Aid to Palestinians in Gaza today is absolutely a lifeline keeping more than half the population from going hungry. With the cutting of funding and the ongoing, strangulating, blockade now in its 12th year, Gaza is degrading to a point of “uninhabitable”, a warning by the United Nations (UN) in 2015, less than 3 months from…
The high unemployment rate (52% overall, 75% among women heads of household) means more and more children are lacking the necessary supplies and clothing to attend school. Getting an education is a a gift that empowers minds, fosters bright futures, and provides opportunities. In Gaza, going to school also enables children to escape the trauma…
All of us at KinderUSA send our warmest wishes for a blessed Eid al Adha! During this Eid, we want to bring to your attention a health crisis in Gaza affecting children of all ages. Child malnutrition in Gaza has doubled in the last year and continues to increase as a result of the devastating…
In Gaza, families live under strict siege of land, sea, and air blockade, limiting the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza. Further, funding cuts to UNRWA coupled with frequent military attacks have disproportionately affected children’s physical and psychological well-being. During Ramadan, KinderUSA implemented a program for children from 8 of the…
Five year old Lina lives with her 9 member family on the border in Rafah, one of the poorest and most dangerous areas to live in Gaza due to the tunnels. All the children in the family suffer from malnourishment and all exhibit signs of stunting and rickets in addition to post traumatic stress disorder,…
Today, on World Refugee Day, we reflect on the importance of family. We are reminded of how Palestinian families in Gaza, the West Bank, and among the larger diaspora, scattered across the globe, persevere against a backdrop of continued denial of respect for human dignity, freedom, and universal human rights. These are values which we…
The people in Gaza are unjustly suffering and deserve the right to live as dignified human beings. Calls continue to come in to KinderUSA asking for food assistance. In the final days of Ramadan, over 2000 families have received healthy, nutritious food, restoring a portion of the dignity that has been stripped from them. Mohammed’s…
In the United States this week we celebrate Thanksgiving, so we wanted to take an opportunity not only to thank you for supporting the Palestinian children and keeping them in your thoughts, but to take a moment and ask for your continued support in delivering urgently need food.
Ibrahim lives near the border in northern Gaza with his 7 children. His home was protected by metal sheeting on the roof, flour bags on the windows. In order to feed his family, he relies on charities and is unable to provide simple, basic household needs.
“The recent assault on Gaza brought more fear and burdens to our family,” said Ibrahim. “Our home took severe damage, but most important, we survived. We were lucky. In one night we are homeless and now live with relatives whose economic situation is no better and now has increased their burden by 9 people.”
Gaza continues to suffer from total closure, inflicting unjustifiable punishment on the civilian population. Ibrahim continues, “I ask only for the poor people and children who have no guilt for these attacks. At least we need to feel safe and to live in dignity and to be able to feed our children.”
KinderUSA needs your help to raise $25,000 to continue the emergency food distribution and help 500 families like Ibrahim’s. Close to 2 million people live in Gaza, more than half children and in need of food.
All of us at KinderUSA are thankful for donors like you who stand in solidarity and remain committed to the children in Palestine.
Once again, Gaza was under assault, facing a barrage of explosions, destruction, and death. In the latest round of violence, a number of Palestinian children lost their lives and many more have been wounded and remain traumatized. Of course, the senseless deaths of innocent children should never be normalized. These children are more than mere statistics. And these children of Gaza are terrified.
Wednesday, 20 November, is World Children’s Day, a day set aside to promote children welfare and international togetherness. It is also the day when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child which establishes global standards for protection, survival, and development of children, without discrimination.
Rights of Palestinian children are violated on a daily basis. They are denied adequate nutrition, healthcare, education, and protection from violence. With the ongoing blockade entering its 13th year, there has never really been a time to feel safe or secure. Rolling electricity blackouts, shortages of clean drinking water, rampant unemployment, and severe cutbacks in international aid have all combined to render Gaza “unlivable”.
Meanwhile, food insecurity in Gaza continues to rise, with more than 70% of the population food insecure. Nearly every household – up to 93% – are unable to meet children’s basic needs.
In times such as these, many good people can feel helpless in the face of so much tragedy. Children cower in fear due to circumstances beyond their control, and we struggle to make sense of the world’s silence. We need to remember that there is something, however small, that we can do to alleviate some of this suffering.
Many families in Gaza need food and are appealing to organizations such as KinderUSA to bring relief. Our partner on the ground has mobilized and stands ready to begin distribution of food. We are asking you to help us deliver an urgent food parcel to families in need for as little as $75. Please, donate today, whatever is meaningful to you, and join us on World Children’s Day and take a stand for the children in Palestine.
Palestinian children living in occupied East Jerusalem are growing up in extremely difficult conditions. In Shu’fat refugee camp, poverty and a lack of basic services persist even though it is classified as part of East Jerusalem.
There are an estimated 24,000 residents in the camp, the majority children, on approximately 78 square miles, completely enclosed and cut off from Jerusalem by the Wall. Socio-economic problems are prevalent within the Camp and its surrounding areas, with 76% of the residents of East Jerusalem and 83.4% of the children living below the poverty line, according to the poverty report of the National Insurance Institute (2017).
The camp suffers from high unemployment and a prevalence of drug abuse among the youth. Children feel insecure and most live in poverty with little public space to play.
In partnership with the Women Center, KinderUSA is funding daily meals for 120 children along with sessions on healthy eating. Volunteers prepare the meals and provide coaching in healthier eating by avoiding the chips and candy prevalent in their diets.
One of the beneficiaries, Murad, comes from a household with 2 brothers and 3 sisters. His father is an invalid and unable to work so the family relies on charities for all their needs. Murad’s mother is grateful her son can have the benefit of the meal from KinderUSA and the Women Centre knowing it contributes to his well-being and reduces her concern about how he will receive a good meal that day.
For as little as $2 a day per child, your support will create a ripple effect of positive change enabling an environment that promotes healthier eating while building resilience!
Aid to Palestinians in Gaza today is absolutely a lifeline keeping more than half the population from going hungry.
With the cutting of funding and the ongoing, strangulating, blockade now in its 12th year, Gaza is degrading to a point of “uninhabitable”, a warning by the United Nations (UN) in 2015, less than 3 months from now. Arguably, it already is.
Restrictions on movement and access to basic goods, 97% of its water not suitable for human consumption, health and education facilities struggling to meet the needs of a population with limited electricity – 4 hours a day for those without the means to purchase generators. Most critically, access to nutritional food with more than 68% of the population “food insecure” according the UN.
Aid to Palestinians in Gaza today is absolutely a lifeline keeping more than half the population from going hungry.
KinderUSA is continuing its Nutritional Meals program in Gaza, providing more than 32,000 meals to 14 kindergartens this school semester. Women cooperatives prepare the meals providing them with an income to care for their own families. For many of these children, it is the only meal they will eat that day.
“My son has interest in school now and is doing much better. Sometimes, he brings home his food to share with his brothers and mother who do not have the same benefit,” said Abu Ibrahim about his son Sajid who attends a school in Beit Hanoun. Sajid’s mother suffered a stroke and must rely on her husband to care for her and the children.
“There are 12 of us and I do what I can collecting junk for sale to bring food home. Most days, it is impossible and I must rely on charities to help feed my family,” says Abu Ibrahim. There is always a determination and perseverance in the voices of Palestinians. But how long can this last? And what of the children?
Please continue to support KinderUSA’s Nutritional Meals program and all programs bringing relief to Gazan’s. We must continue our efforts and remain engaged for the future of all Gaza’s children.
The high unemployment rate (52% overall, 75% among women heads of household) means more and more children are lacking the necessary supplies and clothing to attend school.
Getting an education is a a gift that empowers minds, fosters bright futures, and provides opportunities. In Gaza, going to school also enables children to escape the trauma of life under siege and to feel normal.
Many families in Gaza do not have the funds to buy uniforms or school supplies for their children, who prefer to stay home rather than attend school in tattered, ill-fitting uniforms. The high unemployment rate (52% overall, 75% among women heads of household) means more and more children are lacking the necessary supplies and clothing to attend school.
Last year, Um Raeda, who heads a family of 10 was relieved to have her children fitted with school uniforms. “I don’t have the money and my children feel shame to go to school. This voucher gave us all a chance to hope.”
This year, as in the past, KinderUSA will provide families with vouchers to purchase trousers and shirts for the boys, dresses for the girls, shoes, socks, underwear, and a school bag with all the necessary supplies to get them through the year.
To get an education in Gaza means jumping hurdles. The economic deprivation, coupled with continuous power outages, sometimes up to 20 hours a day, affects their ability to study, concentrate, and learn. Electricity outages also affect the schools’ ability to provide safe drinking water for their students.
“Despite these obstacles,” said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Board Chair, KinderUSA, “even the most destitute children in Gaza still want to go to school and learn. The least we can do is help them participate with dignity by providing clothing and supplies like everyone else.”
Next week more than half a million children will go back to school in Gaza. We will be caring for at least 525 students. You can help empower these eager young minds by supplying them with the necessary clothing and supplies for as little as $40 per child. The future of children in Gaza depends on our support.
All of us at KinderUSA send our warmest wishes for a blessed Eid al Adha!
During this Eid, we want to bring to your attention a health crisis in Gaza affecting children of all ages.
Child malnutrition in Gaza has doubled in the last year and continues to increase as a result of the devastating effects of the ongoing blockade. Unemployment is at a staggering 49% (women 71%)- the world’s highest –wreaking havoc on households and devastating the economy. Parents do not have the money to put food on the table for their children. “Many families wait for neighbors to help and relief agencies. There is not much they can do, so they wait,” reports Hana, KinderUSA Country coordinator.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), families are not receiving enough iron rich foods resulting in high rates of anemia. The WHO further reports that “more than 6 percent of infants have never been breastfed, and more than 55 percent of infants are not exclusively breastfeeding.” Mothers do not have the nourishment to lactate and many suffer anemia during pregnancy ultimately relying on relief agencies to provide infant formula after giving birth.
“Breastfeeding is known to increase immunity and protect infants from certain infections as well as reduce their exposure to water-borne illnesses causing diarrhea,” said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Chair of KinderUSA. “The forced siege of Gaza is disabling the population, preventing women even from nourishing their own children with breastmilk. While the world focuses on advancing breastfeeding in places like Africa to protect children, we are watching a deliberate policy undermine those very efforts in Gaza. ”
KinderUSA continues to provide sustainable meals to children in summer camp and during the school year with our nutritional meals program which kicks off in September.
Until the blockade ends, babies will continue to be born into homes without food and at risk of disease. Gazans are being prevented from supporting themselves and even international aid is not making much of a difference. The blockade must end.
This Eid, please help us provide sustenance and hope to the families in Gaza and consider making a donation today: $25, $50, $100 or whatever is meaningful to you.
In Gaza, families live under strict siege of land, sea, and air blockade, limiting the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza. Further, funding cuts to UNRWA coupled with frequent military attacks have disproportionately affected children’s physical and psychological well-being.
During Ramadan, KinderUSA implemented a program for children from 8 of the most marginalized areas of Gaza. Our goal was to reach 1400 children, but when parents heard of the program, they pleaded with representatives to include their children as “they have nothing here.” In the end, 1950 children participated in a month of activities that included a meal to break fast at the close of each day.
Children ranged in age from 7-15 who come from families with no income, makeshift housing, and have no safe play areas. From story-telling to basketball, young coordinators were paid a stipend to bring 4 hours a day of fun filled activity for these children. “Many of the children did not eat all their food, taking it home to their families who did not have such a meal”, said Ahmed, a coordinator. “Most of the children were nervous at first. Their families cannot afford taking them to special places, like a garden or sports club because they are very poor and consider playing games a luxury, not a basic need.” “Children have an inherent right to play, and to think children are growing up with belief that play is a luxury informs all of us, we must do better,” said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Chairperson KinderUSA.
KinderUSA is continuing this program through the summer so children will know that playing is not a luxury, but a right. Please consider making an online donation today to help us continue this program through the brutally hot summer days in Gaza.
Five year old Lina lives with her 9 member family on the border in Rafah, one of the poorest and most dangerous areas to live in Gaza due to the tunnels. All the children in the family suffer from malnourishment and all exhibit signs of stunting and rickets in addition to post traumatic stress disorder, a consequence of the repeated wars and cross border fighting.
Lina is a beneficiary of the nutritional meals program KinderUSA sponsors at her kindergarten. Since the program began, Lina’s weight has increased since the beginning of the semester and she has become more active and participatory in the classroom. Her mother, Heba, noted that Lina now looks forward to going to school and comes home “happy and talks about her day.” Often, she has taken some of her food home to share with her siblings who do not benefit from the program at their schools.
When you donate to KinderUSA, you are not simply supporting a charity, you are affirming the dignity of Palestinian children and, indeed, all the world’s children. We believe that every child deserves the right to live in peace and safety and to hope for a better future.
Today, on World Refugee Day, we reflect on the importance of family. We are reminded of how Palestinian families in Gaza, the West Bank, and among the larger diaspora, scattered across the globe, persevere against a backdrop of continued denial of respect for human dignity, freedom, and universal human rights.
These are values which we all share. Yet in Palestine, a mother must face the possible tragedy of her child dying alone in a hospital in Jerusalem while she remains behind in Gaza due to the denial of a travel permit. Palestinian mothers face a cruel dilemma. They know that if they do not allow their infant children to travel alone to Jerusalem – without the comfort of their voice or their loving touch – their children may die.
When you donate to KinderUSA, you are not simply supporting a charity, you are affirming the dignity of Palestinian children and, indeed, all the world’s children. We believe that every child deserves the right to live in peace and safety and to hope for a better future.
On World Refugee Day, we once again ask you to support these innocent children.
The people in Gaza are unjustly suffering and deserve the right to live as dignified human beings. Calls continue to come in to KinderUSA asking for food assistance. In the final days of Ramadan, over 2000 families have received healthy, nutritious food, restoring a portion of the dignity that has been stripped from them. Mohammed’s family is just one example.
Aged 12, Mohammed is one of 5 children in Fares and Rana’s home situated in Beit Lahia, Gaza. Each day after school Mohammed finds odd jobs to help his family as his father is physically disabled and can no longer work.
The family receives $100 a month in aid that helps with medicine, food, and all the household needs. Mohammed does his part bringing approximately $1 a day hauling trash, or delivering goods. “Whatever I can find!” says Mohammed, proudly.
Beneficiaries of the Ramadan fresh food distribution, Fares said, “Some weeks we live on one kilo of tomatoes. Its all we can afford. I don’t know when we last had meat or any full meal. This is a true blessing. My children have not seen this much food in a very long time. Thank you to all who gave us this chance.”
KinderUSA as reached the final stages of the second distribution of fresh food to families in Gaza. Through a policy of siege, now in its twelfth year, two million people are isolated, impoverished, and mostly ignored by the outside world. The injustice in Gaza is daunting, but YOU, our donors, have provided a glimmer of hope this Ramadan. Thank you.
