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Learn about the organization’s projects in Palestine
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip live under oppressive conditions imposed by the blockade, closures, and repeated aggression.
The sectors most affected in the Gaza Strip are health, education, and social services, which suffer significant losses with each escalation, resulting in the loss of lives, injuries, loss of income sources, and destruction of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of homes. Additionally, Gaza is surrounded by walls and barriers, with only two gateways to the outside world, which are often closed.
– 97% of the water is unfit for human use.
– Electricity is available for a maximum of eight hours per day.
– Poverty rates have increased to 38.8%.
– Unemployment has risen significantly, especially among youth, reaching over 60% by the end of 2014.
Over the past five years, the organization has implemented numerous projects in the Gaza Strip aimed at mitigating the crises’ impact on survivors and improving the quality of life for the poorest and most vulnerable communities.
The organization operates in the Gaza Strip through our field office and staff on the ground, as well as a large number of volunteers and partner institutions.
We provide care for over 4,500 orphaned children through our Orphan Care program, and we focus on providing healthcare services, educational support, and improving food security for our beneficiaries.
2. Palestine – Al-Quds
The humanitarian situation in the city of Jerusalem is extremely complex. Despite its sanctity, the city suffers from punitive measures imposed by the occupation, including repeated attacks and assaults by extremists on places of worship such as Al-Aqsa Mosque and churches, as well as demolitions, destruction, and burning of some of its facilities.
In addition, there are punishments imposed on its residents, including house demolitions, land confiscations, arrests, physical assaults on citizens, and their expulsion or exclusion from the city.
The occupation has isolated Jerusalem from its Palestinian extension, leaving 120,000 Palestinians in its suburbs behind the separation wall.
Moreover, the occupation has constrained the Palestinian economy with various taxes and land confiscations or leveling..
These punitive measures have negatively impacted the lives and well-being of Palestinians, who continue to suffer under the burden of fear, anxiety, and dire conditions.
“I am Ritaaj, I am 10 years old and I am in the fourth grade. I excel in school.
My brothers Ahmad and Youssef and I are sponsored by the organization because we are orphans. Our father passed away a long time ago, and it was just us and our mother. Our living conditions were very bad, but the organization fixed our house, and now it’s beautiful and warm. We love the organization because we used to be afraid at night. Our house had no doors or windows, and insects and rats would crawl over us while we slept. But now we sleep peacefully. The organization also gave us mattresses and blankets. Before, during winter, we used to suffer a lot from the cold. My brothers and I would cover ourselves with one blanket. Since we didn’t have mattresses, our mother would put a blanket on the floor for us to sleep on. It was really tough during the winter. Now, we are living in safety and warmth.”
Ritaaj is one of nine children whose father passed away, leaving them mostly malnourished. Two of the children also suffer from calcium deficiency, which causes them many health problems.
The large family used to live in a house in extremely poor condition, and staying in the house posed a real danger to the family members’ lives. The doors and windows were broken, and the water and electricity networks were very old and in a terrible state. The organization renovated the family’s house and furnished it with all the necessary appliances, beds, and blankets.
We visited the family’s house after the completion of the renovation and witnessed their immense joy and tears when the children saw their new home.
Mervat Abu Hajar, Ritaaj’s mother, said, “Since the death of my husband, this is the first day we truly experience happiness. I can’t imagine that we will sleep safely from now on. I couldn’t close my eyes at night, fearing for my children from insects and rats. We never felt warmth in the winter. We used to burn firewood to keep warm, and I knew how dangerous it was to light a fire in the house, but I had no other choice when I saw them shivering from the cold. I don’t want to remember those days anymore. From now on, we will live a safe life that the organization has provided us. Thank you, IOHR.”
The International Organization for Human Rights and Refugee Affairs is a non-profit, non-governmental international organization licensed by the United States. It operates under the umbrella of the United Nations and the European Union, focusing on the protection of human rights and advocating for the rights of refugees. The organization is dedicated to safeguarding the freedoms and human rights of individuals and defending the rights of refugees.
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