Sep, 2014
Anera’s Gaza office is made up of seasoned education, health and development professionals. For 51 days in July and August, they – like everyone else in Gaza – feared for their lives as bombs rained down on their tiny strip of land.
No one felt safe. And yet, despite the bombs and the fear, Anera’s staff set aside their professional duties and responded to the crisis in whatever way they could be most useful. They took on a variety of emergency relief roles because they wanted to help the neediest in the devastated communities around them.
With the ceasefire, the full scope of what needs to be done becomes clearer every day. Anera’s staff is still distributing relief items like water, food, hygiene kits and more. But they have also resumed their professional roles, doing damage assessments and talking to families who have been displaced to see what more is needed for long-term rebuilding.