Zaid’s Story

Latest News, NewsroomBy Dalell Mohmed February 2, 2022

In Palestine, KinderUSA’s primary mission is to provide an environment of safety and the nurturing of good health in children living under such brutal conditions. Providing all children the chance to live with dignity, good health, education, and shelter should be the mission of all. Subjected to one of the longest blockades in human history,…

How Rebuilding Palestine’s Health Centers Can Help its Children Power Through the Pandemic

Latest News, NewsroomBy Dalell Mohmed October 15, 2021

Lebanon In Darkness

Latest News, NewsroomBy Dalell Mohmed September 23, 2021

Lebanon has fallen into an economic and financial collapse which the World Bank describes as one of the top three global crises since the mid 20th century. The Central Bank has cut subsidies, further disrupting the livelihoods of Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian residents who suffer from the fallout. Long queues for fuel are a current fixture, with essential…

Abu Nawwar: A Life of Survival

Latest News, NewsroomBy Dalell Mohmed August 11, 2021

A Life of Survival & Children Deprived of Their Rights Guest author, Muhammed Mahareq The Abu Nuwar area (Bedouin encampment) is located in East Jerusalem and is surrounded by Israeli settlements. About 1,200 people live in this area, which is constantly attacked and harassed by the occupation forces and under constant threat of deportation from…

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] No one in Gaza is safe! Entire families have been obliterated. Medical facilities, infrastructure, homes, and entire apartment blocks have been reduced to rubble. Over 500,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance now. KinderUSA is preparing to distribute food baskets and market vouchers to families in Gaza allowing them to shop at local…

Subjected to one of the longest blockades in human history, since 2007, whose public health system has been destroyed repeatedly, and where the risk of disease is widespread, less than 4% of fresh water is drinkable, children in Gaza suffer every kind of human rights violation. Survival is a challenge that no child should have to struggle with in our time.

Working in partnership with the Future Development Commission, KinderUSA has been providing freshly prepared meals to children in 13 kindergartens serving 800 children. Eleven women working in a cooperative are paid to prepare the meals which include meat and cheese filled pies, vegetable, and juice. Many of these children attend school having only tea and dry bread in the morning to carry them through the day.

One of the beneficiaries, Zaid, was identified by his teachers shy and withdrawn, and would not interact with classmates nor would he participate in activities. Now, eating lunch together with his peers, Zaid has blossomed like many of his classmates. Zaid’s mother and the teachers all thank you, our donors, for providing meals to these marginalized children giving them the sustenance they need and deserve to grow and thrive.

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The world has been living through a pandemic for more than a year now, and most of us have found ways to cope. We’re lucky: services like Amazon and DoorDash deliver necessities straight to our homes, and our healthcare professionals work round-the-clock to keep us safe. In the war-torn occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), however, millions of civilians are left to fight a two-faced battle against its occupier and COVID-19. Just last May, the 11 consecutive days of airstrikes from Israeli military forces killed numerous doctors and caused over 10 health facilities to be damaged, including the Rimal clinic, Gaza’s only major COVID-19 laboratory. These actions have further impaired access to healthcare and trampled the population’s ability to ward off the virus. Subsequently, with the Palestinian territories beginning to report cases of the Delta variant last August, the region’s children are more vulnerable than ever before. Aid is now sorely needed to provide emergency relief, including helping Palestinians rebuild the foundation of their shaken healthcare system. With such efforts, we can soften the harmful impact of the conflict, preserving their undeniable right to accessible healthcare.

A Jarring and Lasting Impact

In any war, children are among the most vulnerable, and both Gaza and the West Bank are no exception. We reported just last month that 75 children have been killed by the conflict this year alone, making for an average of 1 child lost every three days. That’s not all, though: the Delta variant is now the most dominant strain of COVID-19 in Palestine. Since it mostly affects the unvaccinated — including children not eligible for the vaccine — local children are increasingly at risk as schools stay open for the second month since the pandemic began.

Getting Back On Their Feet

To date, a total of 24 medical facilities have been partially or completely destroyed by attacks. And with remaining centers being overwhelmed by both conflict-related injuries and COVID patients, the estimated 1 million children who live in the Palestinian territories may face being barred access to healthcare completely. Through KinderUSA.org, even a simple one-time or small monthly donation can help our programs reach children in the oPt. Such initiatives include tutoring programs covering subjects like Arabic, English, math, science, reading, and writing. Schooling, in particular, has been a priority for American aid providers as a whole, with the US Department of State itself supporting UN-led educational programs in the area. However, Mark Lombardi, president of Maryville University in St. Louis, notes that not just any kind of educational program can fit the bill. “[W]e are no longer keepers of knowledge. We must serve instead as agile facilitators of knowledge, evolving and adapting to the new reality of how information flows through the world,” said Lombardi, a prominent contributor to Maryville University’s higher education leadership program. He was talking about education’s role in the modern world as this applies to all initiatives to improve the education of children. The program uses dynamic, future-focused lessons to produce compassionate leaders that can help students flourish, even in times of adversity and unexpected circumstances. “Unlocking the innate potential of all students requires recentering [education] around students and their individual learning journeys.” Kinder USA also spearheads a Nutritional Meals program that provides up to 32,000 meals to 14 kindergartens in a semester and a Women Empowerment Chicken Farming program that aims to provide more work opportunities to low-income, women-led households in Gaza.

Powering Through

Despite all the unprecedented difficulties they’re facing, however, children in the oPT are doing what children do best: maintaining endless positivity and hope for the future. Our recent music festival is evidence that children just want to be children. Meanwhile, multiple ongoing initiatives are focusing on nurturing these children’s mental health. One is Drama4Healing, our theater-based approach to therapy created in collaboration with the Palestinian grassroots organization Yes Theatre in Hebron. The avenue helps children express their emotions, learn coping mechanisms to combat the trauma they’ve experienced, and socialize with others. “The lives of these children and their families have value and cannot be taken with impunity,” Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, KinderUSA chairperson and Muslim Women’s League co-founder asserts. “We have to help replace despair with hope, reminding the global community that Gaza’s children belong to all of us. And indeed, these children are proving resilient and are staying positive, and that’s why we never tire of doing what we can to help. Together, we can give them what people need most, fulfilling their rights to food, education, shelter, health, comfort — and, above all, their right to a healthy future. Written by Audrey Jasmine Clarke Exclusive for KinderUSA.org

How You Can Make an Impact, Today: As little as $25 a month for a family of four or more, less than a dollar a day, your donation will carry these families through this challenging period in Lebanon. You can join the effort to extend our reach by donating today. Your support means so much to those in need, so please give whatever is meaningful to you. Thank you.

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Lebanon has fallen into an economic and financial collapse which the World Bank describes as one of the top three global crises since the mid 20^th century. The Central Bank has cut subsidies, further disrupting the livelihoods of Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian residents who suffer from the fallout. Long queues for fuel are a current fixture, with essential public services primarily non-existent. Currently, families lack water and electricity for lighting, generators are considered a luxury, and fuel is scarce, with the cost steadily increasing. Daily blackouts are a norm, with residents experiencing up to 22 hours a day without electricity, limiting shop owners from offering dairy products in their stores. The amount of food available for children in their homes is insufficient, and many families experience hunger and severe food insecurity. Over four million people, including one million refugees, are at grave risk of losing drinkable water. Prices continue to rise to unattainable levels for the most basic necessities. A bag of bread can cost a months’ wages for some residents. As of June, nearly 80% of the population lacks sufficient funding to purchase food, which directly impacts children, causing them to miss meals and go to bed hungry. Our Relief Efforts in Action KinderUSA and its implementing partner on the ground, FingerPrint of Change, are focusing on providing immediate relief and have started distributing food to areas surrounding Beirut, Bekaa Valley, the South, and Palestinian camps and surrounding informal settlements.

At this time, women are preparing freshly cooked, nutritious meals containing rice, chicken or beef, vegetables, yogurt, bread, and fruit to 670 families in need. These same women will prepare “mouneh,” following a Lebanese tradition of preserving foods that require no refrigeration or further preparation. Families will also receive dry rice, lentils, and canned meat to carry them through the winter months. All items necessary for this project will be purchased in the local distribution markets to support the region. The youth living in the North and South camps will be paid a stipend to distribute the food. KinderUSA

stresses the urgency of humanitarian support to prevent the needless and unforeseen suffering of children going forward. Lebanon is in a freefall, and families are on the brink of hunger. “One of the beneficiaries felt relieved because for today, he no longer had to think about how to secure a meal for his children, and a woman in Sabra Camp began to cry when she saw us coming with food saying she almost forgot the taste of fruit,” said Loubane Tay Executive Director of FingerPrint of Change. How You Can Make an Impact, Today: As little as $25 a month for a family of four or more, less than a dollar a day, your donation will carry these families through this challenging period in Lebanon. You can join the effort to extend our reach by donating today. Your support means so much to those in need, so please give whatever is meaningful to you. Thank you.

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A Life of Survival & Children Deprived of Their Rights Guest author, Muhammed Mahareq The Abu Nuwar area (Bedouin encampment) is located in East Jerusalem and is surrounded by Israeli settlements. About 1,200 people live in this area, which is constantly attacked and harassed by the occupation forces and under constant threat of deportation from this area. From 2015 until now, the area has faced continuous demolitions of their homes: tin houses owned and lived in by residents.

There is one school in the area that accommodates 230 students (Male & Female), which was demolished on numerous occasions in 2015, 2016, 2018 and rebuilt by the residents constructing tin classrooms to teach the area’s children. Unfortunately, the residents were prevented from increasing the number of tin classrooms through ‘orders’ by the occupation authorities.

The area is approximately 5 miles walking dangerous terrain to the nearest town south of Jerusalem, which is the Al-Eizariya village, where residents experience their own difficulties with the loss of security and safety, in addition to deprivation and marginalization of their most basic rights. These Bedouin refugees were displaced from their homes and towns in southern Palestine during the Nakah in 1948 and have lived in this area since, far from basic services and towns, in very difficult living conditions. The people in this area mainly depend on raising sheep, but most of them suffer from extreme poverty due to the lack of work opportunities and are prevented from freedom of movement. The area lacks potable fresh water, as there are no water wells. The occupation authorities prevent the residents from digging wells, and the residents rely on fetching water, walking far distances just for drinking water. This area also lacks health facilities and treatment centers, with the nearest medical center in the Al-Eizariya village which they reach by foot. Further, and in addition to the lack of water, they must rely on diesel fuel for lighting their houses. The population is one of the neediest and most marginalized people in the region, denied their most basic rights to live in freedom and dignity. Children are deprived of education, healthcare, and their basic rights, suffering from malnourishment and the normal life every child should enjoy.

The Women’s Center partners with KinderUSA to provide marginalized children with healthy food to help and support them in their daily lives. Please consider making an online donation TODAY to help sustain our projects!

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In the occupied Palestinian territory, the death of three children across the West Bank in the past week adds to the growing number of children killed and the deafening silence from the international community again. An 11-year-old boy was killed in Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, after being shot by the occupation forces in the chest while sitting in a car with his sister and father. Children are given special protection under international law, a right that is routinely flouted when it comes to Israel. In 2021, more than 75 children were killed by the occupation forces averaging 1 every 3 days. In Gaza, the loss of over 260 human lives coupled with extensive property loss and damage after 11 days of assault on a civilian population in May adds to the worsening, downward spiral of the humanitarian crisis. Two months later, communities are still in shock from the loss of life that included entire families. Property destroyed will remain a pile of rubble due to the ongoing blockade preventing construction materials, spare parts, and equipment. While the occupation forces operate with impunity, so do settlers in the Jordan Valley who violently attacked and injured 13 children while another group assaulted 3 Palestinians in Hebron while damaging trees and property. These events do not occur in isolation but are part of the strong-arm tactics inherent to an apartheid state. An entire generation has grown up knowing only closed borders, demolitions, and repeated assaults. “Our home was destroyed. We lost relatives. We live in the dark. What more do they want from us?”, said Um Arafat of Beit Hanoun. While statements of concern and condemnation are appreciated, they do not hold anyone accountable for the indiscriminate attacks on children and other civilians. “We have to do more than express our outrage,” said Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Chairperson of KinderUSA. “It is incumbent upon the international community to do whatever it takes to exert meaningful pressure on the occupiers to refrain from the use of excessive force in all circumstances, not only during major assaults on Gaza. Freedom from the fear of being killed is a fundamental right that must be protected, especially for these children of Palestine.”

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Eight-year-old Nisreen is just one of the 200 beneficiaries participating in our Nutritional Meals program at The Women’s Centre located in Shu’fat Camp, East Jerusalem. Nisreen says that she loves school but the reality is that harassment at the checkpoints has made it hard for her and her siblings to regularly attend classes. She is an orphan whose mother struggles to make ends meet with the 530 Shekels that she earns monthly from sewing. Nisreen, her mother, and four siblings live in a one-room tin hut in the Bedouin village of Khan Al Ahmar. They struggle to make ends meet and sometimes do not have enough money to even buy the basic necessities including fuel for electricity. Nisreen and her siblings have benefitted from our Healthy Meals Initiative that provides healthy meals daily that they would not benefit from if not for the program. Even though Nisreen and her siblings’ educational needs are at risk due to the occupation, KinderUSA has provided them with consistent meals to meet their developmental needs. There are countless children in the West Bank and the surrounding areas that are in need of the same assistance as Nisreen and her siblings. By supporting KinderUSA you are providing these children with a chance to develop and grow up healthy, providing them with a chance at a content and robust life.

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KinderUSA is honored and humbled to report that Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai donated $25,000 to support the children we serve in Palestine. Our ongoing efforts in the East Jerusalem, West Bank, and Gaza speak to the need and the horrors Palestinian children face daily from the occupation and human rights abuses. Along with KinderUSA, Malala donated $100,000 to Save the Children, and $25,000 to DCI Palestine. In Gaza, we are currently distributing fresh food and store vouchers to impoverished families in the northern area. Our team is assessing whether KinderUSA’s rehabilitation project in 60 schools providing water tanks for clean drinking water suffered damage. Malala’s contribution is joining our efforts to reverse the nightmare of occupation and war, bringing peace, hope, and security for all children. “I pray for a lasting peace in the region and call on leaders to protect every child’s fundamental rights,” Malala Yousafzai. “Thank you, Malala, for your tireless and fearless commitment to the innocent children of Palestine and to the children across the globe. It is a privilege to stand alongside such a courageous woman,” Dr. Laila Al-Marayati, Chairperson KinderUSA.

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After 11 bloody days of bombardment, the people in Gaza are still in shock and traumatized not knowing if, or when, the bombs will rain down again. With drones flying overhead, the blockade of land, air, and sea, a ‘ceasefire’ does not translate security and stability for Gazans. The most recent human toll in Gaza estimates 253 Palestinians dead. Approximately 66 of the deceased include children. After the rubble is cleared and critical cases have been treated, the number will surely increase. Sadly, physical, emotional, and psychological trauma is the norm in Gaza for people of all ages. A recent assessment of the damage done revealed that no corner or civilian was left unharmed. In the health sector, which was already on the brink of collapse, the outcome was devastating. Six hospitals and eleven clinics were damaged including the only COVID-19 laboratory in all of Gaza. Unfortunately, the physician of that clinic has been hospitalized amid the ongoing global pandemic. According to UNICEF, a total of 57 education facilities in the Gaza Strip suffered damage and schools remain closed, affecting some 600,000 children. KinderUSA has just finished a water rehabilitation project in 60 schools, refurbishing their lavatories and providing water tanks for clean drinking water. We are still awaiting a report of the extent of the damages if any. Clean drinking water in Gaza is elusive with over 800,000 lacking regular access to tap water. The electricity in Gaza is dependent upon fuel which is in severe supply shortages. The rippling effect impacts the water supply as electricity, which is only available 3-4 hours a day, is needed to pump clean water. The risk of spreading COVID-19 due to poor hygiene and sanitation, coupled with families having to rush to alternative housing in UNRWA schools to avoid the bombardment, is of critical concern. KinderUSA is working with our partners on the ground to provide immediate food essentials to the most marginalized in the north of Gaza. We have identified 900 families who will receive fresh food from locally sourced farmers and a store voucher to shop at the local market to buy household items. This effort helps boost the local economy while ensuring children receive proper nutrition. We must reiterate what Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said: “If there is a hell on earth, it is the lives of children in Gaza today.” This inhumane occupation and denial of human rights for the Palestinian people must end.

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The barbaric attack on a civilian population in Gaza has obliterated entire families while destroying medical facilities, infrastructure, homes, and entire apartment blocks, reducing them to rubble. According to the World Health Organization significant damage to multiple health facilities in the Gaza Strip including the destruction of the Hala Al Shawa primary care clinic and substantial damage to the central testing laboratory for COVID-19 al Rimal clinic in Gaza City. To date, 24 health facilities have suffered partial or complete damage. The blockade and closure of entry and exit points in Gaza for patients, humanitarian health teams, and the entry of medical supplies, has exacerbated an already catastrophic health crisis. In the West Bank, militant settlers aided by the military and police have prevented medical teams from accessing casualties. Many have been beaten and injured in addition to damaging, detention, and confiscation of ambulances, and attacks on health facilities and businesses. The industrial zone in Gaza built with USAID funds has been destroyed with factories and companies bombed further ensuring loss of jobs and economic restructuring after Covid, adding to the humanitarian catastrophe. As of this update, 230 Gazans have lost their lives, including 65 children. This number is sure to rise as many have been critically injured. More than 50,000 people have lost their homes or have been forced to leave and are now sheltered in UNWRA schools. The only Covid-19 laboratory was destroyed, and vaccines are currently unavailable, worsening the ongoing threat of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, more than half of the population requires humanitarian assistance. KinderUSA is preparing to distribute food baskets and market vouchers to families in Gaza allowing them to shop at local stores to buy essential items and to have all basic food items delivered to them. Many families are in remote locations and cannot travel, so our team will bring food directly to them. Our goal is to help families, local merchants and farmers recover some of the economic loss all Gazans are facing again. A cease-fire has been negotiated. International humanitarian aid must be allowed entry along with medical evacuations. Military occupation, political deadlock, and hopelessness cannot continue and although the missiles have stopped, the appalling loss of civilian life without accountability predicts another war. It is time for our government along with the international community to speak with one voice and protect the rights of the Palestinian people.

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No one in Gaza is safe! Entire families have been obliterated. Medical facilities, infrastructure, homes, and entire apartment blocks have been reduced to rubble. Over 500,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance now.

KinderUSA is preparing to distribute food baskets and market vouchers to families in Gaza allowing them to shop at local stores to buy essential items and to have all basic food items delivered to them. Our goal is to help families, local merchants and farmers recover some of the economic loss all Gazans are facing again.

Please help us help Gazan’s and donate today! Our fundraising goal is $450,000.

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A Jarring and Lasting Impact

Getting Back On Their Feet

Powering Through

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