Ramallah – Ma’an – On International Youth Day, ActionAid International highlighted the amazing contributions of young humanitarian workers in Gaza who have worked in hellish conditions and against all odds to support people. Over the past ten months, more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed, including around 24% of young people (26% males, 22% females), since the beginning of the war, according to statistics from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
The organization said, “Youth supported by ActionAid and its partners in Gaza and the West Bank are leading the humanitarian response in their communities, taking the initiative quickly and effectively to support displaced families and assist medical and rescue teams, despite being exposed to the same danger of Israeli military attacks as the rest of the population and living in the same overcrowded and inhumane conditions.”
‘The crisis in Gaza has taken a devastating toll on young people, affecting the well-being of an entire generation. Thousand
s of children have been orphaned, and almost every young person has lost a relative, friend or neighbour in the past 10 months. Many have been injured and disabled as a result of Israeli military attacks; an average of 10 children lose one or both legs every day. According to the Ministry of Health, all 652,000 school children in Gaza have missed a full year of education, and there are no jobs. Many young people are likely to face long-term health consequences as a result of hunger and malnutrition. However, despite this, dedicated young people have played a crucial role in addressing the humanitarian crisis and will be equally important in rebuilding Gaza when the crisis ends.’
‘Walaa is a young volunteer and member of the Humanitarian Action Group-Palestine, a youth group established with the support of ActionAid Palestine that provided its members with capacity building and incubation during its early founding stages, which includes members in both Gaza and the West Bank and works to train youth to respon
d to emergencies. The group plays an important role in advocating for human rights and challenging the existing humanitarian reality, especially in Gaza, while expanding the group’s impact to include the West Bank. The group members cooperate in implementing some advocacy activities and join and participate in some activities of national-level institutions and are involved in the decision-making processes of those institutions. Walaa visits shelters every day to find out what the displaced people need and works to mobilize support to help the displaced people meet their basic needs. She also organizes recreational activities to bring joy to traumatized children and has worked as a medical educator in medical missions in Gaza,’ the organization continued.
‘Life has changed since the beginning of the war, as it has for hundreds of thousands of [others] in Gaza,’ Walaa told ActionAid. ‘We have been displaced several times. We have been displaced from north to south to seek shelter and find a safe place. I have
lost my home, my friends, my job, everything. We are going through catastrophic circumstances… but these circumstances motivate me to continue my volunteer work and my initiatives to support my people and put a smile on the faces of our children and the elderly in every way possible. It is important to help and support each other and find hope in the midst of this darkness, because the people in Gaza who are not killed by bombing will die of hunger, cold and fear.’
‘Khaled, a young volunteer in Gaza who is also a member of the Palestine Humanitarian Cluster, oversees the distribution of hot meals and food to displaced people, and helps coordinate the purchase of clothes and diapers for newborns in hospitals across southern Gaza. He also designs activity sessions for children that provide psychosocial support and teach them about the dangers of being close to unexploded ordnance. ‘The hardships of life in Gaza have made me even more motivated to help my Palestinian colleagues. These difficult circumstances an
d realities encourage me to continue my work to achieve my noble goal of serving my community,’ Khaled told ActionAid International. Khaled believes that young people have a vital role to play in leading the humanitarian response in Gaza, saying: ‘Young people have a lot to contribute at all stages of humanitarian work. Young people have a lot to contribute because we have a good knowledge of the social dynamics, geography, available resources and social networks, and this contribution can help our country prepare for, respond to and recover from crises… Our first-hand experience in emergencies can provide country-wide solutions for resilience, stability and peacebuilding.’
Source: Maan News Agency