Gift of the Givers Intervenes in Palestine.
Airstrikes in Gaza have resulted in the tragic loss of hundreds of civilian lives and the displacement of thousands of people fleeing to save their lives.
The Palestinian people requested urgent assistance from the Gift of the Givers.
Our team is currently visiting hospitals in the Gaza Strip to deliver essential medical assistance to individuals injured in the ongoing escalation. There have been thousands of reported fatalities and people wounded, with these numbers expected to rise.
Hospitals are facing critical shortages of beds, medical supplies, and medicines due to the high number of casualties. Immediate requirements include medicines, consumables, medical equipment, transport to hospital, fuel for hospital generators, hygiene kits, clothing, towels for patients, food parcels for families of the deceased and those in distress, and purchase and delivery of chronic medication.
Gift of the Givers has already released funding in Gaza and has approached the companies we deal with regularly to purchase these essential items.
We will cover transport costs and any incidental expenses associated with the saving of lives and bringing relief to a battered nation.
Civilians are also given vouchers to purchase food and non-food items where available.
Those wanting to participate in assisting the Palestinian people can make a deposit to Gift of the Givers: Standard Bank, Pietermaritzburg, Account number 052278611, Branch Code 057525, ref: Palestine Zakaah/Lillah/Sadqa. NO Section 18A will be issued.
With the Mediterranean Sea bordering Palestine, Gift of the Givers developed three desalination plants, located in Khan Younis, Gaza and Nisyraat, to which seawater is channelled.
The water undergoes a process which involves removing salt and harmful minerals, making it potable and completely safe to drink. Through these desalination plants, the organisation was able to develop the capacity to provide between 200 000 and 250 000 litres of potable water every day.
The plants are made accessible to the public, enabling them to collect as required.
The organisation also collects water from the desalination plants using two water tankers, making regular deliveries to families living in refugee camps, students, hospitals, mosques and patients.
Gift of the Givers has also stationed water tanks within camps, so as to enable refugees to easily and conveniently store and collect water, in spite of limited supplies.
Iftaar is a special time of day; a time when fasting Muslims breaks the day-long fast and is usually proceeded with a hearty meal, shared with family.
During the holy month of Ramadaan, the provision of food parcels is significantly increased. Fresh meals are delivered in time for beneficiaries, inclusive of displaced families, orphans and those in hospitals, old age homes, shelters and mosques.
In Gaza, meals are prepared at the Gift of the Givers Woman and Child Care Centre. Widows from the centre are commissioned to prepare meals and, in some instances, poor families are also encouraged to prepare meals which the organisation has purchased for them. The benefit of this is two-fold as, through this initiative, women are both employed and empowered.
Gift of the Givers teams also received permission to provide Iftaar to worshippers at Masjid Ul Aqsa, one of the most holy sites in Islam.
Gift of the Givers works in Gaza and the West Bank and throughout the year delivers food to families in these regions. Each food parcel is sufficient for an average family of four to five members and gives them sustenance for between two and three weeks. Some 1 000 food parcels are delivered to Palestinian families every month.
However, when disaster strikes the organisation intensifies its efforts in line with the soaring needs.
Khan Younis, a remote city in Gaza and which borders Israel, has a population of 50 000 people and experiences regular attacks and unrest. No medical facilities exists here to care for those wounded in clashes.
In response, Gift of the Givers built a healthcare centre in Khan Younis, called Khuzaa Clinic. This facility provides primary and maternity healthcare services to the poor. Departments within the centre include a General Practitioner, Paediatric Surgery, Pre-natal Care, Dental Clinic, Laboratory, Pharmacy and Nursing Clinic.
The centre sees approximately 1 800 patients every month. In addition, healthcare workers visit between 30 and 40 patients at home in order to provide medical assistance.
Through the Poor Patient Fund, Gift of the Givers equips clinics with medical supplies and equipment. The cost of medical services is covered through subsidised treatments at private health facilities; treatments which would otherwise be unavailable in the public health sector because of the lack of vital medical equipment, supplies and personnel. Services provided include:
Gift of the Givers provides beneficiaries with stationery at the beginning of every school year. Between 400 and 500 children benefit from this intervention, with each child receiving a pack comprising pens, pencils, notebooks, colouring books, colouring pencils, erasers, rulers, sharpeners and files.
Uniforms are provided on an ad hoc basis, whenever the need arises.
Like students all around the world, Palestinian students sought better opportunities. Their circumstances inhibit their development as they’re unable to fund their education. For many students belonging to poor families the failure to settle accumulated debt results in universities withholding the student’s certificate. Although their degree is complete, without certification, they are unable to find employment.
Gift of the Givers provides bursaries to students in the West Bank and Gaza, and in an effort to improve the lives of existing students, we support them by covering the costs incurred during their tertiary education.
Women and children are often left vulnerable in times of crisis and when families lose their breadwinners, the lack of skills and experience dramatically limits the ability to survive alone.
In 2013, Gift of the Givers launched a project designed to support women and children in Gaza. A six-storey centre, known as the Women and Childcare Centre, was constructed and included, among other facilities, a kindergarten and a junior primary school through to Grade 3.
The building was constructed on a 1 000 square metre site and comprised:
Ground Floor - classrooms for the kindergarten;
First Floor - extracurricular classrooms for computer and arts skills training, as well as games;
Second Floor - training halls for the support of women, psychosocial support programmes and social development;
Third Floor - multi-purpose halls for students and graduates and used for hosting seminars and workshops;
FourthFloor - permanent headquarters of the Sawaed Association for Relief and Development, in addition to the Women and Childcare Centre's own staff;
Fifth Floor - shelter during emergency periods, in addition to the ongoing sheltering orphans. Included on this floor was a prayer room;
Sixth Floor - cafeteria and feeding centre for the training of mothers and housewives;
The kindergarten idea was based on extracurricular education and exploration using the world-wide Montessori method and Malaysian techniques. The kindergarten is characterised by the existence of a range of services and modern teaching aids, including a computer lab, library, indoor and outdoor play areas and spacious and comfortable classrooms, as well as dining halls.
Gift of the Givers supports orphans by offering comprehensive care, psychological and moral support, vocational, practical and scientific training in an effort to meet their needs and the needs of the local market.
Khuzaa lies on the border of Palestine and Israel and, in 2013, the city was almost completely destroyed by the war.
Destruction, of course included local schools. Following a damage assessment and the meeting of immediate aid needs, Gift of the Givers set about developing a long-term mitigation strategy that placed education on the top-tier.
In 2015, Gift of the Givers was responsible for re-building and renovating a kindergarten that serviced between 120 and 150 children, including youngsters with disabilities. Support was extended to include the provision of fees, uniforms, stationery, daily meals and monthly running expenses. The organisation employed six educators, teaching Maths, English, Arabic, Arts and Sport.
