Thursday, February 5, 2009
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
December 2009 events
This month I am writing on the 9 th. and up to this date we still have no permission to enter, nor has journalists and other NGOs been allowed in. Now there only a few hours of electricity is given during the week. People will be receiving food twice this month, due to not getting theirs in November. We regret that they didn't have the November distribution before the feast of Adahak which was the 8 th., yesterday.
Monday, December 1, 2008
November 2008 events
Again we were not permitted to enter. The transfer of money is increasingly difficult, due to this we were unable to get it transferred to our bank there until the end of the month. People are unable to cook their food or do so on wood fires due to no cooking gas. Electricity is limited to six hours daily. Life continues to be more difficult for everyone. The school chosen to be the fourth that we helping with the breakfast program is that of Masaddar, which has helped us with the coupon distribution in that area now for several years. Their area, all agricultural and near to the boarder, is especially in need. This month our team met and we studied what possibilities we have for the present and future due to the disintegrating situation. Rugs will be purchased for each classroom as the children are all still sitting on the floor. There are no chairs or tables available in the stores.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
October 2008 happenings
We were unable to visit this month as the boarders were closed and no passes given. Still our lady there, Sabah, was able to keep our two programs running. The children received a breakfast, yet not like before when ANERA was able to get high protein wafers and milk to the schools. Coupons were again distributed to 150 families to choose what foods they needed most. Due to no gasoline, the little public transportation being too expensive or non existent, a donkey cart collected the food for many families. Ten families were added to the 150 making them 160 and Sabah worked on getting the information on each of the new families with pictures for our faithful benefactors that of Tuesday's Child out of Ireland.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Events in september 2008
With the time for schools to open Hamas gave some of the schools the keys to allow them to open. Each room had to be repainted due to the damage and graffiti. The children gradually returned but had to sit on the floor due to no chairs and tables. Tape recorders, books and everything in the kitchens were gone. We bought those schools supplies, so that the four schools would have something to begin with. This month we were able to visit only once. We also visited two very poor families. One was living four years in two tents, a family of 10, as their home had been destroyed. The father had just died six months before of a heart attack. This family received the monthly food coupons from our program. They were all very thin, as our food only lasts about ten days.
Monday, September 1, 2008
August 2008 events
The situation for our schools became critical as Hamas entered the schools at night and in some broke windows and in all wrote graffiti on the wall. They proceeded to take everything out and in one of our schools burnt the books and furniture in the play yard. They took the keys or boarded up the schools not allowing anyone to enter
Monday, July 7, 2008
Report: trip to Gaza June 30 08
Early on June 30th, Bro. Andres, Andrea, and I, Fr. Don M., drove to Gaza, using PBI’s Honda. We got through Erez in good fashion, with a reminder to be back by 4 PM since the crossing closes at 7 PM. Sabah met us on the Gaza side, with Admon our regular cab driver. We drove first to the Sakher School in the Sujjaya section of Gaza City. These 60 nursery school children were in the second week of a two week session of summer school. I am amazed at how much joy they get from so little. The teachers at the school (volunteers?) are an inspiration to the kids. Most of the children (and a few of the teachers) were wearing summer school baseball caps and white T-shirts with black trim around the V neck and a black logo on the front “Children for the Future” (in English and Arabic), and on the back “Daughters of Charity Gaza Project” – a very well designed T-shirt. The children were in three different groups playing games, or learning some sort of songs or sayings that they would shout out with great glee. The Sakher school has two such two-week summer sessions, including either breakfast or lunch, and trips to the sea (not sure how many).
The second school we visited was the Light and Hope School (Nur al Amal?), also in the Sujjayah section of Gaza City. We funded this school because the nursery school in Beit Hanoun (our usual target school) already had sufficient funding from Anera and other NGO’s for their summer sessions. This summer school was for 60 children about 8-10 years old, again with the same T-shirts and caps. It seemed to be more “professional” in its approach, perhaps because of the age differential. One class I watched in a darkened room was doing some impromptu play-acting, with two children in the center of their circled classmates, responding to different prompts from the teacher. Another class I watched seemed to be learning dancing. Later, after lunch had been served, this class put on a lovely performance of folk-dancing for all to watch.
These were two of the seven schools funded by our donors with 5000 NIS each. We did not have time to visit the others. One question raised (presuming we have the correct information) The Light and Hope School was only having one summer session of two weeks for 5000 NIS, the Sakher School was having two such sessions with the same 5000 NIS. What about the other five schools. My impression was that they were to have two such sessions for the kids. Why the discrepancy? Perhaps we were not explicit in what we expected for the 5000 NIS given to these seven schools. We will verify what was done in all seven schools and then make more explicit directions for future summer sessions.
We also visited two of the needy families we support living in the Beit Lahiya section close to the Israeli border. What was encouraging, in addition to the obvious bond between parents and children and among the children themselves, was Sabah’s report that the move to food vouchers which we adopted in the last months in place of food stuffs delivered to the families, was deeply appreciated. Each family can choose from 25 approved items, and this enables them to adapt the help more to their own needs. We hope to continue this program through December, assisting a total of 150 families associated with the three schools we were helping. This program of family assistance comes to 30,000 NIS per month. Sabah thinks it is working quite well.
Our final stop was with the Missionaries of Charity for Mass and a visit with some of their handicapped children. I don't know to what extent we are giving them assistance. In all cases all were delighted with Sister Susan’s imminent return and are looking forward to welcoming her back. Fawzia joined us for some of the visits we made, and we did stop by briefly at one of the womens council groups with whom Sabah is connected.
The second school we visited was the Light and Hope School (Nur al Amal?), also in the Sujjayah section of Gaza City. We funded this school because the nursery school in Beit Hanoun (our usual target school) already had sufficient funding from Anera and other NGO’s for their summer sessions. This summer school was for 60 children about 8-10 years old, again with the same T-shirts and caps. It seemed to be more “professional” in its approach, perhaps because of the age differential. One class I watched in a darkened room was doing some impromptu play-acting, with two children in the center of their circled classmates, responding to different prompts from the teacher. Another class I watched seemed to be learning dancing. Later, after lunch had been served, this class put on a lovely performance of folk-dancing for all to watch.
These were two of the seven schools funded by our donors with 5000 NIS each. We did not have time to visit the others. One question raised (presuming we have the correct information) The Light and Hope School was only having one summer session of two weeks for 5000 NIS, the Sakher School was having two such sessions with the same 5000 NIS. What about the other five schools. My impression was that they were to have two such sessions for the kids. Why the discrepancy? Perhaps we were not explicit in what we expected for the 5000 NIS given to these seven schools. We will verify what was done in all seven schools and then make more explicit directions for future summer sessions.
We also visited two of the needy families we support living in the Beit Lahiya section close to the Israeli border. What was encouraging, in addition to the obvious bond between parents and children and among the children themselves, was Sabah’s report that the move to food vouchers which we adopted in the last months in place of food stuffs delivered to the families, was deeply appreciated. Each family can choose from 25 approved items, and this enables them to adapt the help more to their own needs. We hope to continue this program through December, assisting a total of 150 families associated with the three schools we were helping. This program of family assistance comes to 30,000 NIS per month. Sabah thinks it is working quite well.
Our final stop was with the Missionaries of Charity for Mass and a visit with some of their handicapped children. I don't know to what extent we are giving them assistance. In all cases all were delighted with Sister Susan’s imminent return and are looking forward to welcoming her back. Fawzia joined us for some of the visits we made, and we did stop by briefly at one of the womens council groups with whom Sabah is connected.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
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