ANERA to Deliver Needed Hygiene Kits to Gaza

June 9, 2009 | Washington, DC - ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) has been awarded a USAID/ARD grant to provide $600,000 of personal hygiene supplies to families in Gaza who lost their homes during the recent war.

The much-needed hygiene kits will be distributed to 7,400 families – 44,400 children and adults living in temporary shelters and tent camps in northern and central Gaza.

The kits will include a three-month supply of basic items like bath towels, shampoo, hand soap, feminine hygiene products and toothbrushes. The items will be purchased in the West Bank, which will help support the struggling economy there.

“Gazan families trying to stay healthy in the temporary shelters, especially in the intense summer heat, are dependent on outside help for the most basic supplies,” said ANERA President Bill Corcoran. “The hygiene kits can help prevent the potential spread of infectious diseases and other illness caused by poor sanitary conditions.”

Damage to Gaza’s infrastructure during the recent war has severely cut access to clean water. Basic personal hygiene items are in short supply because of tight border controls and the dismal economic situation in Gaza.

ANERA has been working in Gaza for more than two decades. Since January, the organization has delivered $5 million of medical supplies and more than $1.5 million of food packages. Most recently, ANERA delivered 100 hearing aids and other audiology equipment for youngsters with hearing impairments.

About ANERA
Incorporated in 1968 to help ease the suffering of Palestinian refugees after the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, ANERA is non-political and non-religious and is one of the largest American non-profits working solely in the Middle East for 40 years.

In fiscal year 2009, ANERA delivered $48.5 million for programs in the Middle East.

With offices in the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon and Jordan, ANERA employs more than 60 full-time staff who are locally hired and work with local partners.

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