GEM is one of few organisations officially authorised to work in Gaza, registered with both Israel’s government and the Palestinian Authority. It distributes food parcels, purified water, hygiene kits, tents and clothing through local volunteers. Poland’s foreign ministry backs the effort, with 6,000 food parcels planned as the Polish contribution.
“People there are dependent solely on humanitarian aid”, GEM volunteer Wiktoria Maciejewicz told Polish Press Agency (PAP).
Residents email volunteers with requests. One camp of 820 displaced families, including about 1,500 children under 16, asked for an electric water pump, winter clothing, thick jackets and blankets for the elderly, Maciejewicz said. Some people have received no help in three years, she added.
Fellow volunteer Filip Skrzypczak said deliveries had gone smoothly.
“We have all the permits and all the goods go straight into the hands of those in need. We have not yet had, as some foundations have, problems with delivering goods”, he said.
Skrzypczak, who has also worked after the 2023 Turkey earthquake and this year’s Nepal floods, said conflict zones are more tightly controlled than disaster areas. Volunteers there cannot move fully on their own and often rely on experienced people such as soldiers.
Nepal flood
In Nepal, a glacier collapse on Aug. 26 triggered catastrophic flooding in the Trishuli basin on the border with Tibet. Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s office declared the search for victims over on Oct. 5, with at least 1,455 dead and 5,285 missing.
With roads and bridges destroyed, GEM flew in supplies by helicopter in cooperation with the government.
“It is hard to believe that people were living there a moment earlier. Three-storey buildings disappeared under a layer of mud”, volunteer Filip Szymczak said.
GEM is building a home for children orphaned by the disaster and, with Nepalese scouts, has helped 30 orphans so far. Maciejewicz said the government does not prioritise orphanages, which rely mainly on private donors and foundations. The project is “a drop in the ocean”, she said.
(jh)
Source: PAP