LaunchGood is awarding a $10,000 prize to the top campaign on the Leaderboard today until 7 PM ET. This prize can boost our mission to deliver hot meals to families in Gaza.

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Thanks to your support and assistance from the World Food Programme, Rebuilding Alliance’s Palestinian NGO partners in Gaza are able to operate 21 kitchens despite facing extremely challenging conditions. Their dedication to serving the community has enabled them to overcome these difficulties over the past year.

Mrs. Najah is the Executive Director of the Women's Programs Center, a partner NGO of Rebuilding Alliance in Gaza. The Women’s Programs Center has been at the forefront of the hot meals program, providing nourishing meals to families in need. We spoke with Mrs. Najah about her challenges and the important work they are doing.

Mrs. Najah shared that working during the war has been challenging. The fear, combined with the inability to meet the needs of a large number of displaced people, has made the situation particularly difficult. Due to the conflict, prices have skyrocketed, leading to a severe shortage of resources. Many essential materials have become unavailable in the market, forcing us to search various marketplaces and street vendors for food supplies.

Mrs. Najah said, "I broke my leg while working and had to use a wheelchair for about two months. But this didn’t stop me from working with my team. During this period, the number of kitchens increased from one to nine, preparing food and bread for the displaced."

Mrs. Najah and her team had to relocate from Rafah in May, which presented new challenges. "We were thrown into the unknown. Transporting the kitchen equipment and cooking supplies was my top priority. Despite the displacement, we managed to set up our cooking space and feed those who were displaced in Deir al-Balah. Later, we were again displaced to Mawasi Khan Younis, and the kitchen moved with us. Once again, we prepared a dedicated space to continue feeding the displaced."

"Initially, there was just one kitchen, which expanded to nine and then eleven. Now, we operate four large kitchens. In the beginning, we distributed between 30,000 and 35,000 meals a day, but currently, that number has decreased to 11,000 meals," Mrs. Najah shared with us.

"This year has been challenging in every sense. In the kitchen, I faced difficulties due to the circumstances. It was a unique, first-time experience for me. Though I have managed Ms. Najah’s kitchen for a long time. I have to cook and oversee the preparation of large quantities of meals for those displaced,” said Mrs. Najah.

"I want to send a huge thank you to all the supporters for their help, which has prevented many people from going hungry. Many sick and needy people were spared the hunger that may have forced them to search through garbage due to their inability to buy food. I hope you never stop thinking about the displaced, who are in desperate need of your support."

To support the hot meals program, please click here  bit.ly/gazahotmeals

LaunchGood is providing a generous $10,000 prize to the campaign that tops the Leaderboard today until 7 PM ET. This prize could make a huge difference in our efforts to provide hot meals to Gaza families.

Thank you! With your support and assistance from the World Food Programme (WFP), Rebuilding Alliance's Palestinian NGO partners are providing 57,000 hot meals a day out of 21 kitchens, including three in the north. 

Youth Vision Society, the CBO partner of Rebuilding Alliance in the northern Gaza Strip, has been providing food to their community over the past year despite extremely difficult conditions. The situation in the north has made the already dire humanitarian situation even worse. It was a relief to have a detailed conversation with Iyad, the head of YVS, and his wife Neveen on October 4th, just before the evacuation orders, given the challenges of communicating with people in the north. I asked them to share their journey and challenges from this past year. What they said was truly inspiring. 

Iyad said, “The sole purpose of our existence is to serve others. As part of this community, it is our duty to help these people. We decided to stay in the north because not many people will stay and help.” 

When discussing the early days of the war, Iyad mentioned that they were able to assist people due to the availability of resources. This enabled them to provide food parcels, warm clothes, and blankets. After the first two months of the war, conditions worsened, and basic necessities such as food became scarce, especially in the northern area of Gaza. Suddenly, people were desperately seeking food for survival. Iyad explained that a large number of people required assistance, while resources were limited. “We made every effort to identify and help as many people and families in need as possible.”

“Most of the international NGOs closed their offices and left for the South.” Iyad said, “The north was left unassisted. I want to thank Rebuilding Alliance for being one of the few international NGOs that stayed functional in the north, opened kitchens, and offered hot meals to people to help them survive, especially during those long months of starvation and harsh winter. Rebuilding Alliance never abandoned us.”

Iyad explained that despite the setbacks and challenges, running a kitchen was the most rewarding experience. The kitchen was opened during a time of starvation when resources were almost nonexistent, and they could not find any food commodities. When they did find food, it was insanely expensive. All these challenges made them more determined to continue their work for people who really needed it.

Iyad said that the “WFP resolved the problem of commodities. They started supplying, which has relieved some of the pressure of finding and buying commodities at the high prices here in the North of Gaza. However, there are still some challenges, such as the availability and quality of spices. The spices are not always available. There is also a scarcity of wood needed for cooking fires, and the wood price is very high. We face these challenges daily, and we are always looking  for solutions.” Neveen added, “Everything that is wooden in Gaza in the North has been used as wood for the fire, including windows and doors.” 

I asked Naveen how they managed to cook and handle everything while under constant bombing. She replied, "We just hope not to die and work. It needs to be done. People need help. We put our fears and our uncertainty aside, and we just do the work every day. If we die, then it's God's will, and we die knowing that we've done good. I don't know how to say it in any other way."

Iyad and Neveen mentioned that the people who receive food from them are regulars and they love the food they are getting. They arrive every day at nine, even before Iyad and Neveen have begun cooking or even lit a fire, asking what is being cooked. These people are waiting in huge numbers and really enjoy the food. One of the women who comes is about 70 years old and has seven granddaughters. She is raising these children because everyone else in her family has passed away and she has no income. Her grandchildren only eat the food from YVS kitchen. Most people who receive food from them live in surrounding areas. Some people have to walk 30 minutes to get food.

YVS is operating two additional kitchens in different areas to reduce the workload. All three kitchens together prepare around 30 pots and about 7000 hot meals. The World Food Programme has supplied essential goods that will last for at least two months, which is a significant achievement considering the scarcity of these items in the market. Neveen mentioned that "the WFP visited our kitchens and commended our work. Although they have been attempting to visit for the past month, their permits have been rejected by Israel."

Speaking about the war, Neveen said, "It's a war in every sense of the word. It's a war on people, their communities, their homes, their resources, their health, and their children. Don't even get me started on education. What pains me the most is that our kids have missed an entire year of school. They've lost a year of their lives. I can live in a tent, but I don't want to risk my children's future without any education. I try to help my children, but it's not enough. They need stability -- emotional and psychological support. They need real teachers and proper institutions. They need safety. Every day, a school is targeted in the north of Gaza. People are afraid to stay in school, let alone send their children there for education.”

Thank you for your support in providing nourishing meals to Gaza families.