This year, the ongoing siege and repeated invasions of Gaza, the continued occupation of the West Bank, and the challenges of living in exile took a heavy toll on the communities we serve. The impacts of physical poverty and psychological strain are intensifying, accompanied by a loss of faith in local and global leadership to resolve the crisis.

There is a growing and urgent need for quality relief and development interventions. Our programs are now expanding in all areas of operation, from agricultural rehabilitation for farmers, to psychological support for children, to elder care, and werely on you – UPA’s friends, donors and supporters – to make this possible.

In Gaza, UPA promptly responded to the Israeli aggression in August by providing locally procured pharmaceutical and medical supplies to partner hospitals and clinics. We also acted quickly to support affected small-scale farmers through agricultural rehabilitation initiatives in Khan Younis and Khuza’a.

In response to the rising need for mental health support among children, Healing through Feeling, UPA’s renowned mental health program, provides consultations and psycho-educational sessions for caregivers and has rolled out a targeted war trauma intervention in kindergartens located in Gaza’s hardest hit areas.

In Lebanon, UPA is working to help provide care and medical support for the most vulnerable Palestinian refugees. We are working closely with partner organizations to cover the cost of urgently needed paediatric surgeries, supporting programs for children with special needs, improving access to wellbeing support for the elderly, and advancing mental health services for children and adolescents.

In Jordan, UPA has invested in establishing a community centre in the Gaza (Jerash) refugee camp, in order to deliver much needed services such as tutoring for children, community health services for the elderly including home nursing care and the delivery of hot meals to bed ridden patients.

A small business development program for young men and women will provide training and small grants to help participants start small businesses in the camp – the poorest of the ten Palestinian camps in Jordan.

In the West Bank, there is an urgent need for the most basic of public services and infrastructure, including the availability of water and water infrastructure.  UPA is working with its long-time partners to rehabilitate water carrier lines and domestic water wells and improve access to potable water to schools and clinics in Area C. Additionally, UPA continues to deliver much needed pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to its partner hospitals and primary care clinics in the region.

In our programs on the ground, we continuously draw strength and motivation from the resilience and steadfastness of the communities we serve, despite the dire conditions they face. We, in turn, strive to sow hope through our work on the ground.

This holiday season we ask you to help us continue to expand and strengthen our support for Palestinian refugees and those in the occupied territories. Please donate to UPA today and help us continue our life changing work.