Gaza - April 19, 2010 - Three of Akram Fayeq Al-Helou’s 13 family members have special needs. The 51-year-old Gaza resident used to work in Israel, but following the 2008-09 conflict, now has no income. “No one is helping us,” he explains. “My family barely has something to eat at home. I have three handicapped children and I am overwhelmed by their needs as the economic situation is deteriorating. I need help, like many families all over the Gaza Strip.”

Even a year after the cessation of hostilities, the need for significant humanitarian aid for vulnerable groups and families in Gaza remains acute. The number of deprived Gazan families dependant on the assistance of international organizations continues to rise as unemployment increases and sustainable economic development remains challenging.

International Relief & Development (IRD), working with local NGOs with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, is assisting 3,500 vulnerable families with food, winter clothing, household items, children’s school supplies, and hygiene kits for elderly and people with special needs through targeted parcel distributions and community awareness-raising events.

“IRD provided us with winter clothing and diapers for my disabled children, which has helped.” Al-Helou explained. “I thank them.” He was also very pleased with a workshop he had attended when he came to collect the disability parcels. “It was a wonderful workshop that helped raise my community’s awareness towards the rights of people with special needs,” he said. “Surely this will impact the way they treat those people. Thanks to USAID and IRD for their great efforts.”

Samia Mohammed Marouf, also called Um Mahmoud, is the head of a family of seven children. “When our home was destroyed during the last war, we lost every thing,” she explained. “We were left with no choice but to rent a house. But we do not have enough money for its rent, and now we are in debt.” She was very pleased to receive winter clothing from IRD. “Thanks to all who thought of us and helped us during these difficult times. We really need this assistance,” she said. “My kids will be very pleased when I am back home with these new and good looking clothes. They will appreciate it very much.”

Mohammed Saleh Gaben and his family of seven live in the northern Gaza village of Beit Lahia. “I used to work in my small farm near the Israeli border until the last conflict on January 2009, when the Israeli Defense Forces destroyed my farm,” he explains. “Today I am without income. I have lost most of my house’s furniture and all my children’s clothes. The assistance which I have received today from IRD may help me in meeting some of my family needs.”

Fawziya Al-Sultan shared a house with 16 family members in the Al-Salateen area of north Gaza until it was completely destroyed in the January 2009 fighting. “We left our house in a hurry,” she said. “We were very afraid. We didn’t take any of our clothes or our possessions.” She was pleased with the box of supplies IRD staff members provided. “We hope that our life become better and happier with the assistance we receive from IRD and other international NGOs.”
IRD has also distributed 2,580 food parcels to affected families in Jabalia, Beit Lahia, Gaza city, Khan Younis, and Rafah, and conducted 12 community awareness sessions on promoting healthy nutrition practices among the families who received the kits.

Fifty-six-year-old Fouad Al Sakakini is the bread winner for a nine-member family, but his house, located in eastern Gaza city near Israel’s border, was partially destroyed during the 2009 war on Gaza. “The food parcel I have received during IRD distribution has greatly helped me in meeting my family’s basic needs,” Fouad explained. “The workshop I attended on healthy nutrition practices greatly benefited me and increased my awareness of the need to wash vegetables and fruits from pesticides.”

Fouad also emphasized the importance of knowledge about different meal preparations, and how easy it can be to prepare healthy meals with simple contents. “The workshop was a smart idea,” he added. “It benefited me as much as the kit I received did.”