Madison-Rafah Journal

Milk for Rafah Campaign

Milk from WISCONSIN to RAFAH

The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP) is partnering with the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) in Rafah to send powdered milk to the people of Rafah.

In January 2005 MRSCP sent a delegation to Rafah to meet with governmental and non-governmental community leaders. Although the humanitarian needs of the people of Rafah are many, nutritional supplements were among the most pressing concerns.

A 2003 study by Al Quds University and Johns Hopkins for CARE and the US Agency for International Development found increasing deficiencies in protein, vitamins A and E, iron, folic acid, and zinc in the diet of Gaza children 1 to 5 years old.

Malnutrition in Occupied Palestine

In 2003

Over half of the populations of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank were unemployed and more than two-thirds were living below the poverty line.

Problems of malnutrition and anemia had resurged in the Occupied Territories and problems of micronutrient deficiencies are highly prevalent all over the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) area of operation.

Micro-nutrient deficiencies - what the World Health Organization calls "hidden hunger" - is just as serious as the protein-energy malnutrition that plagues many parts of Africa. Micronutrient deficient children fail to grow and develop normally; their cognition is damaged, often severely and irreversibly; and their immune systems are compromised. In both adults and children, mental and physical capacities are impaired. Extreme cases can result in death or blindness.

Almost one-quarter of Palestinian children are suffering from acute or chronic malnutrition, largely because of the Occupation. Nursing and pregnant mothers are suffering, too. On average they consume 15-20% fewer calories per day than they did before the outbreak of the intifada in 2000. The consequent anemia, low folic acid intake, and lack of proteins threaten both their health and the normal development of their children.

The UN's relief agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, feeds 1.3 million Palestinians and all but a few Palestinians now depend to some extent on foreign aid to survive.

See "Nutritional Assessment of the West Bank & Gaza Strip," CARE International, 02 Jan 2003; "Hungry in Gaza," Peter Hanson, The Guardian, March 4, 2003; and the 2003 UNRWA "Annual Report of the Department of Health".

Your contribution will provide much needed nutrition for the people of Rafah, whose health status has been severely undermined by the military occupation and closed borders.

Madison-Rafah Sister City Project

The Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP) was founded in 2003 to foster people-to-people relationships between the citizens of Madison and Rafah. Located on the border with Egypt, Rafah's economy and city infrastructure have been devastated by Israel's ongoing military occupation. All aspects of life there, whether cultural, physical, political, or educational, have been negatively affected.

As a tax-exempt 501(c)3 corporation, all donations to MRSCP's Milk Project are tax deductible.

End Note

MRSCP raised approximately $6000 over a year from individuals, the Madison Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and others. Plans were made for an initial purchase of 1000 pounds of powdered milk, to be labeled with instructions in Arabic and distributed by partners in Rafah.

We worked through problems involving suppliers, minimum quantities, both Israeli and Palestinian export documentation and permits, and receipt and distribution of the milk… only to run up against the wall of Israeli border closures. It was simply impossible to buy even powdered milk with a late enough expiration date to survive the border crossing delays without spoiling.

In March 2006 the funds were diverted, with permission from the major donors, to Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) emergency food parcels targeted for Rafah.

Middle East Children's Alliance

May 17, 2006

Dear Friend,

Thank you for responding so generously to MECA’s appeal to feed families in Gaza. When I first sent out my emergency email message, I told Dr. Mona El Farra, MECA’s friend and partner in Gaza, that we could raise $10,000. But, I’m very pleased to tell you that, thanks to you and other caring MECA supporters MECA raised $45,000 to feed more than one thousand families!

Dr. Mona, working with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS), has set up an impressive group of young volunteers. Over the past month and a half they have been delivering food parcels of milk, cheese, bread, cooking oil and other items primarily to families with young children and single-parent families in Rafah, Khan Younis, Gaza City, Jabalia refugee camp, and the refugee camps in the middle of Gaza.

I want to share with you some pictures of the distribution that I received this week from Dr. Mona. As you can see, PRCS labeled the food parcels "donated by MECA and others" so people know that—while the US and the EU have stopped sending aid—there are people like you who understand how people in Palestine are suffering terribly and are doing what you can to help.

Your solidarity is very much appreciated by Dr. Mona, the PCRS, and all of the families that received food parcels during such a difficult time.

I also want to acknowledge the Firedoll Foundation for their matching gift grant of $3,000, and the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project for their donations of over $6,000 for the people of Rafah.

With much gratitude,

Barbara Lubin
Founder and Executive Director
Middle East Children's Alliance

A Forum for the Madison-Rafah Sister City Project

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Madison-Rafah Sister City Project

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