Disaster Response Palestine Project #41130

Gaza Emergency Relief Fund

by Rebuilding Alliance

Project Report | Nov 4, 2021
Rent and housing relief for Gaza + 2 new staff members!

By Jovita Sofia Jiz de Ortega | Communications Manager

Building the walls of Rania's home

We have an exciting announcement. The Gaza Emergency Relief Fund is ramping up to do more rehabilitation and construction. Our goal is to use your donations to build customized quality housing for the most marginalized families as we work with them to help them find sustainable ways to earn a living despite the blockade. Big challenges.

Two new team members are joining Rebuilding Alliance: Site Engineer Heba El Khozondar and Gaza Architect / Harvard Fellow Salem Al Qudwa.

Site Engineer Heba El Khozondar is a graduate of the Islamic University of Gaza with 10 years of experience as an architectural engineer. Working with RA’s Non-Governmental Partners, she will meet with families in need to develop plans to fix or improve their homes, and participate in the bidding process to choose an acceptable contractor, and inspect construction.
Architectural Engineer Salem Al Qudwa holds B.Arch and M.Arch from the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) in Palestine (2003, 2013), and a Phd in Design from Oxford School of Architecture in England (2019). He is currently a Harvard Fellow in Conflict and Peace at the Religion and Public Life program program in Harvard Divinity School which describes him as, “An award-winning architect and university lecturer, Salem explores everyday architecture as a resource for positive social transformation. His project at Harvard is to design and articulate a model for the reconstruction of communities devastated by conflict. By recognizing the agency and social responsibility of architects, he wants to confront conventional attitudes surrounding residential reconstruction in Gaza by creating a nurturing and safe environment for women and children, and empowering communities.” He’s bringing his insight to Rebuilding Alliance as a program advisor.

Here’s what we’ve completed in the last 4 months, since my last report:

In June we paid off the 80k debt incurred when RA’s four NGO partners delivered emergency supplies during the bombings in May. When they saw families hiking through the dark to take refuge in UN schools, we knew how to help and we trusted that many people would step up to donate. Store managers trusted that RA would make good on our pay-forward promise, and we did.

Housing and rent relief were our priorities for the summer as families ungently needed to recover from the damages of the bombings in May. Sadly, one housing rehabilitation remains incomplete because prices skyrocketed in the middle of the project when Israel closed the border, preventing the arrival of construction materials including the windows we were waiting for. We hope to address this very soon as the borders are open now (though our partners report that construction materials are still expensive). Three of our NGO partners completed the following work for 12 families:

Women Programs Center Rafah:

The Women Program Center — Rafah was able to build a small new house (645 sq. feet) for $5000. Rania, a mother of two whose husband is ill, was nearly homeless. Now they have a home with a bathroom, indoor plumbing, electricity, tiled flooring, and a backup generator. That said, hers is the house that is not yet finished. Rania says that her children are happy. The bathroom allows them to have a bath to cool down in hot weather, and the generator installed means they won't be scared of the dark when the power goes out. We look forward to completing Rania's house soon.

Soon after the bombings, a masjed (mosque) in Wales reached out to us to ask if we could specifically help families whose homes were damage by bombing. With thanks to them, our partners decided to focus on families in the north--the area hardest hit.

Al Basma Club for the Disabled:

ABCD helped five families living in Jabalya Refugee Camp. Three families now have proper kitchens and bathrooms. One family received a month’s rent relief. Another received food, milk, and diapers for their children.
ABCD also had issues with supplies getting more expensive after the border closed, but the contractors in the project lowered their fees to help these two families. The contractors offered this without being asked by ABCD. ABCD also did their best to find affordable vendors.
A young man from one of the families was rejected by his fiancee’s father because of his disability and the poor state of his home that was hit by shrapnel. However, after ABCD helped him rehabilitate his home, his father-in-law approved the wedding, and the couple were married on September 29th. Mr. Eid, ABCD’S Executive Director, was invited to the wedding and sent us a video of the men dancing!

Youth Vision Society

YVS helped six families whose windows were blown out. Rehabilitation varied from window repair to kitchen and bathroom renovations. One family also received a month’s rent relief.
Father of three, Ibrahim, said, "Having dilapidated windows made my home insecure and affected everyone in my home, especially in winter time. Now they are fixed up, I feel that I'm well prepared to welcome the winter with a warm heart."

Thank you so much for helping Gaza families heal and rebuild their lives. We're honored that you care about them and keep them in your hearts.

Construction for Rania's home

Installing kitchen cabinets and a sink

Tiling the kitchen backsplash

Showing his home before the rehabilitation

Dr. Salem Al Qudwa

Site Engineer Heba El Khozondar

Links:

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May 14, 2021
GAZA URGENT: Food, blankets, hygiene kits for families in refuge

By Jovita Sofia Jiz de Ortega | Outreach Manager

This is a time of extreme emergency in Gaza. As of this writing, the Gaza Strip is suffering through the 5th day of bombings. Israeli planes are targeting all densely-packed apartment buildings, in every city in Gaza. Forewarned, fleeing families are crowding into UN schools, closed due to COVID-19. There's no support, no vaccines, no PPE's in this emergency, no way to socially distance.

These are superspreader events. Even if Israel stops bombing now, those forced from their homes and thus exposed to COVID will get sick in 14 days with many dying soon after.

Rebuilding Alliance and our Palestinian Non-Governmental Org partners know exactly how to respond. We will be delivering food, hygiene supplies, blankets and mattresses, on the ground, while bombs are falling. Our teams are arranging to buy on credit, and forming volutneer teams to package and deliver on foot — because vehicles are being targeted.

Our NGO partners on the ground in Palestine are seeing the crisis firsthand. One of our local coordinators in the south of Gaza said: "We visited a large family which was hosting some of their relatives escaping from their houses near the borders. We found over 30 people are in that house."

One partner in the north personally visited 5 UN schools in Al Shati Refugee Camp, also known as Beach Camp. He reports that many families had to evacuate their homes, taking nothing with them. They need foods that don't need to be cooked like tuna, bread, cheese, beans. We will provide hygiene kits with soap, shampoo, sanitizers, and female sanitary supplies. For babies, diapers, wet wipes, and powdered milk are needed. In addition, disabled people and/or senior citizens had to leave behind canes and walkers in the rush to evacuate so those items are also being requested.

Thank you again so much for caring about Palestinian families. Buying on credit put us out on a limb so please help now and tell your friends. Know that your donations will go to what Palestinian families need most — and we'll update you with regular reports.

If you would like to volunteer with us on WhatsApp, we need help in our Program Grants Review team which is meeting daily, also consider joining our Outreach Team to help spread the word or the Advocacy Team to make the bombing stop. We are also welcoming new board members. Interested? Send a cover letter describing your talent or skill, the work you want to do, and how much time you want to spend on it. Include 3 references and a copy of your resume.

Thank you for all that you do.

Links:

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Jan 28, 2021
Two families with new homes

By Jovita Sofia Jiz de Ortega | Outreach Coordinator

Al Hashash siblings in their new home

In our last report, we told you about two homes in progress. We're happy to tell you that those two homes are now complete! Both the Al Amour and Al Hashash families are now living in improved homes with new roofs, windows, doors, and more. It was urgent to finish because they had told Al Amal Society, our local NGO partner, that they suffered every winter from cold rain flooding into their homes. Project cost: $5,000 per family. Total spent: $10,000.

The Al Amour family has three disabled sons who are students at a school run by Al Amal Society. Their old home was a one-bedroom with just one bathroom, a small space for some plants, and a kitchen with no refrigerator or stove. Part of the solution for their new home was providing privacy for the mother as formerly the bedroom was the only place she wasn't in full view of her neighbors. The engineer not only added a new room but provided an outside garden wall between the Al Amours' home and the neighbors.

The mother said, "Now I can move freely in my house. Now I can wear whatever I like. I used to put full clothes on me and even cover my hair all the time to go from my room to the kitchen or to the bathroom.”

Besides having a new bathroom and kitchen with appliances, part of the project's goal was to help them get back on their feet. The family's request was granted for new chickens to raise as a source of income and food.

The Al Hashash family is a single-mother household with six sons and two daughters. Three of the children are deaf. The mother lived in fear because the house was not a safe environment for her children. The house had broken doors, windows, and tiles, and the walls were rotted. Now, the kitchen and bathroom are much improved. All broken elements were replaced. Two new rooms were added. A new electric system was also installed throughout.

Four more families: Another local NGO partner, Al Basma Club for the Disabled, also received a grant to renovate the homes of four families. One family did not even have basic supplies like blankets and chairs. Now that renovations and distibution are complete, their lives are much improved. We look forward to going more into detail about them in the next report.

In light of active COVID cases increasing in the Gaza Strip, it's important that Gaza families can shelter-in-place safely. Your support made it possible for these six families. Last year's December disbursement was three times more than the month before! Thank you so much!

New chickens for the Al Amours

BEFORE-Al Amour Family Kitchen

AFTER-New kitchen with running water and fridge

Al Hashash siblings exploring their new home

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