Family to Family Initiative
HELP US HELP GAZA
This year, UNRWA commemorates six decades of service to Palestine’s refugees. UNRWA has faced many challenges in recent decades, but none as difficult as the current situation in Gaza.
Now more than ever, UNRWA needs the support of its friends. The American Friends of UNRWA Association offers a chance for you to support UNRWA’s dedication to the Palestinian refugees through our Family to Family Initiative, a new program created to help provide food aid and cash assistance to struggling families in Gaza.
The American Friends of UNRWA Association has launched the Gaza Family to Family Initiative, to help families from Rafah to Jabalia get back on their feet and rebuild their lives. Today in Gaza:
- 90% of families depend on food aid to survive
- More than 20,000 families remain homeless
- 1 in 6 children between 6 months and 5 years suffers from malnutrition
Approximately $2,000 will provide food, shelter, and cash assistance for a family of six in Gaza for nine months. An initial infusion of cash assistance in the amount of $500/family is needed for re-purchasing basic supplies, bedding, etc. This modest sum goes surprisingly far in helping a family get back on its feet. Food aid to the one million refugees who are at risk of sliding even deeper into food insecurity costs $50 per person for each distribution over the next nine months. An estimated five food distributions will be needed by most of these refugees, with each one ensuring 60% of daily nutritional needs for this period. This food aid is a lifesaver for Gaza’s long-suffering families.
Contents of a Family to Family Assistance Package
Food Packages - provide wheat flour, rice, lentils, cooking oil, etc. to the average family of six, preventing food insecurity and malnutrition.
Cash Assistance – enables purchase of necessities such as mattresses, blankets, and basic medicines. The money will also help displaced families with temporary housing costs pending reconstruction and help to pay for medical costs for injured family members.
Today, UNRWA faces the daunting challenge of sustaining one million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, including 20,000 families who lost their homes in the recent attacks. At this point, more than 90 percent of Gazans temporarily depend on food aid delivered by UNRWA.
Now is the time for American families to step forward to show their support for Gaza families in need. Accordingly, the American Friends of UNRWA Association has created the Family to Family Initiative to help families get back on their feet and rebuild their lives. A donation of $150, or just $5 a day, will provide enough food for a family of six in Gaza for an entire month. This modest sum goes surprisingly far in helping one family get back on its feet.
Each food package ensures that Gazans receive 60% of their daily nutritional needs, which is critical for a population that is at risk of sliding even deeper into food insecurity. Each package is limited to basic concentrated foods – wheat flour, rice, lentils, etc. – that are purchased in bulk and divided into family-sized packages. This food aid is a lifesaver for Gaza’s long-suffering families.
Students at Purdue University, for example, recently raised $2,600, which thus provided food for more than 500 families for one day. The families of Gaza need your help too. For each dollar raised, we can help one more family put food on their table. Please, help us restore and rebuild Gaza, family by family.
To help support a family in Gaza today, please click here to donate to the Family to Family Initiative.
