Brighten the Future of Gaza's Children

In Gaza, these days, power goes off 16 hours a day: 8 hours on and 8 hours off. That is when we’re lucky; sometimes an entire day passes with no power. Many people aren’t able to afford alternatives like generators or UPS systems, so they just stand around, waiting for power to turn on. With generous support from GlobalGivers like you, Rebuilding Alliance was able to distribute Little Sun personal solar lights and also ten SunBox power systems to families in need.

My name is Omnia Ghassan and I am a Coordinator for We Are Not Numbers -- a group of young writers who aspire to deliver the Palestinian cause to all English speakers. I was asked by RA to visit its four Non-Governmental Organization partners in charge of the distribution, and also those ten families who received full systems to evaluate the project.

All total, Rebuilding Alliance's partners have distributed 35,600 personal solar lights (both Luci Lights and Little Suns), and recently installed ten Sunbox home solar systems.

Youth Vision Society program manager, Mr. Bilal Al Shaer, sais that the SunBox installments -- solar panels that work as an alternative and affordable source of energy when the electricity is off -- "help people, especially children, with asthma to turn on nebulizers at home without having to go to hospitals. It is also more economical than other expensive alternatives." 

The Sunbox system was designed by Gaza engineer Majd Mashharawi and her innovative new company to provide enough electricity to power lamps, charge laptops and cellphones, run a small refrigerator and even a TV set.  Livana, a housewife whose home benefited from the SunBox installment, said this makes a big difference. “My very sick mother-in-law finds solace in watching TV with a light fan breeze whenever the power is out and the weather is hot.”

Director of Al Basma Club for the Disabled, Mr. Eid Shaqura, said that many disabled in the club have benefited from the Little Suns while training when the power is out. Also, fishermen benefited "because of its waterproof feature; it worked as a guide when they were out on the water."

I was especially touched by when Women Program Center Director, Mrs. Najah Ayyash, said that the Little Suns mostly benefit housewives in completing their chores, elders while going to Al-Fajr prayer when it's still dark, and children studying and doing their homework.

She encountered a little girl in the second grade named Maram who suffers from Nyctalopia and now considers the Luci Light (the product distribued before the Little Suns) her best friend. "She was so introverted because of her inability to see at night," Najah said. "Now, it's like she has night-eyes — she can go visit her cousins and play."

And then she told me of a man on an electric wheelchair whom cars couldn't see when the street lamps were off. He taped a Little Sun on the back of his chair to make sure that drivers would see him. Who could ever think of this mind-blowing idea!

The Director of Al Amal Society for Rehabilitation, Mr. Zeyad Al-Abed, explained that the Little Suns held a special advantage for the deaf. "While they can't hear danger, they can see it," he said.

Your donation helped to ensure that thousands in need of light received it. We're incredibly grateful for your decision to support this project. You, dear donor, made this happen — and we’re looking forward to sharing our next steps soon!

Links:

• Here's more about the SunBox company
• 1.4Mil views: Majd's TED TALK-Making bricks from rubble in Gaza
• Maram means Aspiration -what a solar light can mean

Dear Friend,

On December 5th in Gaza, 8,600 children, families, and the elderly began receiving Little Sun solar lights, delivered by Rebuilding Alliance's four NGO partners. The lights, the children, all of our partners, and you are truly Nur al-Amal — Lights of Hope.  None of this would have been possible without your help — thank you!

With this shipment, Rebuilding Alliance has sent a total of 35,600 solar lights through the blockade to children and families in need in Gaza.  Nearly half of Gaza's population are children under the age of 15 — that means there are 750,000 children in the Gaza Strip. I hope we'll find a way to send each child a solar light of their own and press to open the blockade.

To reach the children, Rebuilding Alliance works in partnership with four Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) to identify the children in greatest need and deliver the solar lights to them at their home or school. We began this distribution in Rafah, Gaza on December 5th, starting at the El Amal Rehabilitation Society. The children in their school are deaf. Next our team went to the Women's Program Center — Rafah where children and moms had gathered to receive Little Sun solar lights.

After the wonderful morning in Rafah, we brought the film crew and our team of writers to Gaza City to distribute at night with the Youth Vision Society visiting families in the refugee camp called, Beach Camp. The next day, the ABCD, brought children with disabilities in their community together to receive the solar lights.

Why these lights?

You may remember that we were shipping Luci lights but now we've switched over to Little Suns.  The Little Suns charge in the sun for 7 hours, and can then run for 50 hours.  They were designed by an artist and an engineer at the Little Sun company in Germany - and everyone especially likes the brightness of the light, as well as the ability to change out the battery when it wears out, some five years from now. Also, Little Sun arranged for a matching grant from the Bloomberg Foundation, so for every one that we are able to purchase, they send a 2nd one as well!

The children use the Little Suns to study and read and play.  They are a nightlight. Parents, especially moms, use them to see in the kitchen while cooking. Everyone uses them if they have to go out in the utter darkness.

But do they still need solar lights?

Yes, very much so.  Recently, for most neighborhoods, electricity increased to 12 hours per day - which still means that half of each day is without power. Our team interviewed a dad who explained the energy independence that this little light offered. "In our neighborhood, electricity is still on only four hours each day on a rotating basis.  This may be increased soon — but for my family, it won't matter.  We just can't afford the prepaid billing system.  Even 20 Shekels right now is not possible because I have no job.  Your little lights are such a blessing to my family."

Everyone keeps asking how we send them through the blockade. 

Basically, the key is pre-clearance. These pallets shipped from Hamburg, Germany, through Israel's port of Ashdod, to our Palestinian Non-Governmental Org partners and we made a little film to show you (see link below). The pre-clearance paperwork is harder to show. We apply well before the shipment moves. Approval by the Palestinian National Authority takes only a day while Israeli Customs' and Israeli Civil Administration approval takes months (— and a lot of phone calls).

Telling their stories

When we began this project, I hadn't realized that each light would bring light to each family's story and show my team, and the world, what we otherwise might never see. If you'd like to read a few of those stories, click here to read our latest blog post. I hope you'll continue to support our work so that we can bring you these children's stories and together, find better ways to do more, and keep them safe, warm, fed, and healthy.

Thank you again, for making this work possible. In this season of Light, may the way open to brighten the future of Gaza's children.

If you can donate, to send more please do.

Links:

• Click here to watch how we send our lights through the blockade!
• 8,600 solar lights delivered to Gaza's children