On 8 August, the YMCA Movement came together to hear from our YMCA friends in Gaza City, who continue to experience unimaginable hardship. That same day, we launched an Emergency Appeal for USD 50,000 to help the small YMCA community there continue to serve others.
Thanks to the generosity of 15 YMCA National Movements and more than 30 individual donors, the appeal has now raised close to USD 100,000.
Food relief has already been delivered to 200 families through the Latin Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church in Gaza City, and to 180 largely Muslim families in the same neighbourhood. YMCA Gaza provided the family lists that guided the distribution.
The YMCA community in Gaza numbers nearly 2,000 people. Despite losing its building almost two years ago, YMCA Gaza continues to serve, reaching around 100 families through church-based outreach. In place of sport, art, music and education, the community is now providing food, dignity, resilience and hope.
Carlos Sanvee, World YMCA Secretary General, said, “In the face of devastation, YMCA Gaza continues to serve. Every donation translates into food and care for families who would otherwise go without. We will continue to walk alongside YMCA Gaza and the community it serves.”
Though the initial goal has been met and surpassed, the need is greater than ever. A new report by the World Health Organization has confirmed famine in Gaza for the first time, already affecting more than half a million people and projected to spread further.
We continue to raise funds for food and humanitarian assistance, and every contribution matters; click here to learn more or give.
