Month: January 2015

I’m sure by now you’ve heard of the terrible cold, wet weather in Palestine and neighboring countries.

The situation is very, very serious. Since the major assault in the summer, many families in Gaza are living in homes with missing windows, partial walls and leaking roofs. Some are still in shelters. And Israel is still not allowing building materials or enough fuel into Gaza. Some families have eight hours of electricity, some have just two hours, and some have no electricity at all.

Already, three infants in Gaza have died of the cold.

The refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon—where more than a million people have fled from Syria—are facing similar desperate conditions. They are living in tents or in schools and mosques, unprotected from the cold and rain.  Many left their homes in Syria with almost nothing.  No warm clothes, no blankets, no heaters.

If you need more information, please see the articles and videos to the right.  But the facts are simple.  And the solution is simple too, if we can count on your support again now.

Please, make a special contribution so that MECA can purchase and deliver plastic sheets to cover walls and roofs, heaters, baby blankets, thermal socks and underwear. Our staff and partners are on the ground talking to families to find out what they need.

The families in Gaza and the families who fled Syria have suffered so much terrible loss, pain and deprivation. Right now, we can bring themthe gift of warmth to help them survive this hard winter.

It is still very cold. Winter is always harder for families who cannot afford good shelter, clothes, blankets or heat. But, now, in this disastrous cold and wet weather, their suffering is so much worse.

Thank you so much for your compassion and your generosity,

Josie Shields-Stromsness
MECA Program Director
Bethlehem, Palestine