Help Bring Medical Aid to Palestinians under Siege in Gaza
This Campaign has ended on 04-06-2019
Campaign by: MECA
Campaign Summary
This campaign was dedicated to supporting emergency health services in Gaza. MECA purchased medicine and medical supplies from private pharmacies to help hospitals and clinics provide urgent services in Gaza.
Problem
Israel’s military occupation and twelve-year blockade of Gaza affect every aspect of life. Water is polluted and not safe to drink. Electricity is available only a few hours a day. Unemployment and poverty rates have skyrocketed. And the health sector is overwhelmed trying to meet the needs of nearly 2 million people. Hospitals and clinics have perpetual shortages for medicines to treat chronic illnesses, as well as routine and acute health problems. Patients with life-threatening illnesses are often prevented from leaving Gaza to seek treatment.
Solution
Sick and injured people in Gaza need immediate, life-saving help. The Middle East Children’s Alliance has been working in Gaza for 30 years and has sent $25 million of dollars of medicine and medical supplies to local hospitals and clinics in Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq. Now, due to the tightening siege on Gaza, our staff in Gaza need to purchase medicine and medical supplies from private pharmacies to help hospitals and clinics provide urgent services.
This campaign will reach people who cannot afford treatment. The funds will make it possible for the people most in need to get surgeries, medicine for chronic illnesses, and treatment for kidney disease. Your support will also provide fuel for Al-Awda hospital, which treats 10% of the injured from the Great March of Return and is the main provider for pregnant women in northern Gaza.
About Middle East Children’s Alliance
The Middle East Children’s Alliance is a nonprofit organization working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East. MECA supports dozens of community projects for Palestinian children and refugees from Syria. Since 1988 we have delivered $25 million in food and medical aid to Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon. MECA welcomes the support of all people who care about children and their future.
Number of supporters
raised out of $20000
Countries
BuildPalestine team guided and coached us through our first crowdfunding campaign last spring. The campaign was to provide medical aid to people in Gaza and raised $32,767 from 587 supporters – much more than our original goal of $10,000. We learned so much from BuildPalestine about how to explain the needs on the ground in Gaza succinctly, create compelling video content, and run a crowdfunding campaign from preparation to launch to finish. With the help of BuildPalestine, we received donations from hundreds of new donors around the world allowing us to provide life-saving medicine and medical services to people in Gaza.
The sieged free space; meet 28 Magazine from Gaza
From growing up in an isolated community, to being the founder of the cultural 28 Magazine; this is the story of our inspiring fellow: Mahmoud Al Shaer.
In 2013, Mahmoud founded 28 Magazine with a group of young Palestinian writers from Gaza and abroad. 28 Magazine is an Arabic language literary and cultural magazine which addresses different cultural discourse.
The titled number 28 refers to the number of letters in the Arabic language. Through this title, the magazine aspires to form a cultural base that participates in the knowledge-building of young writers and creators, and sponsors their creative projects.
Other than publishing printed and online magazines every once in a while, They created a creative Safe Space in 28 Magazine, that has a deeper benefit. It offers opportunities for creators, young artists and writers to present their literary and creative work and interact with the Palestinian and larger Arab society through a series of events that include literary evenings, panel discussions, art exhibitions, concerts, and film screenings, organized by the 28 Magazine team in cooperation with variety of cultural communities in Gaza.
28 Magazine creates a safe place for people by listening and holding difficult conversations, allowing them to share their experiences in a place of empathy and compassion, allowing complex emotions that might normally remain hidden, to surface.
In a conversation with Mohammad, he shared the difficulties 28 magazine has faced, and continues to face during their journey, from restrictions and challenges in financing to the specter of war that haunts them all the time. At the same time, 28 Magazine is opening the window of hope for it’s community and for others in Gaza.
28 Magazine became home for individuals, friends, family, groups and institutions. It allows intellectuals, writers, artists and those interested in reading and culture to build collective and individual awareness through dialogue, exchange of ideas and discussion. This place is growing each day with the experiences stored in its memory.
About the founder Mahmoud Al Shaer
Born in Rafah, southern Palestine in 1990, He is a writer and cultural active executive director of 28 magazine. Studied accounting at the University College of Applied and Vocational Sciences.
He published a joint collection of poetry entitled ‘White Space’, and worked with many local and international institutions to enable artistic and creative practices within Palestine.
Give 28 Magazine a visit!
To know more about BuildPalestine fellowship program, Click here