During attack our partners delivered aid every day
During eleven days of Israeli attacks on Gaza, 242 people were killed, including 66 children, and nearly 2000 people were injured. Many homes, businesses, schools and vital infrastructure were partially or totally destroyed. Tens of thousands of people have been displaced.
MECA’s staff and local partners in Gaza are on the ground responding to the most urgent needs of children and families. We have been working since the first day of the attacks to provide urgent relief.
MECA was the first organization to bring food to families in the shelters and after asking what else they need we went back with water and hygiene supplies.
Though a ceasefire is in effect, there is still so much work to be done. Here's a brief update on what MECA and our partners have provided for children and families in Gaza with your support:
Food ParcelsMECA worked with five local partners to distribute 2,782 food parcels to families all over Gaza to date. Though the main roads in Gaza have all been bombed, cutting off each city from the rest, our local partners have reached families from Beit Lahia in the north to Rafah in the south with essential food supplies. We have given priority to displaced families who are sheltering at schools and also who are staying with relatives, in empty garages, etc. while also trying to reach families who are just in need of this vital support while they are terrified in their homes.
We began distribution of food parcels on the very first day of the Israeli attacks and we were the first to provide relief to displaced families at the schools and other make-shift shelters throughout Gaza.
Since the ceasefire, MECA has delivered an additional 2942 food parcels to families whose homes were partially or totally destroyed, families who lost their source of income (for example shop owners whose shops were damaged or destroyed), families that rely on income from daily laborers and who unable to earn an income during the attacks, and any large families with the parents unemployed.
Clean Water
MECA partner Youth Vision Society has provided thousands of bottles of water to displaced families at 20 schools in the Gaza area while a more long-term solution can be found. Due to Israeli attacks, many water networks have been damaged and there is only electricity for a few hours a day which means that water purification units that treat Gaza's polluted water are not functioning. 97% of water in Gaza is unfit for human consumption.
Hygiene Supplies
Soap, diapers, toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products are all urgently needed to keep families healthy in the make-shift shelters. MECA partners distributed hygiene supplies to 28 shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza city areas. This was requested by families when we did the distribution of food and we acted immediately.
We have also provided hygiene kits to nearly 1000 displaced families who are not in the shelters. They are staying with friends or relatives or even in empty garages. Many of them left their homes quickly and without their belongings while Israeli bombs dropped around them.
Medical Aid
MECA sent funds to Al-Awda Hospital located in Jabalia, in northern Gaza to purchase essential items for their emergency room and surgical theater. 50% of all injuries from the Israeli attacks have been in northern Gaza and the hospital was running low on supplies.
Drinking water, food & hygiene kits for shelters
Visiting temporary shelters to provide aid