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GAZA, PALESTINE, October 4, 2021 — Baitulmaal, a Dallas-based international humanitarian relief agency, recently distributed back-to-school kits to 1,000 students in the impoverished Gaza Strip.
Each back-to-school kit includes items such as backpacks, stationary, shoes and uniforms. The kits were provided to boys and girls at UNRWA-run schools in the middle and northern Gaza governorates.
According to Elizabeth Sohail, program manager at Baitulmaal, the supplies came just in time for many students who were impacted by escalating violence earlier this year.
“So many children lost everything, including all of their school supplies,” Sohail said. “Thanks to our donors, these kits give students what they need to go back to school and strive for a better future.”
Israeli airstrikes in May 2021 killed 256 civilians — including 66 children — and displaced approximately 74,000 Palestinians, according to the UN. The World Bank estimates up to $380 million in damage to Gaza’s infrastructure from 11 days of heavy bombardment. Among the impacted buildings were 50 schools that were destroyed. Approximately 4,000 students were relocated to other schools. Many continue to be at risk of missing out on an education due to financial hardship.
Facing over a half-century of occupation, Palestinians have limited access to food, water, healthcare, electricity or opportunities for education and employment, and over 80% of Gazans are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Baitulmaal has been providing humanitarian aid in Palestine since the organization’s inception. The charity operates 300 water tanks in Gaza and funds healthcare at the Yazour Clinic for underprivileged families in the West Bank. In addition to food, water, winter relief and emergency humanitarian aid, Baitulmaal also sponsors Palestinian orphans in Lebanon and Jordan. If you would like to learn more or contribute to these programs at Baitulmaal, please visit their website at Baitulmaal.org.
Baitulmaal is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides life-saving, life-sustaining and life-enriching aid to people in need around the world. With headquarters in Texas, the charity has domestic offices in California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and New Jersey as well as international offices in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.
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