugee camps. We are very excited to have as our Keynote speaker this year, Professor of History at the University of…
The continued deterioration on the ground in Gaza, coupled with a blockade now entering its 13th year of land, sea, and air, has pushed more and more families to the brink further eroding their ability to afford basic needs just in order to survive. More than two-thirds of Gaza’s’ population is food insecure and more…
Your support remains critical as we usher in a new year and we thank YOU for standing with us, but more importantly, with the children in Palestine!
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!
Dear KinderUSA Supporters,
In this extraordinary time, all of us at KinderUSA want to assure you that more than ever, we are committed to our mission to serve, and advocate for the Palestine children and their families.
Due to the unparalleled events unfolding across the globe and here at home, KinderUSA is canceling our annual Ramadan fundraising dinner in Glendale, CA scheduled for May 9, 2020. Part of our decision was based on the strong belief that our supporters will stand with the Palestinian children from wherever they are and of course, we know social distancing saves lives and enables the health-care system to keep up and help those most at risk. For those who have already registered, we will be reaching out to you individually.
Going forward, KinderUSA coordinating team will determine a date to reschedule our event, Reviving Hope, in the fall once we are sure this unprecedented disruption in our lives has come to an end. In the meantime, please continue to support our efforts for the Palestinian people throughout Ramadan and beyond. It means so much to be able to count on supporters like you in critical moments like this.
Thank you,
KinderUSA Team
Following the tremendous success of our 2019 Ramadan Fundraising Iftar, we invite you once again to break fast with us as we help the most impoverished children and their families in Gaza and the refugee camps.
We are very excited to have as our Keynote speaker this year, Professor of History at the University of Michigan and Informed Comment founder, Juan Cole. Mr. Cole has written a new book entitled ‘Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires’.
Click the following link to purchase tickets. http://bit.ly/Iftar2020
The continued deterioration on the ground in Gaza, coupled with a blockade now entering its 13th year of land, sea, and air, has pushed more and more families to the brink further eroding their ability to afford basic needs just in order to survive. More than two-thirds of Gaza’s’ population is food insecure and more than 90% lack access to clean water with a health system on the verge of collapse.
Bassam, the father of 8 children, the youngest being 1, lives in a 2 room structure with no windows, situated on the border near Beit Lahia where flooding occurred recently and violence is ongoing. Unemployed like more than 50% of the male population, Bassam relies on humanitarian assistance to feed his family.
“I cannot move around and leave the house because of continued aggression and bombing. How do I leave my family with the sounds of explosions that happen around us? They are in fear and so am I,” said Bassam.
A recipient of KinderUSA’s Emergency Food Distribution program, Bassam and his family are just one of the 450 families who received fresh food parcels and dairy sourced from 18 local farmers whose families also benefited.
“I did not receive any food aid in the previous period and when I received this, it was needed and my family was very happy. The quantity and quality was some we have not had since Ramadan. I do not have money to buy this type of food for my family. This was the biggest blessing I could ask,” said Bassam.
Palestinians, and children in particular, continue to face enormous challenges paying the highest price for a reality not of their making. We are helping as best we can, but we do need your continued support. Please consider making an online donation today and help us help the most vulnerable. Thank you.
It was the beginning of this year when a parliament member tellingly stated, “Our lives take precedence to the quality of their lives.” He was referring to the Palestinians in Gaza.
In 2012, the UN published a report deeming Gaza unlivable by 2020 at a time when 29% of the population was unemployed. Today that number has been set by the World Bank at 53% with Gaza’s youth at 67%, and women over 70%.
Approaching 2020 in less than 48 hours, KinderUSA continues to respond to the most pressing need facing Gazan’s; food. The ongoing, suffocating, blockade, moving into its 13th year, drip feeds Gazan’s without the benefit of drinking water; 97% of which is undrinkable.
As we close out the year, we have ambitious plans going forward to make a greater impact on the lives of Palestinians. Your year-end gift today will continue to bring fresh food to families in some of the most marginalized areas of Gaza, train women in chicken farming, provide freshly prepared meals to kindergartens, and kick start a new mobile library in Lebanon that will serve children in the camps and Syrian settlements.
If you have already made an end of year gift, we thank you! If you have not, please consider making an online donation today. Our work is guided by your generosity which is an expression of solidarity with the world’s most vulnerable children whose future and well-being affect us all.
On behalf of the children we serve, our partner organizations, our board of directors and the staff of KinderUSA, thank you for your support and warmest wishes for a new year of peace, hope, and security for all.
Your support remains critical as we usher in a new year and we thank YOU for standing with us, but more importantly, with the children in Palestine!
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