It’s been a while since we sent you an update about MECA’s work in Gaza. When you see the news getting more terrible every day you may wonder if we’re able to do very much at all.
In fact, we’re continuing some of the things we’ve been doing since October 8, like delivering food parcels and clean water. And, as the genocide goes on, MECA’s Gaza team finds new ways to meet the needs of thousands of children and families.
Even here at MECA, we are inspired by what our staff, partners, and volunteers are able to do when faced with such danger and scarcity. Also, the difficulties of communication blackouts, roads damaged, destroyed or blocked by Israeli tanks.
Food and water continue to be the most urgent needs throughout Gaza and MECA is meeting those needs several ways:
Fresh produce provides key nutrition. MECA continues to get fresh vegetables and fruit from local farmers. Right now, we are distributing boxes to 12,500 families in the three southernmost areas —Middle Area, Khan Younis, and Rafah.
Hot Meals from Community Kitchens. With the support of the World Central Kitchen (WCK), MECA now has one large and two small solar-powered community kitchens in Rafah and one further north. Israeli tanks and bulldozers destroyed another kitchen, but we are expecting new equipment from WCK to rebuild it soon. Together, the kitchens provide hot meals for more than 3,500 people every day.
Food parcels with rice, lentils, beans, cheese, and more plus ready-to-eat meals are delivered to several thousand people every week, many who are recently displaced from their homes or shelters.
Water: We’ve provided 26,417 gallons of water to displaced families in Rafah, and now other large organizations are distributing water there. We had been trucking water to the tens of thousands of people sheltering in Mawasi on the edge of Khan Younis until the Israeli military presence made that impossible. However, we managed to get 2,000 water bottles of clean drinking water for families from World Central Kitchen into the area. A huge achievement was the recent installation of a water purification unit for the community in Mawasi. This water purification unit is solar powered and provides 2,600 gallons of clean drinking water every day.
Some aid for people in the north. The needs in northern Gaza are so great and the obstacles are almost insurmountable but one new and one longtime partner organization were able to find and distribute medicine, milk, drinking water and even hot meals of rice and meat.
MECA’s team in Gaza is working tirelessly and they are determined not to give up. They won’t even take a break when I want them to. This the collective spirit in Gaza and among Palestinians everywhere that has made it possible for us to survive to this day.
Many thanks for your support.
In solidarity,
Zeiad Abbas Shamrouch
MECA Director
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