Day 10

A lunch for a schoolchild in the Gaza Strip

It is not easy to learn on an empty stomach It is not easy to learn on an empty stomach

How school meals for children in the Gaza Strip achieve threefold good

A kitten plays with a huge ball of steel wire amidst rubble. What sounds like a bizarre dream is actually graffiti by political street artist Banksy in the Gaza Strip. But why a cat? He gives the answer on his website: he wanted to draw attention to the destruction in the Gaza Strip, but people only look at cat photos on the Internet. We were able to see another section of reality in the Gaza Strip in the cinema in spring 2017. The film Gaza Surf Club added a rarely shown part of everyday life in the Gaza Strip to the picture of war and destruction: surfing on the beach. In stunning images, the film described how it could be very beautiful here and how families with hopes and dreams live here, who above all wish for their children to have a better life.

need

School meals for children in the Gaza Strip

activity

Four schools buy food locally and employ a cook to prepare school meals for 660 children every day.

Measurable performance

Number of school children who can receive a meal daily in the Gaza Strip.

Result

The health of the children is improving, and many children are therefore returning to school regularly.

Systemically relevant impact

Improved educational opportunities for children in the Gaza Strip.

background

Since the last war in 2014, many families in the Gaza Strip have been living in the rubble of the countless destroyed houses. They have only uncertain access to water. Many cook on a wood fire in the street because the electricity goes out for several hours a day. Studies from before the last Gaza war already showed that a third of children are too light for their age. In addition, the Gaza Strip has the highest unemployment rate in the world, which means that many children have to contribute to their families' livelihoods and do not go to school.

The good deed

The project, which is financed by today's donation, cooperates with four schools that are run by small, independent grassroots initiatives. The children receive a meal six days a week. The school meals improve the children's health. They can concentrate better and follow lessons. There is also a third effect: regular school meals mean that many families no longer have to worry about feeding their children. Many children are therefore sent back to school just because of the school meals.