#appeal
You do have one thing in your favor. Everybody hates you.
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.
Read the article and see more photos here.
January has been a busy month for all of us at Interpal. From the launch of our new website to advocacy events in Parliament, we have been hard at work ensuring that this important campaigning year gets off to a good start.
As we wrap up our Winter Appeal, let’s remember that the difficulties refugees face do not simply dissipate with the arrival of warmer weather. Nevertheless, I would like to thank you personally for your generous support; we raised just under £200,000 over the winter and are proud to be delivering vital aid to those in need.
Last week, I was invited to speak at a parliamentary event hosted by Dr. Phillipa Whitford MP to highlight the work we do at Interpal in delivering vital aid to Palestinians in need. The question of how to take action is particularly important in 2017, as we look forward to a year of important anniversaries.
Finally, I am delighted to announce that The Vision Project has been completed successfully in Gaza. We partnered with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to equip over 200 blind and visually impaired students with cutting-edge digital technology to supplement their education. You can read more about the project by following the link below.
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.