Dear friends,
My name is Lubna. I am a Health Program Coordinator with the NECC (Near East Council of Churches) in Gaza. I am responsible for three health clinics providing prescription care, antenatal and postnatal care, the psychosocial support program, and dental services.
Personally, what made me do social work is because people are in need. The people seek the NECC to support them and access medicine and treatment. There is a high prevalence of anemia and malnutrition among children, this is attributed to poverty as 80% of people are living below the poverty line.
The challenges are that when we provide medicine for the anemic, it is just a temporary solution for them, not a permanent solution for these people. So, they need more than this. They need us to sustain their services otherwise where will they go?
The situation in Gaza is very harsh. Many of our clinics are in marginalized areas with people living in crowded areas. The blockade of Gaza affects the people here so much. Mostly people are affected by the escalation is school children, particularly children who lost their houses and they become displaced, while some of them have lost their loved persons. We target the adolescents who were affected greatly, some lost their legs, and have become disabled. So, you can see there are many problems related to our context in Gaza.
Our psychosocial support program is focused mainly on children, adolescents, and mothers; most of them need psychosocial support. They suffer, they develop psychological stress or trauma. So, they need time to recover.
We engage them in the psychosocial support sessions. We help them with stress release, and trauma healing, help to develop their self-esteem and how to develop their resilience. Children talk about themselves, about their problems in a safe place.
Also, we engage children and their mothers in recreation trips. These open fun days are important for the children and the mothers. It is a stress release going for trips, something that makes them relaxed, make them have fun. When I see that children are happy, and they are playing in recreational activities I feel very happy.
For a long time, Act for Peace has supported NECC to continue to provide health and psychosocial services for people in Gaza.
Thank you very much,
Lubna
Download this Peace Mail in PDF here.
Local Partner Profile: The Near East Council of Churches (NECC)
Gaza continues to face uncertainty. The siege imposed on the Gaza Strip fifteen years ago continues to limit access to resources and negatively affects the health of the population. Due to the blockade, and the impacts of recurrent bombings, there continues to be widespread poverty and unemployment in Gaza.
Act for Peace’s local partner in Gaza, the Near East Council of Churches (NECC), run three primary healthcare clinics, which provide vital services to support the people of Gaza, including pre- and post-natal care for mothers and their children. The NECC also provides vocational training to help increase employment opportunities for at-risk young people. Thanks to your ongoing partnership, the NECC can continue to work during these challenging times to support the people of the Gaza Strip. Providing vital services and lifelong skills to help the people of Gaza through their hardships.
Your partnership is making a difference!
In June, 967 Act for Peace Partners like you came together and raised $46,905.71 to support people uprooted by conflict and disaster around the world, including families in Zimbabwe, who are affected by the severe droughts, and are learning new skills in conservation farming to adapt to the climate crisis. Thank you!
Please pray:
- For Lubna, and all our local partner staff at the NECC in Gaza, who continue to support their communities with vital health and psychosocial support services.
- For the people of Gaza, who continue to suffer the traumatic effects of the protracted crisis.
- For a safe and stable future for Gazan people, so they may overcome the challenges and trauma they have faced, rebuild their lives, and live in peace
