December 14, 2007
After a one and a half hour trip by bus from Jerusalem to Ashqelon and a taxi ride to Eretz crossing, we entered Gaza at around 11 am. Our friend taxi driver, Ahmad, was waiting for us inside. He drove us to Sabah’s home, a nice apartment at the 7th floor of a new building in the area of the football field. Both Sabah and her husband are currently employed: she is involved in several projects like ours, while her husband works in trade and distribution of medicines. They have two sons and two daughters, 10-16. At lunch we discussed thoroughly of the situation in Gaza: essential services like hospitals, power, water and fuel are extremely precarious, if not totally absent. High unemployment and tight restrictions on movement make life very harsh at psychological level. The majority of people are indigent. Sabah’s husband says: “We have no idea how all these families may survive without means of support.”
At around 15:30 we reached the school of the Latin Patriarchate. Father Manuel welcomed us in his studio and described to us his initiatives to teach and promote God’s word in his community: catechism, games, domino, readings… very interesting. And he’s really an expert with computers. Then, we joined some 50 people for mass. Father Manuel’s health is not sound, but when he started preaching he was like enlightened. After mass we moved by van to the church in the old city, where we found two bedrooms set. Then, after celebrating the evening prayers, we had dinner at light candle since there was no electric power.
December 15, 2007
We spent the whole morning at our schools, engaged in distributing food on behalf of our organization. The new school is called Shaaf, and it is located in the quarter of Sujaya. Since December 2007 it has officially become one of the three kindergartens which we support by providing breakfast to the children. That was the first place we visited. The teachers had bought the necessary equipment for making breakfast using a 500 NIS donation by an old lady from Mantova, Italy. We also tasted spaghetti with sugar and honey! But this school appears very bleak in all its aspects, including classrooms, furniture and materials. The next step of our support will be addressed towards the teachers themselves: together with Sabah, they will go to visit other schools so as to learn how to improve their activities, choose didactic materials and arrange the classrooms… In other words, they will get ideas on how developing some necessary updates!
Afterwards we witnessed some phases in the activity of food distribution, where we channel some 4500 Euro every month. There is a supermarket which prepares large bags with food items chosen by Sabah’s organization, depending on prices and stocks. This month they have prepared 100 bags worth 100 NIS, and 100 bags worth 200 NIS for large families. All in all, this activity supports 200 families. Once filled, the black bags are carried to a warehouse which we visited personally. There, we also inspected some bags which included rice, tea, sugar, sauces, tuna, cheese, soap, oil, cakes… The owner of the supermarket is also responsible for the delivery of bags: 100 go to Beit Hanoun, one of the poorest areas in the north of the Strip, and get distributed in a school which we used to support in the past. An extraordinary lady works there: Tawzia. Another 50 bags are delivered by the Women’s Association to poor families in Gaza City, who collect them directly at the warehouse, but we did not check on that. The remaining 50 bags are distributed by a very nice man, Mohammed, who is the director of the society for rural development al-Musadder, in the center of the Strip. His attitude is extremely warm and welcoming.
So, we had the opportunity to get a good idea of the whole food distribution. Still, there are some aspects we should further clarify, like the food distribution in the warehouse, the choice of the supplier, the shopping list, the role of the Women’s association. 200 bags seems to be many, but they are just a drop in the ocean. The people there - the women of Gaza city, Tawzia and Mohammed, whom Sr. Susan is very familiar with - directly know the families in need and carry out an excellent job. Indeed, being there for an extended time allowed us to live a great experience and to gain knowledge on the whole process.
After many meetings - and teas, and coffees, and light meals… - Sabah took us to meet a Christian lady, Ghada, who offered us another lunch! Ghada and another lady receive from us some 100 Euro per month in order to carry out after school activities at the place of the Sisters of Charles de Foucault. Activities, materials and light breakfasts are all managed with these 100 Euro. Sr. Susan knew very well these ladies, and she totally trusted them. They will soon send us a more detailed report on their activities. Together with them, at around 4 pm we returned to Fr. Manuel’s school, and afterwards back to our rooms, this time with the power on! The city is dangerous. They told us it is safer not to hang around in the evening, and not to accept car rides from anyone… The highest caution is necessary.
by Br. Andres Bergamini, translated by Andrea Merli
