WAUK Newsletter: 15/09/2023

Dear Supporter,
 
Welcome to our September 2023 Newsletter, keeping you updated on our vital work.

School Counselling Units for Traumatised Children in Gaza

In August 2022, an Israeli military operation targeting Gaza resulted in 44 deaths, 41% of which were women and children. In total, 360 people were injured – 58% of these were women and children, as reported by MoH.  In addition, damage was caused to 1,764 homes, leaving thousands of people displaced from their homes and with no safe place to turn to.

This violence severely impacts children’s mental health, which can affect their behaviour and every aspect of their life, including their education. Schools play a crucial role in addressing this need, helping to identify problems and facilitating the support children require. This is especially crucial because many parents in Gaza are unaware of how best to support their child, and 25% indicated that there is no psychosocial and counselling support in schools.

Project Achievements:

• Three additional school counselling units were established, furnished, and equipped. 
• 12 school counsellors received training, to increasing their knowledge and skills.
• 371 students received counselling services in the new units during the project, and 8 students were referred for advanced services
• 10 awareness raising sessions were arranged for parents and teachers. 
• Therapeutic recreational activities were held for the over 1,200 students.

To read about this project and its impact in full, please click here.

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To read Aisha’s Story, a beneficiary from this project, please click here.

Emergency Support for Gaza Farmers 2022-23

Gaza is on ‘life support’, with 80% of the population dependent on humanitarian assistance. Three out of four Gazans rely on emergency food assistance.[1] Many households in Gaza spend a substantial portion of their income trying to meet their basic daily food needs, yet still do not have enough to eat.

This project focussed on marginalised and underserved areas across Gaza, in order to help some of the most vulnerable Palestinian families. These families were provided with weekly food parcels (each week for the 5 weeks of Ramadan), enabling them to prepare healthy meals and celebrate Ramadan with dignity.

Farmers received the services and support they needed to replant their fields and greenhouses, including:

• Land clearance.
• Ploughing (using a tractor – something small-scale farmers do not have easy access to).  
• Irrigation networks, Fertilizers, Seedlings.
• Protective winter covering sheets for seedlings on open land (reusable over many seasons).
• Repair of Greenhouses, with new coverings, protective wire mesh and water gutters.
• Advice from project technical teams on: timing of planting; best crop choices based on soil type and availability of water, rainfall collection & irrigation techniques, gaps in the local market, markets & selling prices, sustainability, environmental best practises.

To read about this project and its impact in full, please click here.

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To read Samira’s Story, a beneficiary from this project, please click here.

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[1]https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/occupied-palestinian-territory-emergency-appeal-2023

Distribution of Fresh Food Parcels in Gaza Ramadan 2023

Gaza is on ‘life support’, with 80% of the population dependent on humanitarian assistance. Three out of four Gazans rely on emergency food assistance.[1] Many households in Gaza spend a substantial portion of their income trying to meet their basic daily food needs, yet still do not have enough to eat.

This project focussed on marginalised and underserved areas across Gaza, in order to help some of the most vulnerable Palestinian families. These families were provided with weekly food parcels (each week for the 5 weeks of Ramadan), enabling them to prepare healthy meals and celebrate Ramadan with dignity.

An example of a parcel’s contents on Week 2 (31.3.2023) is as follows:

• 2 Chickens
• 30 Eggs
• 3 KG Oranges
• 3 KG Lemons
• 3 KG Cucumbers
• 1 KG Green Peppers
• 3 KG Tomatoes
• ¼ KG Mint
• 2 KG Moloheya (Spinach)
• 3 KG Onions
• ½ KG Parsley
• 3 KG Potatoes
• 2 x Red Cabbages
• 2 x White Cabbages

Project achievements:

• 1,038 families received fresh food parcels for 5 weeks
• 211 families received fresh food parcels for 4 weeks
• 380 families received fresh food parcels for the final week of Ramadan
• Freshly harvested crops of herbs, fruit and vegetables were purchased from 226 Gaza farmers
• 64 women in 6 local women’s co-operatives were paid to produce the Eid Cookies and Maftoul for the final week’s food parcels
• 24 unemployed workers were paid for a total of 357 work days throughout the project

To read about this project and its impact in full, please click here.

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To read Kamal’s Story, a beneficiary from this project, please click here.

To read Tamer’s Story, a beneficiary from this project, please click here.

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[1] https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/occupied-palestinian-territory-emergency-appeal-2023