Brighten the Future of Gaza's Children

The bombings in May caused unparalled destruction and loss of life in Gaza. Rebuilding Alliance and our Community-based partners, all Palestinian NGOs, were able to provide immediate aid as families took refuge in UN schools. Now, in this fragile ceasefire, when we've asked our CBO Partners what's next, they told us their communities are asking for solar ligths. 

For most of each day, Gazans live in darkness. Neveen, Rebuilding Alliance's Gaza City Coordinator, reports,"I don't know what seems to be the problem honestly,  I didn't even know that Qatar restored the power plant fuel. All I have noticed that it's gotten worse. Now we only get 5 hours of electricity every 19 hours. It's crazy I can't keep any food in the fridge"

The pitch-black dark is a time of trauma for many children because in May, bombings escalated at night and evacuations often took place then too. Many children were still receiving psycho-social support from the 51 days of bombing in 2014.

Now, we invite you to shine a light for Gaza again and provide solar lights to more Gaza families. On Wednesday, July 9th, GlobalGiving will match donations $100 and up.

Give on July 9th

$100+ Donations Will Be Matched
The Higher the Donation, The Higher the Match!

The good news is you will not be alone in your generosity. Little Sun, the manufacturer of the solar lights, will hold their own fundraising effort to provide solar lights. Another group of friends is also pitching-in to raise funds. July 9th Bonus Day is an exciting opportunity for all of us to come together to brighten the future of Gaza's children.

Thank you so much for your support. 

Links:

• Gaza's Electricity Shortage During the Bombings-WaPo

In Gaza, these days, power goes off 16 hours a day: 8 hours on and 8 hours off. That is when we’re lucky; sometimes an entire day passes with no power. Many people aren’t able to afford alternatives like generators or UPS systems, so they just stand around, waiting for power to turn on. With generous support from GlobalGivers like you, Rebuilding Alliance was able to distribute Little Sun personal solar lights and also ten SunBox power systems to families in need.

My name is Omnia Ghassan and I am a Coordinator for We Are Not Numbers -- a group of young writers who aspire to deliver the Palestinian cause to all English speakers. I was asked by RA to visit its four Non-Governmental Organization partners in charge of the distribution, and also those ten families who received full systems to evaluate the project.

All total, Rebuilding Alliance's partners have distributed 35,600 personal solar lights (both Luci Lights and Little Suns), and recently installed ten Sunbox home solar systems.

Youth Vision Society program manager, Mr. Bilal Al Shaer, sais that the SunBox installments -- solar panels that work as an alternative and affordable source of energy when the electricity is off -- "help people, especially children, with asthma to turn on nebulizers at home without having to go to hospitals. It is also more economical than other expensive alternatives." 

The Sunbox system was designed by Gaza engineer Majd Mashharawi and her innovative new company to provide enough electricity to power lamps, charge laptops and cellphones, run a small refrigerator and even a TV set.  Livana, a housewife whose home benefited from the SunBox installment, said this makes a big difference. “My very sick mother-in-law finds solace in watching TV with a light fan breeze whenever the power is out and the weather is hot.”

Director of Al Basma Club for the Disabled, Mr. Eid Shaqura, said that many disabled in the club have benefited from the Little Suns while training when the power is out. Also, fishermen benefited "because of its waterproof feature; it worked as a guide when they were out on the water."

I was especially touched by when Women Program Center Director, Mrs. Najah Ayyash, said that the Little Suns mostly benefit housewives in completing their chores, elders while going to Al-Fajr prayer when it's still dark, and children studying and doing their homework.

She encountered a little girl in the second grade named Maram who suffers from Nyctalopia and now considers the Luci Light (the product distribued before the Little Suns) her best friend. "She was so introverted because of her inability to see at night," Najah said. "Now, it's like she has night-eyes — she can go visit her cousins and play."

And then she told me of a man on an electric wheelchair whom cars couldn't see when the street lamps were off. He taped a Little Sun on the back of his chair to make sure that drivers would see him. Who could ever think of this mind-blowing idea!

The Director of Al Amal Society for Rehabilitation, Mr. Zeyad Al-Abed, explained that the Little Suns held a special advantage for the deaf. "While they can't hear danger, they can see it," he said.

Your donation helped to ensure that thousands in need of light received it. We're incredibly grateful for your decision to support this project. You, dear donor, made this happen — and we’re looking forward to sharing our next steps soon!

Links:

• Here's more about the SunBox company
• 1.4Mil views: Majd's TED TALK-Making bricks from rubble in Gaza
• Maram means Aspiration -what a solar light can mean