Gaza Emergency Relief Fund

Dear Friend,
My colleague, Maria, was ready to post our quarterly report when we learned of the deadly attack against Israel’s countryside and cities. Now innocent people in Gaza are under massive bombing in retaliation. UNOCHA is reporting that 187,000 have fled their homes seeking refuge with over 137,000 now in UN Schools.They are not part of the Gaza Government — they did not plan or support the attack. Most have no belongings with them. Rebuilding Alliance is working with our Palestinian Non-Government Org partners in Gaza to begin our relief response starting small on credit and hoping to ramp-up as funds arrive. We appeal to your care and support to make relief efforts possible.

Here is Rebuilding Alliance’s report of how we used the donations received in May.

Sincerely,
Donna Baranski-Walker
Executive Director, Rebuilding Alliance
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From May 9-15, 2023, families in the Gaza Strip experienced intense bombing by the Israeli airforce. The bombing caused destruction, loss of life, and disruption of economic activity. Businesses closed down as daily life came to a standstill in Gaza. People faced many difficulties feeding their families. With your support, Rebuilding Alliance and its NGO partners in Gaza provided 200 families in need with a 2 week supply of food staples. 

On May 10th, the second day of the bombing, Rebuilding Alliance asked for a Zoom meeting with our Palestinian Non Governmental Organization (NGO) partners to learn of the needs of the Gaza community. Our partner NGOs narrated that bombings had put a large number of day laborers out of work. Without any income, people were unable to buy anything and were going hungry. On the advice of our Gaza NGO partners, we agreed to provide bags of essential food supplies to Gaza families. Because our NGO partners are located in the North and South of the Gaza Strip, they can reach many neighborhoods. 

Our NGO partners acted fast. They recommended vendors, we did OFAC checks to assure compliance with US law, they procured supplies from vendors on credit and prepared bags even when bombs were falling.  Because the situation demanded urgent attention, the only way we could provide relief was to procure food supplies from vendors on credit. One partner organized a pick-up at the local store. Other families received bags at their homes. Our goal was to serve 200 families, 50 families per partner NGO, and provide each family with a $50 bag containing staple food items, canned food, and goodies for children. One NGO Partner, Al Amal Association, chose to invite the families to a supermarket to shop using a voucher system for the designated items — this was our first experience with this system.

I want to thank everyone who provided much-needed relief to 200 beleaguered families in Gaza. Here is how your support made an impact:

• Subheya is a widow and raising six children. The bombings had left her family without sustenance. She felt helpless as she had nothing to put on the table for her hungry children. She could not believe her eyes when she saw volunteers at her doorstep with bags full of food. With tears rolling down her face, Subheya thanked the volunteers and could not find the right words to express her gratitude and relief. She felt lighter as if a huge burden was lifted off her shoulders.

• Abdul-Rahman is a ten-year-old boy. He is physically disabled and suffers from leukemia. He lives in a small shabby house with his large family of ten. The family did not have any money when the bombings started, not for food or Abdul-Rahman's medicine. It was a big relief for the family to receive essential food supplies, medicine, and diapers for Abdul-Rahman.
  
  
• On receiving a phone call from our partner NGO, Aqlaa rushed to pick up the food parcel on her donkey cart because she and her family had nothing to eat. After receiving her parcel, she lifted her hands to pray for everyone and said, "Thank you! That meant a lot to me."

• Many families shared that they were in great need of food. They had nothing to cook and had no money to buy food items. They were grateful and said the help came at the right time. 

Your generosity gave these 200 families the strength to carry on in the wake of the destruction and chaos they experienced. Thank you for making these relief efforts possible.

Sincerely,
Maria Syed
Analyst and Strategist, Rebuilding Alliance

P.S. from Donna:
The May, 2023 bombings took place just after Ramadan and Easter when RA's NGO partners delivered more food parcels than ever before. We set stretch goals for those holidays and our NGO partners in Gaza and the West Bank delivered with care — but our fundraising fell short. What a challenge Rebuilding Alliance faced to pay the bills. Thankfully, we use donations at our Gala dinner in September to complete all the payments. All vendors were paid in full and Rebuilding Alliance is in good standing once again. 

We learned how important it is to set smaller goals, then expand commitments as each fundraising goal is met.  Now in this crisis, we asked our four partners to start with food and hygiene supplies at $2500 each for a total of $10,000 of aid. They are aiding families sheltering in private homes and we’re in touch with colleagues at UNRWA who are asking for critical needs for the 137,000 people taking refuge in schools. I have every confidence in our ability to ramp up as funds arrive, review receipts and reports as work expands, and pay bills promptly when hostilities cease, hopefully very soon.