Campaign connects donors directly with Gazans in need

AMMAN — Jordanians wishing to make donations directly to Gazans can do so through One Family 4 Gaza, an emergency relief campaign launched by Arab and Palestinian activists to support aggrieved Palestinian families in the strip.

The campaign seeks to establish a connection between donors and households in the Gaza Strip by twinning these families, Farah Rowaysati, one of the organisers of the initiative, told The Jordan Times in e-mailed remarks.

Individuals wishing to make a donation should send an e-mail to the organisers at [email protected] who will reply with the necessary information about one of the affected families in Gaza, including full names, address, number of family members, phone number and the type of loss as a result of the Israeli offensive, Rowaysati said.

“We do not accept any donations or funds. We only provide donors with contact details of families in urgent need of assistance,” she said.

“With the help of individuals and associations in Gaza, we have compiled a list of 100 families... and will continue to add to the list,” Rowaysati noted.

“Most of these families have been left homeless after they survived Zionist massacres, and have suffered injury and loss of loved ones. These steadfast families are in desperate need of international solidarity.”

“What makes it different is that we are not involved in any way in raising funds or receiving donations. Donations and compensation from UN and other entities take weeks if not months to reach Gaza families, and people in Gaza need assistance urgently,” Rowaysati said, adding that — in addition to relief aid — Gazans need cash to cover their day-to-day needs.

In another initiative, the Arab and International Commission to Build Gaza on Saturday launched a project to provide immediate assistance to Gazan families whose homes were partially or completely damaged in the Israeli aggression.

The commission, a nonprofit organisation founded after the 2008-2009 Israeli war on Gaza, facilitates the sponsorship of families severely affected by the Israeli offensive, with donations used to secure these households with housing and cover their basic needs.

Donors can pay JD200 a month to sponsor one Gazan family out of 5,000 in need of relief aid. 

The project also entails renovating partially damaged homes to enable residents to return as soon as possible, according to a statement released by the commission.

The commission accepts a JD1,750 donation to cover renovation costs and JD700 to sponsor a family whose home was partially destroyed.

Moreover, in coordination with relief organisations, charities and associations locally and internationally, the commission is also working to send trailers to the crisis-hit strip to provide shelter for families whose houses were demolished in Israeli air strikes.

The commission, which comprises 50 engineering firms from various countries, accepts donations to the Jordan Engineers Association’s account number 25304 at the Jordan Islamic Bank’s Shmeisani branch.