Mar, 2026
With Support From Muslim Response USA, we are distributing water so families can function and survive
“I used to give out food to people in need during Ramadan,” Ahmad says. “Now, this Ramadan, my family and I are the ones standing in line to be fed.”
Ahmad is 65, originally from Al Yarmouk, Gaza. Today, he lives in Falastin Camp, where nearly 40 family members — children and grandchildren — share a cluster of adjacent tents. He has six grown children.
Before the war, Ahmad ran a furniture store. His sons worked alongside him.
“My hands were always busy,” he says. “We never depended on anyone.”
The shop supported the family year-round, covering daily expenses, school fees, and weddings.
Ramadan was a time when the family’s work and care naturally extended outward. Evenings were spent preparing meals for neighbors, delivering bread and sweets, and checking in on family.
“If someone was struggling, we made sure food reached them. No one went without a meal,” he says.
“Ramadan is about family, checking in on relatives, keeping in touch, making sure no one is forgotten. ”
“I used to give out food to people in need during Ramadan. Now, this Ramadan, my family and I are the ones standing in line to be fed.”
Now, the camp is crowded and chaotic. Homes destroyed. His sons search for work that rarely comes. His daughter is not able to access the mental health services she needs.
“We lost our livelihood,” he says. “Everything we built.”
This Ramadan, the family depends on the tekia (community kitchen) for meals. ”We manage with what we have,” Ahmad says. “It is not easy.”
Water is essential. Ahmad and his wife live with diabetes and high blood pressure, making clean water vital for drinking, cooking, hygiene, and managing their health.
When water is distributed through Anera's support, funded by Muslim Response USA, he collects jerrycans and carries them across the camp.
Even small water shortages have a real impact — without it, it becomes difficult or impossible to wash hands, prepare meals or take medicines safely. In a household this large, water is not just about thirst; it is about keeping everyone alive, healthy and able to manage chronic conditions in the middle of displacement.
“With a family this big, water is survival,” he says. “It keeps my wife and me alive. It keeps the children well. Without it, nothing else works.”
“We don’t have much,” he says. “But we have what keeps us alive — each other, clean water, and a meal when we need it. That is what matters.”
“We don’t have much — but we have what keeps us alive: each other, clean water, and a meal when we need it. That is what matters.”
Gaza
Gaza City Governorate
In 1984, Anera’s Gaza City office opened with three staff members. It is still at the same location today, but with 17 staff members. From that location, the team manages water and sanitation, education, healthcare, economic development, and humanitarian relief projects throughout Gaza.
