Mennonite
Central
Committee

MCC accepting donations for Middle East crisis

Gladys Terichow
July 24, 2006

Mennonite Central Committee is accepting donations to help people in Lebanon and Gaza who are suffering because of the current conflict.

About half a million people in Lebanon are homeless and many have little hope of returning to their homes or businesses which have been severely damaged or destroyed by Israeli military strikes, says Rick Janzen, a director of MCC's programs in Middle East and Europe.

"A long-term humanitarian crisis is inevitable," said Janzen. "People don't have homes to go back to—there are literally city blocks of housing that are now uninhabitable. There are no services and streets are full of rubble. When the bombing stops, where will they go?"

He expects access to food, medicine and other supplies will become more difficult. "Inflation on some items is already 500 per cent," he said.

Contributions to MCC will help partner organizations in Lebanon meet basic needs of displaced people finding refuge in parks, streets, schools and other government buildings.

An emergency response of $45,600 Cdn./$40,000 U.S. has been allocated to provide emergency assistance to people fleeing the fighting, said Janzen. About 100 families are living in a makeshift refugee camp at the Sanayeh public park in Beirut, about two blocks from the MCC office.

Financial support from MCC makes it possible for MCC's partner organizations in Lebanon to distribute food, water, medicine and mattresses to people living in the park and other temporary shelters. A more comprehensive MCC response is being developed to meet the long term needs of the displaced people.

MCC is also working with partner organizations in Gaza where tight border controls and damage to electrical power plants and other infrastructure exacerbates ongoing economic hardships and trauma.

In Gaza, MCC provided $29,600 Cdn./$26,000 U.S. to a partner organization that works with children and teenagers. Damage to the electrical grid made it difficult for the organization to provide regular programming to ease the trauma experienced by the children and their families. Funds were used to purchase a generator, fuel for the generator and increase staffing support.

MCC has been working in partnership with local organizations in Lebanon since 1977. In recent years MCC has been working with local partners to strengthen projects that support peace making and justice programs.

 

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