Jersey donates £30,000 to help Gaza

Monday 04 August 2014

Jersey Overseas Aid Commission (JOAC) has awarded £30,000 to help charities working in Gaza.

The grant will enable Christian Aid to provide an emergency response in the Gaza Strip where violence between Israel and Palestinians has escalated. As of Thursday afternoon, more than 1,430 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the fighting, most of them civilians. It is estimated that 75% of the population now relies on humanitarian support to meet their basic needs.

The JOAC supports local charities in developing countries and grants aid from the Jersey government for emergency and disaster relief. Grants can be up to £30,000 per agency, per disaster with a maximum spend of £90,000 on any one emergency.

Kathryn Filipponi, JOAC Executive Officer, said: “This is the first application we have had in for Gaza but we have had others coming in.

“This is the first application to be approved but two more are currently being considered.  I anticipate that the full amount of funding permitted for this situation will be awarded.

“In circumstances like this time saves lives so we are putting the applications through to the States Treasury as quickly as we can. The funds for this application should be released next week.”

Up to 80% of the JOAC’s budget is allocated to grant aid. Last year’s budget for emergency and disaster relief was £1.5 million.

The Christian Aid application explains that nearly 2,000 homes have been destroyed, and over 18,000 so badly damaged that 70,000 people have been left homeless. It details how 85 schools and three hospitals have been damaged and that 900,000 people are at risk of losing their water supply.

According to the UN 5,600 fishermen and farmers are in need of food and livelihood assistance after having their boats and agricultural land damaged or destroyed, while 25,000 children are now in need of psychological and social support.

Janet Symes, Christian Aid Head of Middle East said: “The horrific escalation of violence in the region means the levels of need on the ground will continue to rise at a dramatic rate. We have launched the Gaza appeal to help those whose lives have been devastated by the ongoing violence of the last two weeks. 

“Christian Aid urges the international community to act immediately to bring about a ceasefire and address the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to prevent this happening again.”

Funds granted or raised by Christian Aid for the Gaza Emergency Appeal go to a number of partner organisations in the area. These include the Palestinian Medical Relief Services, the Culture and Free Thought Association, the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.

For more information on the Gaza Emergency Appeal, or to donate directly to Christian Aid, go to http://www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/current/gaza-emergency-appeal/index.aspx