WAUK Newsletter: 06/06/2024

Dear Supporter,

We are pleased to send out our June 2024 Newsletter, keeping you updated on some of our latest projects in Gaza and the West Bank.

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Emergency Relief in the Gaza Strip

Distribution of Fresh Food Parcels to Displaced Families Sheltering in Deir Al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah

This emergency project began on the 1 November 2023 and has been completed. The project planned to provide emergency fresh food parcels to thousands of displaced families forced to flee their homes with nothing, and who were sheltering in small non-U.N. shelters and without access to food. The original number of beneficiaries we planned to support have been exceeded:

• Our teams in Gaza have been able to distribute 10,977 food parcels (compared to the 8,240 planned), to 4,310 displaced and vulnerable families (compared to 1,620 originally planned) who were sheltering in 11 non-U.N. shelters in Deir Al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah. Some of the most vulnerable families were able to receive food parcels more than once in subsequent distributions.

• The project also benefited 112 farmers whose crops were purchased, and created temporary working opportunities for a total of 37 workers, each worked 20 days, a total of 740 working days.

• The total amount of crops purchased, weighed, packaged and distributed was more than 185 tons!

The crops distributed in the fresh food parcels were sourced from within Gaza, bought directly from local farmers, ensuring they can also support their own families and some managed to replant some crops for the next season. The crops were selected based on effective pricing and quality, to ensure we reached as many families as possible and that the crops were of a high standard once they were received by families in the shelters. Crops were procured weekly, to ensure they were freshly harvested for each week of deliveries. The crops were delivered to a central packing location, where our teams weighed and packaged a variety of vegetables together, ready for distribution.

The project was organised to minimise risks to suppliers, beneficiaries, and our project teams, due to ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza – to the maximum extent possible. The distribution process was arranged to enable safe and easy access for beneficiary families and project teams. Distributions were planned when Israeli military attacks in particular areas had stopped, and beneficiaries were given designated time-slots to collect their parcels in daylight hours, ensuring a smooth flow of people and avoiding overcrowding.

Families were relieved and happy to receive this support as the bombs continue to drop. Each day they hear they have lost more family and friends, and more access to essential services is destroyed. The project team shared the following feedback:

• * Um Khaled, a beneficiary from Deir Al-Balah:

“After receiving the vegetables today, I thank God, after three months of war, today I finally made a hot meal.”

• * Ali, a volunteer from Khan Younis:

“We feel proud when organisations respond quickly and within 24 hours, we can provide fresh vegetable parcels to thousands of families who have been displaced. Please do not forget us; the situation is dire and the needs are still high.”

• * Um Ahmed, a beneficiary from Rafah:

“Thank God, this is the first time in three weeks we have seen vegetables. I hope these distributions continue because we can’t afford it otherwise. Neither my husband nor I can work, and we have no source of income. The prices of vegetables are sky-high.”

* Names have been changed

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GAZA EMERGENCY APPEAL:

After 8 painful months, Israel’s relentless military operations continue to devastate the people of Gaza.

Please help us to continue our emergency interventions, needed now more than ever as conditions continue to deteriorate.

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Emergency Relief in the Gaza Strip

Distribution of Fresh Food Parcels to Displaced Families Sheltering in Rafah in 2024

Approximately 1.1 million Palestinians in Gaza face catastrophic food shortage, with the threat of widespread famine across Gaza.  These families are unable to locate or buy food to feed themselves and their families, with movement and access being severely limited by the Israeli military offensive. Without support, people face famine and starvation, with reports of children dying from acute malnutrition in Gaza, this is a very real danger.

This emergency response project was in partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), it began in January 2024 and has been completed. We provided 3,494 marginalized and internally displaced families in Rafah with fresh food parcels.

These parcels are a vital lifeline for families otherwise unable to access the food they need to survive. As a result of the Israeli military operations in Gaza, families are unable to purchase fresh food items,^[1] in addition to being unable to safely reach suppliers.^[2]

The provision of emergency fresh food parcels enabled struggling, traumatized and hungry families to safely access nutritious food, especially for children and the elderly. Parcels were delivered to displaced families in 16 non-UN displacement shelters in Rafah, and contained the staples and key items to provide food security to each family for a week.^[3]

This project also had a positive impact on farmers in Gaza, as they were able to sell their harvested crops safely and for a fair price. The total weight of the crops distributed was 68.8 tons. Without the facilitation of the project, these farmers are unable to safely access markets and customers in order to sell their crops, the situation within Gaza makes movement too dangerous. The project also provided temporary work opportunities for a project team comprised of 19 local employees and workers.
 
The implementation period of the project was compressed, as the military invasion into Rafah was a major concern. This required logistical manoeuvring and re-checking of local crop availability, so that the project team could successfully implement five fresh food parcel distribution rounds. Despite these changes, the project team successfully implemented all planned activities, providing fresh food   parcels for approximately 19,625 beneficiaries in this project.

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[1] Given the increase in the prices of fresh food items together with the almost nil purchasing power of the beneficiaries who have been not working for months.

[2] Given the high risk of movements to suppliers/farmers, very high prices of transportation, and empty shelves of markets (accessibility and reach)

[3] The project targeted Rafah after consultation and coordination with relevant stakeholders (local community committees, shelters’ management, operating INGOs, UN Clusters, and other stakeholders) to avoid duplication.

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Story from the Field:

This is the story of Feras. Feras is 20-years-old and fled his home in Gaza City with his family and found refuge in a shelter centre in Rafah. Feras used to live with his parents in Shejaeya, East of Gaza City, until his family home was destroyed during Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. Feras and his family also lost their jobs and their income as a result of Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Feras and his 8-person family were relieved to receive fresh food parcels from this project, at a time when they had nothing to eat and struggled to find food every day.
 
Due to the voluntary and energetic support Feras very helpfully gave our project team each day during their work in this project, our local partner offered Feras a job with their team! Feras was offered a position for six months. In addition to providing Feras and his family with food parcels, this project offered him an employment opportunity to enable him to continue to provide for his family. Feras thanked the project teams for their support. He said:

“This project was very special for me. I received fresh food to feed my family and also the opportunity to earn an income to help cover some of our other needs. This is a remarkable project that I will never forget.”

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Medical Treatment for Impoverished Palestinian Patients at Al Makassed Hospital, East Jerusalem

This project is providing access to medical treatment for marginalised Palestinian patients who are unable to afford to pay for the treatment they need. Treatment is provided at Al Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem. 

The initial phase of the project (up to 5 February 2024) was able to fund the treatment of 193 patients (92 Male; 101 Female), who would not have been able to cover the costs otherwise.  Patients’ access to hospitals has been severely restricted by Israel since 7 October, of the 193 patients treated, 109 patients managed to access the hospital after 7 October. This is a small number compared to the hundreds of patients accessing medical care prior to 7 October, from the West Bank as well as from across the Gaza Strip.

Due to the ongoing limited access to Al Makassed this project has been extended. In the current phase, funded activities include Comprehensive Treatment Support, including covering examinations and x-rays from admission to discharge.

Positive Impacts:

• Improved Health Outcomes: Patients receiving the medical treatment they require at Al Makassed Hospital and experience improved health outcomes, potentially leading to a better quality of life.
• Financial Support: Patients and their families experience relief from the financial burden of medical treatment, as the project helps to cover their medical expenses. 
• Increased Trust in the Healthcare System at the Makassed hospital: Particularly among underserved communities, by providing access to quality medical care for some of the most vulnerable members of the community.

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Supporting Hospitals in Jenin, West Bank

As part of WA’s support to West Bank hospitals, this project is focussing on supporting health services in Jenin, through providing governmental and non-governmental Hospitals in Jenin with urgently needed equipment, tools, medicine and disposables to cope with the emergency situation.