Br. Renzo and Fr. Don and I arrived a bit early and still had to wait an hour or more to enter. This day John Kerry was also visiting the Strip. We met to congressmen who were to join Kerry for the day.
First we went to the Zitun nursery school and visited the classes. They shared with us their needs as it was a different building for them. After the war they were not allowed by the owner of the last building to return as they have been threatened by Hamas during the war. Here was saw a little boy of five who was speechless ever he was torn from the arms of his father during the war. The teachers are working with him to begin to talk, enter into the activities of his class and to play.
Following briefly two of us went to an AIDA meeting to coordinate relief efforts in Gaza in which the major relief organizations participated. We were brought up to date on recent events.
Fr. Don what hadn't seen the destruction after the war so he went with the driver to see the area worst hit in the north. He saw the ruins of the American School which had cost five million dollars to build.
We left early to be at the frontier before it closed early that day.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Report: Visit February 19 th.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Gaza after three weeks of sheeling
The post war situation in Gaza is critical; it is truly a humanitarian crisis for the million and a half people. Half off this population are under 17 years old. Before the war the people were cut off from basic necessities such at cooking gas, electricity, clean water and basic foods. During the three week of shelling from the sea, air and ground the situation only worsened as again the boarders were closed to medicines and all relief organizations. Half to sixty percent of the population are refugees from the various wars. One can’t tell what a village is and what is a refuge camp, most the people are very poor. Half of the schools are government run schools and half are the UN UNRWA schools. The economy broke in June of 2006 when Israel boycott closed the boarders to basic foods, fuel and materials.
A little team of 6 religious of several different communities called the Daughter's of Charity Gaza Project, (in the beginning we were only Daughters), began assisting the people. After an assessment study and with the guidance of Catholic Relief Service who were well established in Gaza we partnered with private little nursery schools mainly in rural area and refugee camps. Being that they came to school hungry we provided a breakfast. In 2006 with the boycott of the Strip we knew people were hungry, so we began to distribute food parcels to the most needy in three of the regions were the schools which we partnered with were located. The volunteer help of each school located the poorest families. Food coupons eventually replaced food parcels allowing the families to choose the food best fitting to their needs. This second project continued even through out the war were local volunteers risk their lives to distribute food to families during the shelling. Only canned food was given as the people had no cooking gas to prepare their food. The schools were closed during the war.
A few days ago Andrea, Lorenzo and I visited the most devastated areas. We found ourselves humbles before people with nothing. In front of one collapsed building were four women with babies in their arms husbands were killed only a few days ago leaving 24 children without fathers? These four families had nothing. Everything they owned was buried in the sand and rubble of the building. They only had the cloths on their back. Tents had been provided for them. We were able to leave them a bit of money for dishes, pots and pans, and clothing and assured them that they would be getting food.
Thousand of people are homeless. Their stories are hard to believe as man's immorality to others was boundless. One whole family of 30 were taken out in the night and interrogated and killed one by one. A lone baby was spared, found, and also killed. Even the people's animals were all shot; we saw fields of dead cows. Near some of the building the stench told us of the bodies still not found beneath. Some of the children in the nursery schools faces were expressionless due to the three weeks of shelling. Pray with us for peace and healing of minds and hearts. May the world community join us as the political jumbo can only be saved by the healer of hearts, the Lord, Himself.
Sr. Susan Sheehan DC, February 7, 2009
