Friday, 19 September, 2014 - 17:30
Students from Gaza are benefitting from a delivery of school supplies this week, as they begin a new academic year. The humanitarian convoy also brought other relief items including cooking oil, flour and bed sheets.
Through the Palestinian Agricultural Development Association (PARC), donations were collected in over 40 local communities in the West Bank, and distributed to shelters and host families of displaced Palestinians. The WFP-led Logistics Cluster has supported the work of PARC by providing free transportation.
Lucy Styles is an Information Management Officer working for the Logistics Cluster in Gaza. This delivery was far from business as usual, she noted.
“It was an emotional moment as the donated items expressed the solidarity and concern for the people and children of Gaza. Among the items we transported were 11 pallets with stationary to allow the children of Gaza to be prepared for the new school year,” explained Lucy.
Since the Logistics Cluster started supporting the Gaza emergency in July, it has transported over 320 pallets of donations coordinated by PARC, including food, clothing and bottled water. As a local Palestinian NGO that was established in1983, PARC has strong roots in the community, where they focus on activities which cover rural development and women’s empowerment.
In July, staff from PARC began collecting donations for humanitarian relief. They were quickly joined by relatives and members of the public. The feeling of solidarity with the people of Gaza has led to an outpouring of donations and over 70 PARC volunteers worked tirelessly to sort and pack 320 pallets in preparation for transportation by the Logistics Cluster. Once delivered, the PARC team in Gaza City distributed relief items to the shelters and host families of forcibly displaced Palestinians, providing much needed support to the population within the Gaza Strip affected by the recent hostilities.
For the Logistics Cluster, transporting humanitarian relief for PARC is only a small part of its operation. Since its activation on 30 July, the Logistics Cluster has facilitated transportation for over 6,300 pallets of humanitarian relief items to the Gaza strip. More than half of the cargo transported have been everyday items to meet basic needs donated by local communities, organisations and civil society groups from throughout the region.
For the Logistics Cluster, transporting humanitarian relief for PARC is only a small part of its operation. Since its activation on 30 July, the Logistics Cluster has facilitated transportation for over 6,300 pallets of humanitarian relief items to the Gaza strip. More than half of the cargo transported have been everyday items to meet basic needs donated by local communities, organisations and civil society groups from throughout the region.
The pictures displayed below show the loading of 49 pallets of humanitarian relief items on 30 August 2014. (see original press release