Emergency Relief & Recovery in Palestine IMPACT REPORT | 2021 I M PA C T R E P O R T 2 0 2 0
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ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
Thank you Thank you for your generous contributions to Islamic Relief Canada in support of our emergency response and recovery efforts in Palestine this year. Your care and generosity helped us respond quickly and deliver immediate aid in their time of need. Together with our recovery projects as well as our ongoing efforts to uplift the lives of Palestinians, your support continues to reach over 130,000 people through our funded projects and responses on the ground. We cannot do this without you, thank you.
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They Are Not Just Numbers Remembering the Lost Children of Palestine from May 2021 Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Rajioon 4
ISL AMIC RELIEF CANADA
Mohammad Saber Ibrahim Suleiman, age 15
Buthaina Mahmoud Issa Obaid, age 6
Mustafa Mohammad Mahmoud Obaid, age 16
Yamen Alaa Mohammad Abu Hatab, age 5
Baraa Wisam Ahmad al-Gharabli, age 5
Bilal Alaa Mohammad Abu Hatab, age 9
Rahaf Mohammed Atalla al-Masri, age 10
Yousef Alaa Mohammad Abu Hatab, age 10
Yazan Sultan Mohammad al-Masri, age 2
Miriam Alaa Mohammad Abu Hatab, age 7
Marwan Yousef Attalla al-Masri, age 6
Osama Mohammad Sobhi al-Hadidi, age 5
Ibrahim Yousef Attalla al-Masri, age 11
Abdurrahman Mohammad Sobhi al-Hadidi, age 7
Hussein Muneer Hussein Hamad, age 11
Suheib Mohammad Sobhi al-Hadidi, age 12
Ibrahim Abdullah Mohammad Hassanain, age 16
Yahya Mohammad Sobhi al-Hadidi, age 10
Lina Iyad Fathi Sharir, age 15
Tala Ayman Tawfeeq Abu al-Auf, age 13
Zaid Mohammad Odeh Talbani, age 4
Tawfeeq Ayman Tawfeeq Abu al-Auf, age 17
Hala Hussein Rafat Rifi, age 13
Yahya Riad Hasan Ishkantna, age 4
Mariam Mohammad Odeh Talbani, age 2
Zain Riad Hasan Ishkantna, age 2
Bashar Ahmad Ibrahim Samour, age 17
Dana Riad Hasan Ishkantna, age 9
Hamza Mahmoud Yassin Ali, age 12
Adam Izzat Mu’in al-Qawlaq, age 3
Hamada Attia Abed al-Emour, age 13
Zaid Izzat Mu’in al-Qawlaq, age 8
Ammar Tayseer Mohammad al-Emour, age 10
Hana Shukri Ameen al-Qawlaq, age 14
Elyan Moneer Ibrahim al-Emour, age 12
Ahmad Shukri Ameen al-Qawlaq, age 15
Yahya Mazen Shehada Khalifa, age 13
Dima Rami Riad al-Ifranji, age 15
Rashid Mohammad Rashid Abu Arra, age 16
Qusai Sameh Fawwaz al-Qawlaq, age 6 months
Bashar Ahmad Ibrahim Samour, age 17
Mohammad Ahmad Alya Bhar, age 17
Adham Rafat Mohammad Tanani, age 4
Yara Mohammad Mu’in al-Qawlaq, age 9
Ismail Rafat Mohammad Tanani, age 7
Hala Mohammad Mu’in al-Qawlaq, age 1
Ahmad Rafat Mohammad Tanani, age 2
Rula Mohammad Mu’in al-Qawlaq, age 5
Khaled Imad Khaled Qanou, age 17
Mira Rami Riad al-Ifranji, age 11
Ahmad Rami Mahmoud al-Hawajri, age 13
Yazan Rami Riad al-Ifranji, age 13
Fawziya Nasser Mohammad Abu Faris, age 13
Ameer Rami Riad al-Ifranji, age 9
Mohammad Salameh Mohammad Abu Dayyeh, age 9 months
Lana Riad Hasan Ishkantna, age 5
Lina Mohammad Mahmoud Issa, age 13
Mohammad Khalil Younis Mohammad Freijat, age 14
Hoor Momen Jamal al-Zamli, age 2
Obaida Akram Abdurahman Jawabra, age 17
Ibrahim Mohammad Ibrahim al-Rantisi, age 6 months
Rafeef Mershed Kamel Abu Dayer, age 10
Mahmoud Hamed Hasan Tolbeh, age 12
Ismail al-Baz, age 13
Amira Mohammad Mahmoud al-Attar, age 6
Mina Iyad Fathi Sharir, age 2
Islam Mohammad Mahmoud al-Attar, age 8
Islam Wael Fahmi Dar Nasser, age 16
Mohammad Zain Mohammad Mahmoud al-Attar, age 9 months
Nagham Iyad Abdulfattah Salha, age 2
Abdullah Ashraf Abdullah Jouda, age 12
Dima Sa’d Ali Asaliya, age 10
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Crisis Background In May 2021, Palestine saw a horrendous escalation of violence, claiming the lives of over 253 Palestinians. The people of Gaza endured several consecutive days of intense bombardment until a ceasefire agreement was reached on May 21st. Over 253 Palestinians were killed by the violence including at least 66 children, with over 1,900 Palestinians injured. Additionally, damage was sustained by many apartment buildings, schools, agricultural and health facilities, factories, and electricity networks in Gaza. A third of the people in Palestine live below the poverty line, and thousands of families are struggling with financial hardship. Amidst a global pandemic, the situation is even more dire, as the risk of disease is elevated while the already fragile healthcare system is overwhelmed by an influx of casualties. An overstrained health sector and shortage of staff meant that healthcare facilities were not able to meet the urgent demand. Moreover, the Ministry of Health faced a shortage of urgent medical supplies needed by hospitals and medical centres to treat those wounded by the violence as well as Covid-19 patients.
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The Ministry of Social Development reported that over 500 displaced families and 500 additional families are in need of necessities such as shelter, food, and other living essentials. Prior to this violence, Palestine has been no stranger to crises. The economic conditions in the Gaza Strip are continuously deteriorating causing a significant negative
impact on the living conditions of people, particularly for vulnerable populations like children. Harsh conditions and the spread of Covid-19 continues to affect all aspects of their lives including access to basic necessities – water, education, and health. Children continue to face many challenges when attending school. Hygiene has become a growing
concern in school institutions, where some children in kindergarten drink municipal water containing high levels of chlorides and nitrates. The contaminated water can lead to kidney failure and dental problems. Other kindergartens have to rely on water tanks that may also lead to critical storage issues due to their preexisting poor financial conditions.
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Our Work in the Region Islamic Relief has been on the ground in Gaza for the past 26 years and is one of the only Muslim relief organizations that have an ongoing presence in Gaza. Our team provides food and medical supplies, access to water and actively distributes aid when emergencies strike. We also focus on the developmental needs of a community in conflict through improving access to education, healthcare, psychosocial support and livelihood. In addition to sponsoring over 2,400 orphans in Gaza, we have several projects empowering orphans and vulnerable children as well as providing psychosocial support to thousands of children through counseling services. Through cash and voucher programming, we are able to provide social assistance, food, non-food assistance, and protection measures to improve the wellbeing of the most vulnerable households and communities affected by the crisis. We are also providing highly needed medical supplies to local hospitals to help respond to ongoing escalations of violence as well as support a fellowship program to help medical doctors obtain highly needed specializations to support those most in need. 8
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Your Donations In Action 10
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Emergency Food & Medical Support
Medical Equipment Support at Shifa’ Hospital
Keys of Health Fellowship Program
Increasing Accessibility to Covid-19 Vaccines
Islamic Relief helped to provide immediate medical assistance and vital aid to all those affected by the violence this past year and those most in need. We distributed food packs to over 2,000 families who have been displaced. Medical support is being provided in the form of medicine, disposable items, and lab kits to 7 health facilities and hospitals.
Providing a protective and dignified environment for pregnant women and their newborn babies in the new maternity ward of Shifa’ hospital in the Gaza strip. This project aims to improve the provision of high-quality and accessible services in the maternity health sector. It provides necessary equipment and furniture, such as examination beds, blood pressure devices, ECGs and wheelchairs. This hospital is the only one to provide health and maternity services for the residents of the North and Gaza governorates.
In response to the severe shortage of subspecialist doctors in Palestine, this project is working with Canadian doctors to boost the quality of Palestinian medical specialties through sponsoring the opportunity for a fellowship program at a Canadian university. Palestinian medical students were selected by the Ministry of Health and Canadian doctors to complete the fellowship program. Upon completion, each successful Keys for Health fellow will return to Palestine to provide advanced clinical care and to enhance the health care system for millions of Palestinian boys, girls, men and women.
In support of UNICEF, Islamic Relief Canada is helping deliver Covid-19 vaccines to the world's poorest countries. This project aims to end the pandemic everywhere, quickly and equitably, one vaccine at a time. With your support, 9,600 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were delivered to the Gaza Strip, where the vaccination centres were increased to 25 centres. Beyond supporting the vaccine rollout, this project will be contributing to risk communication and community engagement, as well as supporting the operational deployment of the COVID-19 vaccines in humanitarian settings.
Additionally, we supported urgent medical care for those injured. Your donations funded essential drugs, medical disposables, disaster response bags, and CPR kits to ensure the needed capacity for emergency response during this heightened violence. In addition, a fully functional ambulance was provided to aid with efficient medical support.
BENEFICIARIES
12,000 individuals
BENEFICIARIES BENEFICIARIES
9,600 individuals
7 fellows
BENEFICIARIES
28,927 individuals
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Social Safety Net (Phase 2)
Poviding protection for the most vulnerable households in the Gaza Strip through food vouchers, rent subsidies, medicines and personal health supplies, school materials and tuition for children with disabilities. Each family receives tailored support based on their individual needs, which helps preserve their dignity in difficult circumstances. Due to the number of homes that were damaged in the attacks on Gaza this year, we also conducted shelter rehabilitation efforts for over 40 houses.
This project applies the Family Empowerment Model (FEM) as an integrated approach that aims to transition vulnerable households from dependency to resilience and selfreliance. This focuses on households that have forms of vulnerabilities, but also have high potentials and vision for improving their livelihoods towards a successful future and dignified life.
Emergency Food & Hygiene Support
Child Development & Recovering Wellbeing (Phase 4)
Providing food and hygiene vouchers to address the urgent need for living essentials assistance to the crisis-affected population in Gaza Strip in response to the protracted crisis that continues in Gaza Strip and the ongoing emergency situation. Vouchers were provided through the E-vouchers system of the World Food Program, redeemable at retailer shops easily accessible to people from all communities.
Gaza’s youth are being provided with special support, counselling, workshops, and training to cope and overcome the traumas of war and loss. This multi-year project prioritized the most vulnerable groups and their caregivers, working with local partners to provide psychosocial support services. Our assistance gives these partners a way to continue these much needed programs long-term, and successfully replicate the same program with new groups of children.
BENEFICIARIES
5,156 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
2,145 individuals
BENEFICIARIES
10,000 individuals
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Empowering Orphans and Vulnerable Children
Contributing to the productivity and social inclusion of today's orphans and vulnerable children in the Gaza Strip, to create better future opportunities for Gaza’s youth. This is done through a multi-year long-term transformative project, starting from childhood to youth. The project begins at the childhood stage with social care, tailored education and integrated support services, alongside character building with healthy beliefs and habits.
Following this, it works to empower them technically, socially and economically to yield enabled youth who are able to gain and sustain a dignified income. Programming is focused on specific segments of children who have been identified to have high vulnerabilities, but also have a high potential of social development towards a successful future and dignified life. Due to Covid-19, classes continue both in-person and online. BENEFICIARIES
400 individuals
Integrated Health, Nutrition, & Education for Preschool Children
Orphan Sponsorship
This project works to improve the quality of life for preschool children through early detection and treatment of health problems among children at kindergartens. This included integrating health services into schools, by providing checkups, awareness programs, tools, medicines, better hygiene and nutritional support for vulnerable children, in addition to training their teachers and supporting curriculum enhancement.
One of our most effective orphan-focused initiatives in Gaza is the sponsorship program. Your monthly contribution is the reason an orphan can receive food, medicine, and life-saving support. The Islamic Relief office maintains a personal relationship with each family and conducts yearly assessments, in addition to periodic check-ins to ensure the children are safe and looked after. With your help, each family was able to cover basic needs, which allowed orphans to focus on their education.
These children are members of families living in marginalized and poor communities. Alongside a gap in the current primary health care which doesn’t include preschool children aged 4-5 years in their health programs, this project has been instrumental in detecting health problems during the first stage and in improving children’s health within Gaza.
BENEFICIARIES
2,246 orphans
BENEFICIARIES
5,714 individuals
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SEASONAL PROJECTS Ramadan Food Packs
Qurbani / Udhiya
Distributed food to families most in need to help them prepare for Ramadan. While some received food packs that contained 20kg of food, the majority of beneficiaries were given a food voucher. Agreements were made with vendors who had stores across Gaza for beneficiaries to exchange their food vouchers for food items of their choice on designated days. Islamic Relief staff were present to monitor the exchange process and ensure registered beneficiaries were present to buy their items. A total of 2,600 food packs and vouchers were distributed across North Gaza, Middle Area, Khan Younis, and Rafah Governorates.
With your vital support, Islamic Relief provided opportunities for those who can’t afford meat to receive the nutritional benefits of our Qurbani Meat Packet. Through your support, over 500 Qurbanis were performed to the highest standards, and the meat was distributed immediately without waste. With each packet containing enough meat for a family of 4-8 people for one week.
BENEFICIARIES
15,600 individuals
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BENEFICIARIES
10,000 individuals
UPCOMING RECOVERY RESPONSE PROJECTS IN 2021 Repairing Damaged Healthcare & Education Facilities This project is in response to damaged public service facilities during the May 2021 violence. It aims to restore public service delivery and capacity for the vulnerable populations of Gaza, through rehabilitating health and education centres. We will be working to repair two primary health care clinics, providing them with new equipment, resources, tools, training and laboratories. This also includes rehabilitating three schools that were damaged, and three special education centres that saw extensive damage.
Supporting Health & Agriculture Services Providing urgent relief to the most vulnerable households by improving their access to equitable and quality health rehabilitation services through internships and temporary employment opportunities. These opportunities would be at local health rehabilitation NGOs, service providers, agriculture NGOs, and damaged agricultural sites. The project aims to build a foundation for communitydriven recovery, restore agricultural livelihood, and enhance resilience and food security in rural communities. BENEFICIARIES
BENEFICIARIES
23,500 individuals
Multi-Sectoral Humanitarian Assistance
5,117 individuals
his multi-sectoral recovery T project is designed in response to the escalations in May 2021 and is providing highly needed support under 3 main areas. Cash assistance will be provided to vulnerable households to purchase essential needs. This includes the rehabilitation of 110 water, sanitation and hygiene facilities to repair damaged water systems and enhance access to clean water. This project will also be supporting 25 micro-businesses that are struggling due to damages, towards achieving dignified livelihoods. BENEFICIARIES
1,600 individuals
Olive Tree Planting In order to support the livelihood of farmers in Palestine, Islamic Relief will facilitate the planting of new olive trees to aid in the restoration of olive groves that were burned or uprooted, as well as the cultivation of new olive groves. This project aims to support farmers financially, improve their income generation capacity, and increase the green areas and environmental protection in Palestine. In addition, this project will provide farmers with a simple irrigation network to have integrated and sustainable solutions, as well as essential equipment and tools to enhance the cultivation conditions and quality in accordance with the appropriate agricultural standards. BENEFICIARIES
1,331 individuals
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CASE STUDY
A Young Scientist "When I wear this robe, I feel like a young scientist and this motivates me to strive harder to achieve my dream.” This is Lamar, she's in our Empowering Orphans and Vulnerable Children project in Palestine. When we asked her what she thought about being in the program, she couldn't stop talking! “When I put my eyes on the telescope for the first time in my life, I didn’t want to close them because of the fantastic and accurate details that I saw there. This matter was not
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available in my science classes in school, because there is no telescope at our school. This dream came true once I became one of the beneficiaries of this program that's run by Islamic Relief. We go on educational trips with Islamic Relief, for example, we went on a trip to the university laboratory. And there, we were able to do scientific experiments with the help of some teachers who instructed us." She then went and shared her experiences with her classmates, who also benefited from her knowledge. “When I went
to school the next day, I told my teacher about what I had seen through the telescope when we put the onion slice on it. My teacher was surprised and asked me to explain it to my classmates and to draw it on the board. Students were also surprised and started asking me so much about it. I’m grateful to be one of the lucky persons who are selected to participate in this project.” Lamar adds with great joy and a big smile, “I learnt how the electrical circuit works, also I learned new things about the animals that I love. That increases
my passion for learning." She fell silent and then continued her speech, “Actually, I have two dreams of becoming a veterinarian, as well as becoming a famous scientist. I want to be a scientist in the area of health to discover a drug for cancer. This will make me happy because I will be able to treat many people all over the world, not only in my community.” This is a prime example of what happens when you give young girls access to all the equipment and experiences they need to fulfill their curiosity.
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Thank You for Your Support! Your support has made an immense difference for the children and families of Palestine. Your support is so often the gift of life itself and we take special care to reach those who are most at risk. We’ve seen with our own eyes how their lives have been uplifted and transformed by what you give. May it bring a brighter future for them inshaAllah. “Whoever relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve their hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever helps ease one in difficulty, Allah will make it easy for them in this world and in the Hereafter..." – Prophet Muhammad ﷺ We could not have done it without you, thank you.
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3501 Mainway Burlington, ON L7M 1A9 info@islamicrelief.ca 1-855-377-4673 (HOPE)
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