Visit September 2023

September Visit on the 5th. and the 6th..

 

Yearly in September, we go down to visit the schools of Gaza to see how many children are registered and to know their needs for this coming year. It appears now that we have 350 little ones ages 3 to 5 years old. 

We saw many red eyes and tears in the classroom of the 3-year-olds who were going to school for the first time. They were having registration and two of the schools had already two classes of children in action. The teachers play a lot of games at the start to get them used to school. We hope to get them school materials: crayons, colored pencils, paint, etc for the children and the teachers. We visited three schools and Sabah had gathered the information when she visited two schools as we were late at arriving the first day. The parents purchase a workbook for their child, often paying for them after payday at the end of the month if one has a job.

It was extremely hot in the 30ies those two days and the electricity is on only 2 to 4 hours a day now. We try to be sure that each class has enough windows so the children can see as they work.

Each school has a different list of needs for their school. We hope that we have the funding to cover these items such as tables, chairs, whiteboards, bottled gas for the kitchen, etc.

A few more people are allowed to leave Gaza now to work or to visit relatives abroad. They can go to Jordan now and from there go abroad.

We hope that this next academic year will bring peace as war increases the poverty of many.

 

                                  September 8, 2023

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Visit June 2023

 Visit June 20^th. 2023

Sr. Fantiska and I went down for the day only. Renovations had been done for a family and the school of Fawyseh also had her bathrooms renovated. We started our visit seeing Fawyseh’s School and were very pleased to see the walls of the bathroom stalls were up and the sink for the children and water taps were installed. About half the work is still to be done.

After we went to see the family whose home had been completed. They needed many rooms to be renovated. We saw these areas completed: roof, flooring tiles in some rooms, and tile on the walls in the bathroom and kitchen. A bathroom, and a kitchen needed new fixtures. Best of all was seeing how happy all the family was. Again the rooms were very clean and organized. The handicapped girl of about 9 years old was clean and well cared for by her older sisters. The mother has poor vision or no vision in one eye. She does all the washing by hand for the large family; she asked if we could help her buy a washing machine for 400 shekels. We agreed that they need it. 

After we spent our time with Sabah discussing the summer needs. She will be away all of July and much of August so we needed to know how our programs will continue during those months. Wasel will still work during those months so things have been prepared for July and much of August. She will be helped by Sami our driver and by Summer; both have experience with our three programs which run in the summer months.

Visit May 2023

 

May visit to Gaza

Sr. Frantiska and I hadn’t gone down for some time as we didn’t have our permit renewed to enter.  Br. Lorenzo had gone down by himself and chose the next home that we would renew.

Over a week ago we tried going to Gaza and were halfway there when Sabah called us telling us that the border was closed due to the shelling. We tried again on the 16^th. and 17^th. to go down as we were assured that the war was over and the border was open and all went well.

Sabah and the driver Sami were there to meet us as usual. We went to Fawyseh’s School first which is near to the entrance. All were well there and a nice meal of meat, vegetables, and rice was being served. The teachers told us of the children who were still traumatized by the heavy shelling. We visited the Sumi School which was not far from the border also and they too were serving the same meal. It was interesting as the children most often ate the meat first. Probably they never had it at home. The Japanese NGO will renovate the interior of the school during the summer months.

Following this we went to see the family who will be having renovations done in June. They are a family of ten children. The parents are first cousins and the mother has no sight in one eye; an 8-year-old daughter is disabled and very active. Their home needs: a new roof, water was coming from the roof when we were there. They also need a renovated kitchen and bathroom. 

That afternoon we were invited to lunch with all the directresses of the four schools and Mohamad as Sabah supervises his school for their benefactor. All of them seemed to need to share the events of the war; it had been very stressful for them too.

On the second day, we visited first the two schools in the middle area. Both were again serving nice meals for the children. All five schools will be having their end-of-the-year party for the children on the 28^th. or 29^th. of May. This will be the last day of school for them all. We can’t afford to help them have summer camps these last few years as they are expensive.

One home we had completed in this area in April we went to visit. We were so happy to see the results of the renovations. The mother a widow was so happy with everything. A bit of money was left over and with it, she was able to buy a plastic rug and a carpet for the living room. They needed a washing machine so she was able to purchase one which she showed us with a big smile.

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Our new brochure

 Our new brochure

Visit February 2023

 

February 2023

We had a meeting to discuss several new events on Monday the 6^th. and on Tuesday three of us went down to Gaza. Despite rain wind and cold, we were able to do a lot with Sabah and Wasel. The first day we started out by visiting the new school where we had just had an old bathroom taken down and a new one built. The children were not there due to the weather as the two days the schools were all closed. Secondly, we visited a family in the middle camps area whose home we had begun to renovate. Most of the family was present. Three of the youngest children had bear feet.  We couldn’t resist giving money to Sabah to see that these three got new shoes. All the children were handicapped mentally.

After we went to our office to discuss the issues covered at our meeting. Our social worker’s kitchen roof fell in so she asked for her indemnities early and we saw that she received them. She has two daughters at University and she lost her husband two months ago. Our ladies who work for us encouraged us to start a program for the elderly as there is a great need for many of them to receive shampoo, hygiene materials, and diapers. For now, we haven’t the funding to do it. Perhaps in the future, we can. We decided that we can give a bag of food to 200 families for Ramadan in March.

On the second day, we started out by going to the bank to get some information. After we visited the distribution of the medicines that we give out monthly. We saw about five of the 45 who received their medications at a pharmacy that day. Following we went to the middle camps area of the Musaddar School as there were 100 families receiving their 14 items of food and two soaps that month. Each month we serve another area and other families. Winter shows so vividly the poverty of the families who came for their food. Many looked very hungry and thin. Some came with donkeys and carts and collected food for their neighbors also. That was our experiences this last trip down.

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Visit January 2023

 

January visit the 10^th. and the 11^th. 2023

Sr. Frantiska and Sr. Susan went down as Fr. George couldn’t join us this time due to other commitments. Sabah met us at the border and we started our day with a visit to Fawyseh’s school in the north. The children were busy either eating in turns outside as it was warm out. Others were learning their letters or numbers inside and one class was doing exercises to music. We found everything clean and orderly and serving a nice meal of macaroni and meat.

Following we visited three very poor homes in the same area. I had just rained and there was wet sand everywhere even inside as the floors were of sand in several homes. Two home were tents. The government will not allow them to build a concrete block house as the property belongs to the government. We help these families by seeing that they get a bag of food from time to time.

After we went to a place near the beach where the heads of the school met for a meeting and they provided us all with a meal after. Again being it a warm day we could sit outside at simple tables. We went straight to the Missionaries of Charity in the late afternoon. They have a new superior who we know from her being there seven years earlier. We had a warm welcome as usual. We also visited with Fr. Gabriel after Mass.

The following day we needed to go to the bank. After this we went to our office and discussed with our two ladies the current situation. The children will be on semester break now for two weeks. We will replace the bathroom in the new school which is in a bad condition with a new one. The homes in the Musaddar area that we visited last time we will renovate as it is in a terrible condition en general. Ramadan will be coming, so our team will meet in Jerusalem in February to decide how we can give extra food to families. Now we are feeding 100 a month. We left that afternoon being pleased with the two days and being very grateful to our benefactors.

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Visit October 2022

 

October brought the three of us to Gaza again. This time was unique as both of our ladies Sabah and Wasel had daughters who were to deliver babies when we were there. So we made plan in case either one had to be absent. Wasel’s daughter Maha had a little boy the second day the 26^th. and the mother and child are fine. Sabah’s daughter Ream had her baby the 30^th. a little girl and again both of them are fine. I talked to both grandmothers after the births and they were so proud and relieved to have the little ones safely among them.

The first day we visited four families and had our meeting with Sabah as usual. She shared some good news in that perhaps another 4,000 men may have the possibility to go to work in Israel. If so it will put food on the table for 4,000 families. 

For months we wanted to thank the two communities the parish priest and the Missionaries of Charity where we stay when we are in Gaza by inviting them to a picnic on the beach. Finally it was realized on the afternoon of the 25^th. and our picnic was delicious due to the good judgment and planning of Sabah and Sami our driver. The weather was delightful.

The second day there we started with visiting some of the families whose homes we had renovated over the last few years. We wanted to see how they are doing. Again we saw four families and decided to stay and to visit with them longer than we usually do. They all received us with joy. Only one mother of the family was not clean and orderly. In one family the father was painting a wall and their situation seemed better. They were definitely proud of their home. In the last family the father had had his leg amputated above the knee and was finding it difficult to have the surgery to get a new artificial leg. He was dealing with depression. Still their home was clean and the rest of the family seemed happy. From time to time these families still receive food or medicine from us when it is needed so we keep in touch with them.

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Visit September 2022

 

                 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, September 13 and 14, Sister Susan, Sister Frantiska, and Fr. George visited four preschools supported by the Gaza Project and a fifth preschool that will now receive renovation and development help. The Gaza Project has helped the El Arabia preschool located in the Beit Hanoun area in the north for many years.  Time has taken its toll on the playground roof, a metal one that blocks too much light.  The proposal is for a new heavy-duty roof that will allow light to enter without the heat.  The Interior classroom walls need sealing and paint, and the bathroom and kitchen roof needs fixing. Children were active and happy, and an artist painting wall murals shared that he had attended the preschool as a child.   

The group returned to Zakhar preschool to see the returning students in their renovated school.  The school’s improvements were beautiful.  We enjoyed watching the 60 children at work in their classes and relishing their new indoor play area with a carpet of artificial grass.  The teachers were as happy as the children.

At Sabah’s office, we discussed the Project’s subsidizing of school fees for those who have little income.  We all agreed that a minimal contribution from every family provides a good faith investment in the effort.  Our goal is to assure the salaries of the teachers from the fees we help to pay for. We continue to fund the food program that started last week. Sabah showed us a sturdy backpack that was one of 200 purchased for students, an earlier request now fulfilled. She had shopped at numerous stores and found a fantastic price.  The team also discussed the renovation of the new school at Beit Hanoun.  We also unloaded three tightly packed suitcases of clothes.  Sister Frantiska delivers some donated clothes for children and adults of all ages when we come to Gaza.

On Wednesday, we visited two preschools in the Middle camps. The first two we have been helping for some years that of the Barham Tuyour El Sham and the Mosaddar preschool.  At the Barham, we met with the staff and discussed an additional classroom and bathroom on the second floor.  The Barham School has two new teachers and Sister Susan encouraged their participation in minicourses for preschool teachers and the director agreed. Mosaddar School is well established, and the team agreed to help its students with school supplies.  We had the unique opportunity to visit a Bedouin family that lived close to the school.  They were happy to see Sister Susan and the school director.  The family had 25 adults and 35 children.  They continued to cook over an open fire and eat together in Bedouin fashion.  This large family lives in multiple dwellings on a single compound.  

The final stop before returning to Jerusalem was at Beit Hanoun.  The director reviewed the school’s needs with the team.  Sabah will work with MECA to coordinate the renovation of the building including new walls, per the permit requirements, rather than partitions. The immediate need is to add shelves to the kitchen and take down the old bathroom structure and build a new one in a better location. This we will begin doing soon.

Additional good news. There are now 15,000 Palestinians from Gaza working in Israel, and the Israeli government foresees increasing that number to 20,000.  God bless you all.

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Visit August 2022

 

Project’s Website:

Sr. Susan, Sr. Frantiska, and Fr. George visited three preschools and two recently renovated homes on August 29 and 30.  Sabah, who had recovered from a second, severe bout of COVID, led us on the visits.  The first preschool was called Shamsy Ed’da School.  It was in a very poor area within the eye-sight of farmland where most of the parents worked. In the past, Sabah had worked with the director, a university-trained preschool administrator.  This school also helped Sabah with food distribution and medical aid programs.  The school needs new bathrooms, a storage shed, a counter in the kitchen, an artificial lawn (too much sand tracked in), and a canopy for the playground.  

The second proposed school had two small classrooms on an upper floor, a challenging staircase, and dilapidated bathrooms.  We felt there were too many major needs.  The school had 150 preschoolers in the past—too many for the space. We questioned if this school follows the local preschool guidelines.

The two renovated homes with eight and six children had multiple improvements: a new bathroom, kitchen improvements, newly tiled floors, windows, and painted walls. The children were happy.  The parents of the family with six children said that their kids no longer spend all their time outside on the street because they have a real home with more space inside to play.

We cut our visit a little short on Tuesday to allow Sa bah more time to rest.  Through Sami, our driver and helper, she had kept abreast of renovations and other work even while ill.  We pray for her continued recovery. Wasel our social worker lost her husband two weeks ago so these two women have had a difficult summer.

 

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May 2022 visit

 

MAY 25, 2022 VISIT

Br. Lorenzo, Sr. Frantiska and I went down for the day and we had two goals in mind. Having some money left over from the academic year, we wanted to see about sponsoring summer camps this summer. We also wanted to visit a home that was newly renovated and chose another one to be done in July. 

We started our visit to the two homes. We were very pleased with the home which was renovated. The family members were all smiles. The other home was next door to this home. It was in very bad condition and had only two small rooms for a family of seven. When visiting the home with Sabah, the architect said that renovations were not possible as the building had serious structural problems. It wouldn’t support renovations.

Next we went to our office where Sabah had researched well for us the information needed to see if we could have each of our three pre-schools invite 100 elementary-aged children for summer camps for two weeks. This we decided was possible. 

In September we hope to add the forth pre-school which may need renovations to get their permit to be registered as a pre-school. The other three schools also need some materials for their schools such as rugs, painting, and indoor and outdoor toys.

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