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2014 Gaza Appeal – Report to Members
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Dear

This week marks the 12 month anniversary of the war on Gaza. A war that was absolutely devastating.

APHEDA members raised $159,000 in response.

Gaza, an area half the size of the ACT with five times the population - already incredibly poor from the 6 year long blockade - was reduced to rubble by 6,000 airstrikes and 50,000 artillery shells. That averages out to 680 shells fired into the densely populated strip every day of the conflict.
 

The humanitarian fallout was enormous. Civilians, prevented from leaving Gaza due to the blockade by Israel and Egypt (considered illegal by the UN), were killed in their homes and on the streets. The world watched in horror as the death toll climbed to 1,473 civilians including 501 children, the highest number in an escalation since the 1967 war. Over 3,000 children were injured, over 1,000 of whom will have a life-long disability. Public infrastructure was decimated: 20 hospitals, 57 health clinics, 148 schools and over 18,000 houses and apartments were destroyed or significantly damaged.

No one in Gaza was immune from the assault; APHEDA’s partner organisations as well as the communities they work with were no exception. Notably, the El-Wafa hospital was reduced to rubble, a hospital APHEDA members had helped re-build after the last Gaza war with over $200,000 and medical personnel.

PHOTO: EL WAFA HOSPITAL SOURCE: UNION AID ABROAD-APHEDA

APHEDA worked quickly with our local partner organisations in Gaza to respond to the crisis, disseminating information about the impact on the ground and launching an emergency appeal to fund emergency needs and long term recovery work.

APHEDA was also selected as one of only two Australian NGOs to receive $2m from the Australian government to provide recovery support. Using these funds we achieved the following:

1. Immediate Humanitarian Needs:

  • Our colleagues at the Middle East Children’s Alliance, directed by Dr. Mona El-Farra were able to distribute 100 food packs and 430 hygiene kits to displaced people not supported through the existing UN structures.
     
  • MA’AN Development Center conducted home visits to 972 families and provided food aid to 1,268 families (9,010 people). MA’AN also distributed 2,000 mattresses, blankets and pillows were handed out to people sleeping shelters and to those who had lost these items when their homes were destroyed.

2. Long Term Recovery:

  • Support for the reconstruction of the El-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital by funding the building of a new Oxygen Therapy Unit in the hospital’s new location.
     
  • With our colleagues at MA’AN Development Center

    -  we reconstructed four damaged playgrounds along with the provision of 30 child-focussed ‘fun days’ to support psycho-social recovery for 3,411 children.

    -  165 greenhouses and home gardens were repaired or replaced and a further 167 families were supported with a sheep or chicken units with veterinary support. These projects provide families with a regular income and source of fresh food.

    -  49 Water ponds, 11 water wells, and 5 elevated water tanks to support 1,880 people access water.


A very big THANKYOU to everyone who donated generously.

While a lot has been achieved in the last 12 months the needs are still overwhelming.  The UN has estimated that it will take 20 years for Gaza to recover from the damage inflicted in the 51 day conflict.

A recent World Bank Report stated that the economy in Gaza is 250 times worse than any of its comparators and noted that Gaza has the highest unemployment rate in the world.

Electricity and water are at critically scarce and 500,000 people still require construction material to rebuild their homes. The continued illegal blockade is the greatest hindrance to this recovery. Construction materials like concrete and steel are prevented from entering Gaza by Israel and Egypt, leaving nearly a third of the population stuck in tents, UN shelters or their damaged homes.

APHEDA continues to support the recovery of Gaza along with our partner agencies, and also calls for a lifting of the blockade by Israel and Egypt, which is preventing construction materials needed to rebuild houses, schools, hospitals. Of the 500,000 people in need for reconstruction materials, the UN estimates that only 14% have been able to get building materials, and primarily to repair minor damage. That means around one in three people are still waiting to repair their houses and living in temporary shelter as a result. Genuine hope for peace seems far away while the blockade remains.

One important way of showing solidarity is by donating to APHEDA’s ongoing work – you can donate to support our projects in Gaza here.

 

 

In solidarity,

Kate Lee
Executive Officer

Union Aid Abroad–APHEDA
Level 3, 377-383 Sussex Street, SYDNEY NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9264 9343 | Fax: (02) 9261 1118
http://apheda.org.au

 

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