Food as Medicine for Palestine's PKU Kids

Rebuilding Alliance’s tireless work to get medical food to PKU children in Gaza finally paid off. After a gap of seven long months, Rebuilding Alliance delivered its 7th shipment of life-saving medical formula in Gaza with the help of our Palestinian NGO partner, Youth Vision Society. 

This shipment, consisting of 357 cans, was distributed on December 14th among more than 151 PKU patients, mainly children. The shipment was desperately needed by the PKU children in Gaza who were on a minimal supply of life-saving medical food for the last seven months. 

There were several reasons for the delay in shipment: 

• It was not possible to place an order for the PKU medical formula due to the worldwide shortage of medical formula. Like others, people in Palestine were affected by this shortage. Until recently, even the Ministry of Health was unable to procure the formula. Rebuilding Alliance and Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) are trying to fill the gap.
• Additionally, we learned from our local supplier (and the only supplier for Mead Johnson medical formula in the West Bank), that Israeli Customs was holding up the PKU medical food shipment since June. Immediately, we pressed forward with the advocacy efforts and wrote letters to the main supplier to open up channels. 
• The medical food was finally released in October to the supplier, and a large amount of the supply was to be purchased by the Ministry of Health in Ramallah. 
• As RA waited for the supplier's answer on how much formula could be purchased, the lack of funds to cover the severity of the crisis became apparent. Instead of providing just 11 children with life-saving medical formula when there were more than 151 patients,  the team decided that we would not leave any PKU patients behind. Everyone received a small bit of hope.

We went ahead and delivered the small shipment--BUT THIS WAS ONLY ENOUGH FOR 10 DAYS. The PKU emergency is not over. PKU children are still in urgent need of medical formula. Please help them know that they are not forgotten.

If you know any medical foundations, organizations, or groups who can help, please reach out to us.

RA is continuing to raise awareness about PKU on many platforms. 

• RA has been in touch with new potential partners such as WHO, and the Health Cluster, bringing forward the crisis. Rebuilding Alliance is now a Health Cluster Member which allows us to bring forward issues relating to health, especially PKU. 
• PKU has made it on the HRP for 2023. This means local and international organizations have submitted their project proposals to take on PKU issues in Gaza. 
• Dr. Raed Al Hindi, Founder of the PKU Charitable Association in Bethlehem attended a worldwide PKU conference in Spain, the 36th E.S.PKU Conference 2022. He presented the issue of PKU in Palestine to PKU families and was able to network with many people in the PKU community. 
• RA is filming more episodes of the ‘PKU Mommy’s Kitchen–Palestine' cooking show to help parents cook special recipes for their PKU children.

Together, we can ensure a steady supply of life-saving medical formula for PKU children. Please ask your circle of friends and family to join you in taking on the monthly sponsorship of a PKU child for $250 a month.

Thank you for caring for PKU children!