More Aid Set for Weary Gazans
By Liz O'Neill and Laura SheahenBurcu Munyas, a program manager for CRS in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, recently assessed the extent of the devastation in northern Gaza following the recent fighting between Israel and Hamas. "We saw many neighborhoods where houses on both sides of the dirt road had been leveled. Tent areas had been set up near the destroyed homes. Children were playing in the rubble, and some people were digging up the rubble with shovels. Many people had set up small tents or shacks where their homes used to be."
Two women and a child sit under the roof of what used to be their home in the Palestinian city of Jabalia, located about two miles north of Gaza City. Photo by Burcu Munyas/CRS
As Gazans struggle to rebuild following the violent conflict in December and January, CRS will continue to aid thousands of vulnerable families. A new grant totaling $734,000 from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will allow CRS to help thousands of people in the Gaza Strip by providing them with additional food and hygiene supplies. The money will also fund home repairs for damaged buildings and aid to traumatized children.
In early February, CRS distributed ready-to-eat foods like canned tuna and cheese to 5,000 people affected by violence because few households had cooking fuel. It also provided blankets, candles and hygiene items. With many supply lines cut off and few jobs available to Gaza's 1.5 million people, most families rely on outside aid.
With the new USAID grant, CRS will help 13,000 Gazans in need of humanitarian aid. In addition to food and hygiene items, relief packages will include fabric to be used for clothing for women and children. Calling on its existing network of college-age youth in Gaza, CRS will distribute the food parcels and provide tools to clean up homes. The youth teams will be equipped to help households with small repairs and to remove rubble. They will also organize activities for approximately 600 young children affected by the fighting.
"What is particularly exciting about the activity with Gazan youth is that it involves them in substantial recovery efforts," says Matt Davis, CRS country representative in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. "It also supports an internal healing process that is so necessary after the traumatic three-week conflict."
CRS has worked in the Holy Land for nearly half a century. CRS aims to support peace with justice for all people in this troubled region, while responding to the humanitarian needs of Palestinians.
Liz O'Neill is CRS' communications officer for Europe, the Middle East and Asia. She is based at the agency's headquarters in Baltimore. Laura Sheahen is CRS' regional information officer for Europe and the Middle East. She is based in Cairo.
