Interpal UK

CASE STUDY: A CARER’S NEED

In the run up to International Women’s Day, we would like to celebrate the strength and resilience of Palestinian women the world over. We would like to share with you the story of Saeda Shaladan, a 35 year-old mother of five from Gaza.

She lives with her children and younger sister, who is studying at university. After studying for a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work at Al-Aqsa University she found herself unemployed and unable to provide for her growing family. Following a divorce from her husband, Saeda was alone and without means - forced to rely on benefits from the Ministry of Social Affairs. After sacrificing her alimony payments in order to retain custody of her children, Saeda experienced firsthand the double-bind placed on women under occupation. She has been trying to find employment to support her family but pressing concerns at home have demanded her attention.

One of Saeda’s daughters, Shahd, was diagnosed with a kidney defect from birth. Her crucial treatment cost $100 every month, more than the benefits from the Ministry of Social Affairs can provide. Saeda is Shahd’s full-time carer but is desperately in need of a fixed salary to meet her children’s needs. “I want to give my children the best opportunities in life and start them off on a good foundation from which to succeed”.

Interpal provided the family with considerable support to see them through the winter, including warm clothing for the children, blankets and carpets, a heater and LED-powered batteries. Saeda said of the support she received: ‘I have never asked an organisation for help, but Interpal truly seeks to help needy people and provides them with the means to help themselves, allowing us to keep our dignity intact’.

Thank you to everyone who came together to #WalkForPalestine!

Thanks to all who braved Storm Doris to #WalkForPalestine! So far we have raised over £1000 for Palestinians in need and we’re still tallying the final total.

The Vision Project, our joint initiative with UNRWA has been covered with a piece on Middle East Monitor.

The project has provided over two hundred blind and visually impaired children in Gaza with cutting-edge digital technology to help them access information sources, learning opportunities and creative initiatives. It also equipped visually impaired children in Gaza with “Voice Dream Reader” technology to supplement their education. As part of The Vision Project we also provided digital and equipment training to 33 UNRWA teachers. 

Statement on Gaza Airstrikes: 06/02/2017

As news reaches us of the recent airstrikes across Gaza our thoughts are with those who are reported injured in the Strip.

The increase in tensions is symptomatic of the climate of anxiety that contributes to immense psychological pressure on families living in the region. Gaza has not yet recovered from the destruction of 2014, and incidents of escalation attract short-term media attention but do not always account from the long-term structural problems witnessed by those working on the ground.

Our team will be keeping an eye on the humanitarian situation and responding immediately should the airstrikes continue.

PRESS RELEASE: The Vision Project is successfully completed in Gaza

We are delighted to announce the completion of The Vision Project, a joint initiative with @united-nations Relief and Works Agency @unrwausa which has provided over two hundred blind and visually impaired children in Gaza with cutting-edge digital technology to help them access information sources, learning opportunities and creative initiatives.

Read more about The Vision Project here:

Developing Educational Services for Children at the Sanabel School

- Dana, Interpal Gaza Field Office 

Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalised and excluded groups in societies the world over. They are effectively barred from realising their right to healthcare and even education. Estimates suggest that there are at least 93 million children with disabilities in the world. Their disabilities also place them at a higher risk of physical abuse, and often exclude them from receiving adequate nutrition and humanitarian assistance in emergencies. They are often likely to be among the poorest members of the population. Girls with disabilities face a double disadvantage. They are not only subject to societal stigma but are also constrained by traditional gender roles and cultural barriers.

Palestine has a high proportion of people with disabilities compared to its population rate. Around 113,000 individuals suffer from at least one disability, which constitutes 2.7% of the population in Palestine. 75,000 of these people reside in the West Bank and around 38,000 live in the Gaza Strip.

Education is one of the most effective ways to break the cycle of discrimination and poverty that children with disabilities often face, however, access to school for children with disabilities is often limited by a lack of understanding about their needs, unsuitable school environment and poor learning resources and facilities. 37.6% of all disabled individuals aged 15 years and above in Palestine have never been enrolled in a school.

Although roughly half of the schools in Palestine have appropriate toilets and ramps for student with motor disabilities, there are other conditions that require special adaptations that are not yet readily available in schools. These include special transportation and classroom accessibility.

The Sanabel School for Special Education, which is located in the middle of Gaza City, educates students with special educational needs in a way that addresses their individual requirements. However, strain on the sector has left the school struggling in a time of great need.

Interpal provides the school with educational assets, learning resources and employee salaries but we need your help to ensure that these children are no longer left behind.

One of our interns is fundraising for us! 

The UN have stated that Gaza will be ‘unlivable by 2020’ if the humanitarian crises impacting it are not addressed. However, for many families, Gaza is already unlivable and they are forced to drink unclean water, miss out on adequate healthcare and live in shockingly poor housing. There are still approximately 60,000 people homeless since the 2014 assault on the Gaza Strip, and not having a home is a truly horrendous experience. Our homes are our sanctuaries, and tied up with human dignity and development. A child with nowhere to study will struggle, an elderly or unwell person with nowhere to recover will suffer and a family with no home will fall apart.

We would like to share with you a family case which has been bought to our attention by our Gaza Field Office. It is the case of the Al Khatib family in Gaza.

The Al Khatib family were forced to leave their home. The family of nine now reside in a 20 square meter tent made from recycled tin plates. There is no water, sewage or electricity networks nor any furniture. The cold and rain continually leaks into the derelict house leaving the seven children constantly unwell. The children’s father is unable to work as he suffers from trauma and serious psychological problems following a severe head injury. That is why their mother, Sabreen, walked in to the Interpal Gaza Office recently with a desperate plea for help. She could no longer stand to watch her family in this state.

Interpal works to ensure that Palestinians are not forced to give up their dignity and rights due to poverty and disadvantage. Our Karamah Project provides grants to families to renovate damaged or inadequate housing, and we also support other shelter aid such as rent and alleviating debts due to housing.

A generous donor has already come forward and made a donation which will allow Sabreen and her family to rent a property for a year (2017). However, it is important to remember that the family’s problems are ongoing and they will need continued support from us.

Our aim is to fundraise a total of £8,500 this year in order to purchase a house for the family so that they are able to move in, in 2018. 

If you are unable to donate, please do share this link with your contacts and try to raise some funds yourself.

Bradford Coffee Morning

We’re excited to order our copy of the new book by Ahlam Bsharat, Code Name: Butterfly out now from Neem Tree Books!

“With irony and poignant teenage idealism, Butterfly draws us into her world of adult hypocrisy, sibling rivalries, girlfriends’ power plays, unrequited love…not to mention the political tension of life under occupation. As she observes her fragile environment with all its conflicts, Butterfly is compelled to question everything around her. Is her father a collaborator for the occupiers? Will Nizar ever give her the sign she’s waiting for? How will her friendship with the activist Mays and the airhead Haya survive the unpredictable storms ahead? And why is ‘honour’ such a dangerous word, anyway?”

#HeatingHomes in Southern Lebanon

On 25th January 2017 our team in the Lebanon Field Office visited the areas of Chebaa and Hibariyeh in Southern Lebanon which are home to Palestinian refugees as well as recent arrivals from across the Syrian border. 

With the Civil War raging in Syria less than 10 miles away, these areas are amongst the hardest hit by poverty, resource drain and overcrowding. We distributed fuel to enable those most vulnerable to be able to heat their houses and cook warm meals during the freezing Lebanese winter. With your help, we have already helped over 200 families in Lebanese refugee camps this winter.

 No-one should ever have to choose between keeping their newborn baby safe and warm or feeding their family. With your help, we can help to alleviate fuel poverty and keep refugees safe and warm this winter. 

In Bradford? Pay us a visit at #UBURefreshers!

In Bradford? Pay us a visit at #UBURefreshers! 

Come down to Student Central to talk to our local branch officers about the humanitarian work we do and how you can get involved.

As part of our 2016/17 Winter Appeal we distributed 2,000 winter clothing kits for refugee children in Rashidiyeh and Borj Al Shamali camps. Thanks to your generous donations we are able to continue distributing aid to school children in Lebanese refugee camps.

Editorial: January 2017

The turn of the year is always a time for rest, reflection and resolution. As 2016 passes I would like to thank you personally for your support over the past twelve months and longer. 

Looking forward, the year ahead brings with it both challenges and opportunities for the international Palestine solidarity movement, not least because there are some significant anniversaries in 2017. It is 100 years since the infamous Balfour Declaration; 70 years since the signing of the UN Partition Plan; 50 years since start of the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip; and 10 years since the beginning of the ongoing siege of Gaza. This year, it is all the more vital for us to work together to ensure that these anniversaries do not pass unnoticed and unmarked.

As the inauguration of President-elect Trump looms — the first major political shift of 2017 — his campaign statements suggest that the Palestinians face a crisis like never before. Despite this, there is much to remain hopeful about. 

The close of 2016 brought with it the news that the UN Security Council has adopted a landmark resolution calling for a halt to all of Israel’s illegal settlement activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Politically and diplomatically, therefore, there appears to be some progress.