The economic situation in the Palestinian West Bank is becoming desperate. Due to the political situation in the region and Israeli repressive policies, economic activities are at an all-time low and unemployment is on the rise. Even people who are employed suffer as their employers, notably the Palestinian National Authority, are unable to pay their salaries. It is estimated that presently, 65 percent of the population in the West Bank lives in poverty.
This means hidden starvation, especially for families who already were poor before the current economic recession, and do not have reserves to fall back on. Families headed by a woman and without a male breadwinner, the sick and the elderly are hit hardest. Most Palestinian families are large. In some regions, the average family comprises no less than nine members, most of them children of school age, who all rely on a sole breadwinner.
Humanitarian Relief Society (HRS), a Palestinian humanitarian organization active in the West Bank, therefore proposes to distribute a 20-kg sack of rice to 350 extremely poor families. Rice is the main staple of the Palestinian diet and is eaten for lunch and frequently dinner. Most families cannot afford to purchase a sack of rice and resort to buying small quantities on a daily basis. Little money remains to purchase other ingredients of a nutritious meal, for example vegetables, cooking oil and meat or chicken. Eating only or mainly carbohydrates leads to malnutrition in the long run, especially among children, who need all kinds of nutrients to grow and develop healthily. A family who has a sack of rice will be able to spend its daily cash supply on other food items and will thus eat sufficiently and have a more balanced diet.
A sack of rice will enable family providers to adequately feed their families for a month or more. Assuming an average family size of seven, which is a conservative estimate in Palestine, 2450 persons will benefit from this project, at least two thirds of them children.
When you sit down for your daily meals, think of those who look at an empty table and have to go to bed hungry. By giving a small part of what you spend on food every month, you can significantly improve their lives.
Project Details:
• Donor: The Lady Fatemah (A.S.) Charitable Trust-London.
• Organization: HRS - Humanitarian Relief Society.
• Authority: Registered Non-Government Organization in Palestine.
• Address: Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine.
• Contact person: Prof. Bassam Banat, president, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
, 00972 599 678 306.
• Beneficiaries: Hardship cases, Needy families, Handicapped, Widows and Orphans in Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank.
• Beneficiaries locations: Fawwar refugee Camp, Arroub refugee Camp, Azzeh refugee camp, Duhaisha refugee camp, Ayda refugee camp, Amaari refugee camp, Balata refugee camp and Askar refugee camp.
• Number of Beneficiaries: 400 families (2450 persons).
• Date of the project: April 20- July 15, 2013.
• Food package details: 20kg sack of rice for each family.
• Project process:
1. The society has announced about the project in the mosques of: Fawwar refugee Camp, Arroub refugee Camp, Azzeh refugee camp, Duhaisha refugee camp, Ayda refugee camp, Amaari refugee camp, Balata refugee camp and Askar refugee camp.
2. Each family filled an application for the food which last for two weeks.
3. All of the applications went under the evaluation process in order to get the 400 needy families.
4. Each family received a capon to get the sack of rice.
5. The delivery of the food took place in the above locations from April 20- July 15, 2013.
6. The delivery process of the food to the needy people took place professionally, with vey good documentations.
Upon the completion of this charity project and on behalf of Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and the HRS board members I would like to extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to The Lady Fatemah (A.S.) Charitable Trust for their generous support for our needy brothers and sisters in Palestine.
We have done this charity project not by our efforts alone, but also through your generous support and kindness, may Allah bless you and reward you the Jana, Ameen. “inna lanudeeAAu ajra man ahsana AAamala” (We will not allow to be lost the reward of any who did well in deeds). Sadaga Allah Al Atheem.
With my deepest salaamas and duas,
Professor Bassam Banat.
President
