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FROM THE FIELD

ACT: Food, medicine, blankets and trauma therapists headed for Gaza
07 Jan 2009 15:36:00 GMT
 Source: Action by Churches Together (ACT) - Switzerland
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Al Ahli Hospital/ACT International
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Al Ahli Hospital/ACT International
An injured child is treated at Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. The ACT-supported Hospital has treated more than 100 patients since the onset of the latest conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants.

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GENEVA, 7 January 2009--Food, medicine, blankets and trauma counselors are being loaded into trucks by ACT International and are headed for Gaza. In cooperation with UN agencies, ACT has prepared the much needed assistance and is awaiting permission from the Israeli army for the trucks to enter the blockaded area.

Vulnerable people including infants and small children, together with their mothers, are the highest priorities. The need for emergency psychosocial care within the war-torn area is overwhelming.

"The best therapy for children is to resume normal life," says ACT's representative in Israel and Palestine, Liv Steinmoeggen. ACT members are sending social workers and other qualified professionals to organise everything from women's groups to soccer matches.

Gaza markets are empty, caused by the war and the ongoing Israeli blockade. Even with cash, Palestinians can't buy food. Trucks from ACT are now packed with tons of high energy biscuits for children. ACT will immediately start therapeutic feeding programmes for malnourished children, similar to interventions in hunger emergencies. ACT members report that there is a need for supplementary feeding for 80,000 preschool children, but only one in four children have received such supplements during the war.

Due to the complexity of the crisis and the potential for further violence, the distribution of food will be dangerous and complicated. ACT will operate together with UN agencies and distribute through Palestinian community representatives.

Emergency supplies including medicine and blankets are also needed at the Anglican Al Ahli Arab Hospital, reports Ms. Steinmoeggen. The hospital staff have been working around the clock, and nurses have been unable to care for even their own families, wounded by shrapnel from the bombs. During the bomb attacks windows have been blown out and patients are freezing in the winter temperatures.

The transport of food and medicines is just the first step in assisting the war-ravaged Gaza population. Asked how aid will be distributed once inside Gaza, Ms Steinmoeggen says she is afraid that it will be a dangerous operation.

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ACT members the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) of the Middle East Council of Churches, Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), Christian Aid, Church of Sweden, DanChurchAid (DCA), International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) are working together in a joint response to the Gaza crisis.

Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

Media contact:
Tomm Kristiansen, Communications Officer (office: +41 22 791 6039 / mobile: +41 79 358 3171 / tkr@act-intl.org )

Sidney Traynham, Assistant Communications Officer (office: +41 22 791 6711 / mobile: +41 79 681 1868 / sjt@act-intl.org )


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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