“They thought it would be days\u2014the days became 70 years.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
An eye on Gaza<\/h3>\n
Mrs. Najah was born in Block J of the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n
She grew up there and saw the flashes of conflict over the land. She witnessed how her family and neighbors were affected by the 14-year blockade Israel and Egypt imposed on Hamas-controlled Gaza\u2014how it limits Palestinians\u2019 movement in and out of the territory and stifles the flow of goods, costing billions of dollars in economic losses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish we had the possibility to move freely from the Gaza Strip to another country without having any trouble\u2014that would be much better for Palestinians,\u201d Mrs. Najah said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve been suffering from 1967 until now.\u201d<\/p>\n
And now, she\u2019s watching COVID-19 sweep in and strain what\u2019s left of the struggling economy\u2014but she\u2019s also cooking.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Najah\u2019s Kitchen<\/h3>\n
As the Executive Director of the Women’s Programs Center-Rafah, Mrs. Najah manages a seven-woman team of cooks. In her kitchen<\/a>, they make classic, hearty meals of chicken and rice with pine nuts mixed in and limes for garnish. <\/p>\n With two-thirds<\/a> of the population already struggling to get food regularly and unemployment at 45%<\/a>, the pandemic and the 11-day war between Hamas and Israel in May have made it even tougher for families in Gaza to make a meal\u2014much less one with chicken or meat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pandemic affected a huge number of people, especially those who work day to day. They lost their jobs. There was no income source for them,\u201d Mrs. Najah said.<\/p>\n So she serves anyone who needs a meal\u2014cancer patients, people with disabilities, children who are orphans\u2014not only the refugees that make up most<\/a> of Gaza\u2019s population.<\/p>\n During the recent conflict between Hamas and Israel that killed at least 248<\/a> people in Gaza, Mrs. Najah\u2019s team made about 1,200 meals for families. Some went to households that were sheltering more than 25 people from Israeli airstrikes. <\/p>\n \u201cWe couldn’t ignore the need of those families,\u201d wrote Kareem, a coordinator in Rafah for Rebuilding Alliance<\/a>, a nonprofit that supports Mrs. Najah\u2019s Kitchen.<\/p>\n Since the project started last year, the team has fed thousands of people to help Gaza recover, and they serve a different area with every delivery.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I go to a house, I ask the woman who lives there what she prepared for lunch,\u201d Mrs. Najah said. \u201cAnd I feel joy when I give her a good, hot meal after she says she did not prepare anything.\u201d <\/p>\n Every minute<\/a>, 20 people leave their homes and uproot their lives to escape war, persecution, or terror. Every month, you could help them move closer to stability. <\/p>\n You can support people like Mrs. Najah who are not only refugees but are also parents, grandparents, teachers, or leaders serving their communities. A monthly donation of $10 would let Mrs. Najah feed a family of five and help Gaza recover.<\/p>\n GIVE NOW<\/a><\/p>\n *Terms and Conditions apply.<\/a><\/small> <\/p>\nMrs. Najah's Kitchen - Gaza Emergency Meals<\/span> by Rebuilding Alliance<\/a><\/small>\n![\"Women](\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Rebuilding-Alliance-Mrs-Najahs-Kitchen-5.jpg\")
Photo: Rebuilding Alliance<\/small><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Rebuilding-Alliance-Mrs.-Najahs-Kitchen-3.jpg\")
Photo: Rebuilding Alliance<\/small><\/p>\n