Visit July 2019

Visit to Gaza July 16 and 17

Juliana and Sr. Susan went down together. Sabah was there to meet us at the border. With the pre-schools closed for the summer we went right away to visit some poor families. We visited four and several were in need of having their home renovated. One family’s home was of cartons and some wooden posts and it was burnt to the ground. This was done only days before. In another home the father was in the demonstrations at the border and was shot in the leg. Due to living in a hygienic situation perhaps infection and gangrene settled into the wound. This resulted in his leg needing to be amputated above the knee. This family of five live in one room on the top of his mother’s home with now water or electricity. We hope to help this family have another room, a bathroom and a kitchen. Two homes are being renovated now and one is almost finished.

The second day was the day at one pharmacy to distribute the medications to the sick. We went to observe this process and listened to many sad stories of the women who came for medications. We had to go to the bank and sat with Sabah in the office to work on future projects. Two days before we went to Gaza the five of us in the team sat together and decided not to continue giving out food as other NGOs seem to be doing more of this and that we would begin given the items they need such as wheelchairs and walkers with this funding. Sabah strongly suggested that we start micro financing projects for unemployed University students.

Photogallery

Visit June 2019

Visit June 11 and 12 2019

We were so happy to go down after being absent for about six weeks from Gaza. Easter came and went and the Muslim Feast of El Fitter just finished. Sabah was in Turkey to see her children. Sr. Susan was in the US on her home visit and both are back only a few weeks. 

Sabah, Wasel and Sami the driver were all there to help us on the Gaza side as our permits were renewed. We needed to transfer money for June to Sabah’s sub account so we did that first. After we went to the office to catch up on the news. Four prominent high buildings were totally destroyed, each housed about 25 families so 100 families lost their homes. The reason was that these building housed some Jihad Islamic officials who are backed by Iran. After this a six months truce came into effect which seems to be holding.

Many international NGOs are now giving families food. The needs seem to be now items related to health: diaper, wheelchairs, medical beds, walkers, and special milk or insure for babies who have poor health, and blenders.

The Friday demonstrations are reduced now. UNERWA has deduced all their services. ENERA has left as US Aid has stopped. People have lost all trust in the government and the news as reported by the media. The regulations for the fishing is the same; they have not lengthened the miles out that the fishermen can fish as promised in the media.

We’ve been asked by a Japanese NGO to help them care for a very poor area of Gaza City which is Karima. There are 200 families in this area. We visited four houses in this area and found extreme poverty. Last month the Japanese NGO fed 100 families and we fed 100 families.

No one can swim in the sea now for some years or they contact skin diseases or hepatitis.

Our pre-schools are closed for the summer, yet our other programs continue: help the sick to obtain medicines, diapers are given to 15 individuals monthly and 100 families receive a bag of food.

Photogallery