School kits for vulnerable families in the Gaza Strip

For Gaza children, the excitement of starting another school year is bittersweet. Extreme poverty and widespread unemployment prevent indeed many families from purchasing basic school supplies. In October, ACTED in the occupied Palestinian Territories provided 4,100 schoolchildren in Gaza with school kits and uniforms.

Although education is of course a global issue, school attendance in conflict-affected Gaza is particularly crucial. School indeed offers familiar routine and a sense of normalcy to traumatised children. ACTED partnered with community based organizations to distribute school kits and uniforms in six locations throughout the Gaza Strip. As a result of this USAID-funded action, students received school necessities, including shoes, dresses, trousers, schoolbags and stationery.

On October 13, 42-year- old Samar Ahmed came to collect the school kits with one of her six children, 8-year-old Diana, at the Jabalia distribution point in North Gaza. Jabalia lies close to the border with Israel and was heavily affected by the December and January military clashes. Samar and her family stayed at home during the operation. “We were really afraid during this time,” she admits. “There were shelling and planes, and we kept trying to hide in the different rooms.” Nine months after the conflict, the physical destruction remains unrepaired. The Ahmed family home was extensively damaged during the offensive. “We put up nylon to cover the holes in the walls. But I’m really worried about the winter which will be really cold for the children.”

Beyond the challenges faced daily by Gazans, Samar was delighted to receive assistance from ACTED: “The school kits are really good quality and the distribution is very well organised.” Her eight-year-old daughter, Diana, was particularly excited about her new stationery. “I really like the pencil case,” she told us. Samar pressed ACTED to ensure that other vulnerable families in her area are provided with assistance. “This is the first time we receive help from an organisation. The next time, other people should be helped. There are so many people in my area who haven’t received any assistance yet.”

The reality of life in Gaza is a difficult one, but something as rudimentary as school stationery can encourage a child in his studies. While Gazan children live in a context of economic blockade and tense security conditions, education remains an open avenue for accessing the world beyond the walls of Gaza.