By Maria Syed and Kat Grimmett | Writing Team
Thank you for supporting Gardens, Goats, and More--a program that has helped 16 families in the past become financially independent by supporting them with livestock raising and small-scale farming.
It was a relief to hear from two of the beneficiaries. You may remember Amira, the most successful beneficiary of this program, who was passionate about her plants and animals. Amira once said, “I’ll have a thousand goats from the one goat you gave me.” She was making steady progress toward her goal until the war came. Amira told us that she had to flee her home multiple times to save her life. Each time she fled, she took her goats with her. She has five goats now. These days, she is living in her house in Oriba.
Unfortunately, Rania, another beneficiary, was unable to take anything with her when she was displaced. She lost everything, including her goats, due to the war. Currently, she is living her life in displacement. Animals have suffered heavily in the war and died of bombing or simply due to lack of fodder.
The health and density of cropland in the Gaza Strip have also been severely impacted by the war. Satellite images show that 57% of the total cropland area in the Gaza Strip (8,660 ha) has been degraded. In June, the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), released this finding. As early as November, only one month into the conflict, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor reported that Israel had dropped more than 25,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip--equivalent to two nuclear bombs.
This is tragic especially when Gaza faces catastrophic levels of hunger and famine-like conditions. Against this backdrop, we must find new ways to achieve self-sufficiency and food security to rehabilitate life in Gaza when the ceasefire comes. It will take years of work to replenish the soil. To do that, research on agricultural science and soil regeneration can help Gaza.
Your contribution ensures the Gaza community receives the support they need to recover. Thank you for your generosity.
To address hunger and malnutrition in Gaza, Rebuilding Alliance, in partnership with the World Food Programme, is running a hot meals program in Gaza. Our cooking teams are currently serving 55,000 hot meals every day spread across Gaza.
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