Hot meals 4 Starved #Palestinian Kids in #NorthGaza
Update on September 21st, 2024 by #HaniAlmadhoun, Organizer
"Hello and salamat,
"A lot is happening, so please take a moment to sit down and, as always, thank you for being here and being invested in everything we do. Please take a moment of silence for all the victims of this #genocide that is now spreading to other countries while this heartless world watches on.
"New data has revealed the scale of aid obstruction, resulting in a drastic fall in aid entering #Gaza. This is driving a #humanitarian disaster, with the entire population of Gaza facing #hunger and #disease, and almost half a million at risk of #starvation.
"As #Israeli military attacks on Gaza intensify, lifesaving food, #medicine, medical supplies, #fuel, and tents have been systematically blocked from entering for almost a year.
"Firstly, I am honored to report that the #GazaSoupKitchen was featured again in an #AJ+ production about #FoodResistance in Palestine. You can see the video link below, where you will see Chef Mahmoud in action. All of you are mentioned there for your solidarity and support. Thank you. Anything we can do to alleviate the Palestinian voices on top of our #humanitarian work, we will do it and do it often.
"Regarding food, we continue to serve food and scale our operations. Remember, our food is home-cooked meals of quality, not large volume food made on the cheap for photos. This is a real issue where well-meaning folks cook things that people are wary of despite their hunger, leading to hospital visits. I salute everyone who serves food made for fellow humans with dignity and love. In #AlZawaydah, we now serve an additional 100 meals weekly on top of the 350 families we lovingly serve daily. These one hundred meals go to a makeshift refugee camp that has reached out for help and you have answered. We may expand that down the road. In Khan Younes, our teams have started doing something cool, delivering meal kits to displaced families. Like 55 families received onions, cooking oil, garlic, and animal protein today. Three days ago, they received a different meal kit with chicken. I know that my family, when they see these items, feel upset because none of these items are available to them. One single onion in North Gaza goes for 25 dollars, can you imagine? #ChefFaten and #ChefMahmoud still serve hot meals daily and continue to see increasing demand, as only 83 percent less aid was allowed into Gaza last month compared to 34% the month before.
"This week, we held two health days in Khan Younes, one dental day, and one for skin diseases in kids. Dr. Ibrahim led both days and helped about a hundred kids in total. This initiative was funded by a few friends in Ashville, North Carolina, under the Sumud Collective. We were happy to remove the hurdles and send a doctor to help in the heart of the displacement where folks don't need to worry about safety and transportation.
"You should also know that the #HealthClinic in North Gaza continues to work daily. Dr. Mohanned, nurses Fadia, and Ahmad serve 50 to 70 patients a day with love and excitement. Nurse Fadia, with her bubbly personality, is everyone's friend. When women need privacy, she meets with them and asks the males to leave the tent. We provide about 24-30 prescriptions a day, all free of charge, and we are happy to provide these as we purchase them. Our weekly budget for the clinic is 1000 dollars, and the total cost to set it up was 10k. The most expensive item was the energy solutions #batteries and #solar panels, which set us back 3500 dollars. The bulk of the cost for the clinic was shouldered by a Palestinian family living between the US and the Gulf. We are happy that you continue to support these ventures to ensure we have the resources we need to meet the needs every day.
"On the water front, we deliver at least four water trucks a day, two in Khan Younes, one in #AlZawaydah, and another in North Gaza. Each water truck costs about 200 dollars and serves 150 families or so based on how many containers each person brings. Another #Palestinian family stepped up to help us hook up a school that is sheltering 80 families to a nearby well. We provided the pipes, water tank, and a pump, which set us back a little over a thousand dollars. When we shared an update on this, another family stepped up and said count us in for two of these projects, so we are looking into making this impact in other places.
"Lastly, on #education, our new school should be opening tomorrow, and with the school starting this Monday, this is important because to the best of our knowledge, no one else has opened an entire school in Gaza where we took over an abandoned souk and turned it into a full school with nine classrooms, restrooms, and an admin office. You should brag about this for eternity because it's so awesome and it solves a big problem for kids, their families, and the community. We have teachers ready and a school principal eager to start teaching the 270 students who will receive official transcripts for their education. It will be the first time the Ministry of Education approves such a program since the genocide started in Gaza. Please pray for their safety. And you want to know something even better? The school only cost us 30k, a very low cost for such an ambitious project. Take a look at where our costs are in the attached recipe (sorry it's in Arabic). We run a classroom in #KhanYounes with Ms. Fatma that meets three times a week, and kids need these steps towards normalcy. Many others are running similar programs on their own, but a formal school like we are putting together has not happened before, and I hope it won't be the last. I share these updates to inspire others to do the same. We have seen more #SoupKitchens open after ours did (a sad fact about the need). Our health clinic inspired others to launch their own clinic, and we hope this school will do the same.
"Thank you for your solidarity,
- Hani
"P.S. Remember, we are now a recognized US charity, and we would love for you to continue to share our updates and amplify our message because you know we both do this for our Palestinian siblings, and more people want to help. Nothing changes our commitment to doing the right thing without delay, and I hope you can join us."
#GoFundMe page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Hot-meals-in-gaza-daily
Video:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DAG63JixelP/?igsh=dDdrbGkzb3QwZTEw
#GazaAid #GazaFundraisers
#Palestinians #CeasefireNow #FoodIsLife #WaterIsLife #Starvation #GoFundMe #IsraelHumanRightsViolations
