Press Release: Our Coronavirus Response in Gaza
Nottingham charity donates £50,000 of PPE to safeguard 800,000 in Gaza
Nottingham charity Muslim Hands will donate £50,000 of personal protective equipment to safeguard 800,000 beneficiaries in Gaza. The project which is in partnership with UNRWA will ensure support for Palestinian refugees by detecting, diagnosing and providing critical care for those with the Covid-19 virus.
With 12 infections reported, experts have warned that an outbreak could be catastrophic for Gaza, where there is a shortage of medical supplies and insufficient hospital capacity. So far across the world, over 74,000 have tragically died and over 1.3 million infected. The project will ensure that UNRWA supported schools, health centres and other facilities visited by refugees, are reached with the essential equipment to encourage personal hygiene and coronavirus control measures.
The Gaza Strip, a densely populated area has been under blockade since 2007 and according to a UN report in 2017, predicted that by 2020, Gaza would be unlivable. Muslim Hands has been working in Palestine since 2007, providing medical care, food and water, education and livelihood support to families across Gaza and the West Bank.
Yasrab Shah, Muslim Hands Fundraising Director, said:
‘The people of Gaza have faced harrowing hardships and have seen decades of conflict. This pandemic will cause catastrophic destruction if we don’t put in place basic support that is urgently needed now. With 12 positive cases of Covid-19 already detected we have added Gaza to a list of 12 countries globally that we are supporting with personal protective equipment. We urge donors to come forward and support our emergency aid efforts in the face of this global pandemic by donating to our Coronavirus Appeal, because only together can we make a difference and save lives.’
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Established in 1993, Muslim Hands is an international aid agency and NGO dedicated to providing emergency relief and tackling the root causes of poverty around the world.
- Muslim Hands works in over 30 countries worldwide.
- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is an UN agency created in December 1949 to support the relief and human development of Palestinian refugees. To find out more visit unrwa.org
- World Health Organisation announces COVID-19 as officially a pandemic on 11th March 2020
- 203 countries and territories affected with over 1.3 million infected worldwide and 74,000 people have died.
- With one in three people around the globe under lockdown, this marks a critical time for many countries and for its residents in having accessibility to food and medicine.
- About one-third of the items in the essential drug list are out of stock – UN
- 54% of Gazans are food insecure and over 75% are aid recipients - UN
- We rely on voluntary donations to continue our vital work. You can donate now by calling 0115 911 7222 or visiting muslimhands.org.uk
