A Palestinian woman collects her belongings among the ruins of her destroyed house. Photo:
REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
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.No food availableGaza markets are empty, caused by
the war and the ongoing Israeli blockade. Even with cash, Palestinians can't buy food.
ACT in Gaza 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.Visit ACT website
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.Overcrowded hospitalsEmergency 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.
By ACT International
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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