Children in Crisis/ 2nd stage
Children in Crisis Gaza Project Background Information after 2008-9 Israeli Aggression
The children of Gaza are victims of a horrendous situation and of atrocious violations of their children’s rights as a result of the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe there. The recent appalling Israeli war on Gaza, long years of ruthless occupation and the ongoing siege produced a horrific situation that demanded urgent action from the local and international humanitarian organizations.
In response, IBBY/PBBY are planning to augment and expand the Children in Crisis Project in Gaza. The Bibliotherapy and psycho-social activities based on creative reading will be of some relief to the traumatized children of Gaza, in addition such activities, will partly help, to support literacy.
Background:*
• Gaza Population 1.43 million (1 million refugees)
• Gaza is one of the most populated areas in the world: 3,881 persons per sq meter
• More than 54% under the age of 18
• Poverty 80%
Gaza Current Situation:
• (As a result of the last Israeli aggression on Gaza and the ongoing siege and blockade, since 2007)
• As a result of the last war 1,366 Palestinians dead, of whom 430 are children and 111 are women.
• Number of injured is 5,380, of whom 1,870 are children and 800 are women.
• Movement by air and sea completely banned
• The borders continue to be officially closed exceptions limited to medical and other humanitarian cases
• Import of basic goods and fuels restricted* Shops and markets continue to offer limited food supplies at prices which have soared. The main food aid providers have increased their caseload in order to address the increased need by the population.
• Import of construction and raw material and spare parts banned
• 985 of private business closed
• More than 100,000 jobs lost.
• There is ongoing shortage of cooking gas and power cuts are up to five hours a day throughout the Gaza Strip.
• A total of 65 drugs and 90 disposables were out of stock at the end of April, compared to 52 drugs and 68 disposables at the end of March.
• The wastewater situation in the Gaza Strip continues to be extremely fragile as a result of the preceding 22-month blockade.
• There is estimation that over 10 percent had moderate or severe impairments and that as many as half of the 5,380 men, women and children injured in the last Israeli war on Gaza may suffer life-long impairment,
Shelter damages: reconstruction prevented
The ban on construction materials (including cement and glass), spare parts for water and electricity infrastructure, and agricultural inputs, continue to prevent reconstruction and recovery activities in the Gaza Strip.
• A total of approximately 3,500 houses were totally destroyed or beyond repair (2,300 refugee and 1,200 non-refugee houses)
• 2,100 houses sustained major damage (1,000 refugee and 1,100 non-refugee houses)
• 40,000 houses incurred minor damages (30,000 refugee and 10,000 non-refugee houses).
• The assessment of the 48 localities found that more than 66,000 people had not yet returned to their homes and were staying with relatives or other hosts, which are overstretched and face shortages of food, non-food items (mattresses, blankets) and water and electricity.
Water
The World Bank reports that development of the Palestinian water sector severely constrained before and after the war and that ’the joint Israeli-Palestinian governance over the water sector, as well as the water allocations, falls short of the needs of the Palestinian people’.
Psychological trauma and stress
In response to the UN Inter- Agency Gender Task Force survey, focusing on how women and men have been affected and have responded to war on Gaza The majority of the respondents rated psychological trauma and stress as a main concern, believing that the need for psychosocial services is as critical as the basic need for food and water.
Education:
Though the UNRWA and Ministry of Education have made great and successful efforts to restore the educational process for children OCHA reports that half the respondents who were displaced during the Israeli offensive said that their children had not returned to school after the war due to “lack of security”.
Moreover, the children suffer from great stress and trauma which makes absorption and interaction with lessons minimal for many children.
* lnformation taken from reports of the United Nations- OCHA (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
