fafo reports on what is happening in Gaza [as at 2 weeks ago]:
"The Gaza Strip is characterized by widespread physical damages, but six weeks after Israel’s attack ended, renovation of houses in need of repair had barely started due to dire economic circumstances and the lack of building materials.
Pessimism toward the future is rampant. Three in ten families said they would be able to secure basic needs in the coming months, and only one in ten anticipated an improved household economy.
The population displayed symptoms suggesting considerable post-war trauma. For example, 13 % of the population suffered from sleeping problems the week preceding the interview and for a majority (10 % of all individuals) the onset of the problem was during or after the war. Further, 15 % of children aged 5-14 had acquired a bed-wetting problem with the Israeli assault, which also had triggered concentration difficulties for 21 % of children at the same age.
These and other statistics stem from a multi-topic household sample survey that was implemented to collect data to document the living conditions in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Israel’s assault on 27 December and the ensuing armed conflict. It was thought that a fairly rapid assessment would benefit everyone concerned with post-war reconstruction and aid of various sorts.
Through interviews with more than 2,000 households, the survey covered issues such as displacement during the war and damages caused by it, people’s economic situation, needs and concerns, their health and psycho-social status. The fieldwork was implemented from 3 to 12 March 2009, and face-to-face interviews were carried out at 132 fieldwork locations spanning the entire Gaza Strip.
The survey was funded by the Norwegian Government with additional contribution from the UNFPA."
Meanwhile, a personal account of what confronts Gazans - remember, these people are Palestinians - is vividly recounted by Laila El-Haddad. On her blog "Raising Yousuf and Noor: diary of a Palestinian mother" she describes herself thus:
"I am a Palestinian from Gaza. I am a journalist. I am a mother. I am a Muslim. This blog is about the trials of raising my children between spaces and identities; displacement and occupation; and everything that entails from potty training to border crossings. My husband is a Palestinian refugee denied his right of return to Palestine, and thus OUR right to family life. Together, we endure a lot, and the personal becomes political. This is our story."
Read that story here - and be horrified by Israel's actions and inhumanity.
"The Gaza Strip is characterized by widespread physical damages, but six weeks after Israel’s attack ended, renovation of houses in need of repair had barely started due to dire economic circumstances and the lack of building materials.
Pessimism toward the future is rampant. Three in ten families said they would be able to secure basic needs in the coming months, and only one in ten anticipated an improved household economy.
The population displayed symptoms suggesting considerable post-war trauma. For example, 13 % of the population suffered from sleeping problems the week preceding the interview and for a majority (10 % of all individuals) the onset of the problem was during or after the war. Further, 15 % of children aged 5-14 had acquired a bed-wetting problem with the Israeli assault, which also had triggered concentration difficulties for 21 % of children at the same age.
These and other statistics stem from a multi-topic household sample survey that was implemented to collect data to document the living conditions in the Gaza Strip in the wake of Israel’s assault on 27 December and the ensuing armed conflict. It was thought that a fairly rapid assessment would benefit everyone concerned with post-war reconstruction and aid of various sorts.
Through interviews with more than 2,000 households, the survey covered issues such as displacement during the war and damages caused by it, people’s economic situation, needs and concerns, their health and psycho-social status. The fieldwork was implemented from 3 to 12 March 2009, and face-to-face interviews were carried out at 132 fieldwork locations spanning the entire Gaza Strip.
The survey was funded by the Norwegian Government with additional contribution from the UNFPA."
Meanwhile, a personal account of what confronts Gazans - remember, these people are Palestinians - is vividly recounted by Laila El-Haddad. On her blog "Raising Yousuf and Noor: diary of a Palestinian mother" she describes herself thus:
"I am a Palestinian from Gaza. I am a journalist. I am a mother. I am a Muslim. This blog is about the trials of raising my children between spaces and identities; displacement and occupation; and everything that entails from potty training to border crossings. My husband is a Palestinian refugee denied his right of return to Palestine, and thus OUR right to family life. Together, we endure a lot, and the personal becomes political. This is our story."
Read that story here - and be horrified by Israel's actions and inhumanity.
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