Gaza is the “most dangerous place in the world for children.” “Education Doesn’t Wait”: New Grant to Support Gaza’s Children Humanitarian Aid
In support of global efforts to provide Palestinian children with access to education and mental health services, Education Cannot Wait announced on Thursday a $2 million emergency grant for Gaza.
The emergency 12-month grant will be provided by the Norwegian Refugee Council as part of an ongoing program that aims to improve the learning conditions of children and adolescents in Gaza. Education Cannot Wait’s total funding in Palestine to date is $36 million.
Despair and Lack of Necessities
According to the United Nations, 625,000 children in Gaza schools are currently without access to education since early October 2023. More than 370 schools have been damaged in attacks. Even before the current escalation, some 800,000 children in Gaza – three-quarters of the child population – were already in need of psychosocial support.
Despair and lack of essentials have led to the complete destruction of children’s and adolescents’ lives
“The 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing a massive humanitarian catastrophe, facing inhumane living conditions,” said Yasmine Sherif, executive director of Education Cannot Wait, the UN’s Global Fund to Support Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises. “The lives of children and adolescents have been devastated by desperation and lack of essential services. By investing in continued education, as well as in the mental health and psychosocial support of Gaza’s children and adolescents, we are trying to alleviate their suffering and give them some hope.”
“The Most Dangerous Place in the World for Children”
Grave human rights and humanitarian violations against young people in Gaza occur on an almost daily basis, according to the UN. Gaza is now “the most dangerous place in the world for children,” according to UNICEF officials.
UNICEF spokesman Salim Oweis, who has been in the enclave for more than a week, has visited a number of Gaza hospitals and seen the appalling conditions children are in, suffering from injuries and illnesses. According to him, UNICEF is now stepping up its efforts to prepare for the polio vaccination campaign.
Almost every news story about the latest attack says that children are among the dead
“Children in many countries in the Middle East are now facing the harsh reality of a life of uncertainty and daily violence,” said Adel Khodr, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East. “The escalation of conflict has engulfed several countries in the region, causing a terrible toll on children’s lives. Almost every news story about the latest attack says that children are among the dead. In less than a year, thousands of children have been killed in the State of Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and the occupied Golan Heights.”