Aid under fire: the challenges faced by women-led organisations in Gaza
Written by Zainab Amanullah
Photo: Gaza Strip by Yousef Hammash/ Norwegian Refugee Council
As the assault on Gaza enters its ninth month, it is mostly women who have paid the price. According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) report dated May 6, the most affected and gravely exposed to danger have been women and children, with an estimated 9,500 innocent women killed in the indiscriminate assault on the Gaza Strip. Of those injured who will have to live with the constant reminder of the apartheid regime’s senseless brutality, an estimated 75% are women.
We know that women and girls are disproportionately impacted during crisis situations. Their access to essential items is restricted and their movement is limited. Their problems, often overshadowed by the larger picture, are usually ignored. What was managed before without the knowledge of men, must be addressed with meagre or no resources. Silence and compliance are expected from them.
The urgent needs of women in Gaza
According to UN Women, 80% of women in Gaza are dependent on food assistance to survive. Imagine the elderly women, now heads of their household after losing their husband, son and brother. To ensure that everyone in her tent has enough food is a constant nightmare: 83.5% of women have stated that the assistance they receive doesn’t meet their household needs.
Despite all the hurdles, scarcity of resources and the impunity with which aid workers have been targeted, there are women-led organisations in Gaza operating with sheer courage and resilience to make sure that the needs of displaced women and girls are met. They are leading a movement of their own, making sure that the humanitarian response to this genocide is not gender-biased in its execution and delivery.
These organisations are providing the necessary support in legal aid, psychosocial assistance, gender-based violence prevention and protection, shelter and reintegration, as well as cash and livelihoods. Out of 25 women-led organisations working in Gaza, 18 have their headquarters here, working with a network of more than 1,500 people. Their strong focus on engaging with communities at the grassroots level is what enables them to cater to the needs of the groups that are often overlooked, particularly women.
The challenges of providing humanitarian aid
The free pass given to Israel’s military in targeting aid workers has also impeded their work. Despite 89% of them sustaining damages, women-led organisations continue to stretch their limited resources and capacities to respond to emerging needs as quickly as possible. Amal Syam, the general manager of the Women’s Affairs Center (WAC), reports that before the indiscriminate bombing started, they were assisting 170,000 people annually. Now due to severe scarcity of resources, only a fraction of the hundreds of women coming to their Rafah office daily are able to receive assistance.
Like many in Gaza, their personnel are working while being displaced, at risk of being killed, and having lost loved ones to this continuous inhumanity.
Another organisation operating despite the unpredictable environment is WeFaq Society for Women and Child Care. With support from Women for Women International, they provide hot meals, winter clothing, hygiene kits, counselling and other essentials to the displaced women and girls of Gaza.
One of the most devastating revelations has been that 56% of women-led organisations reported a significant decrease in their funding since October 7. Almost 88% indicated that they are “facing major financial challenges, hampering their ability to deliver critical services”. Even more alarming is the fact that these organisations have little to no influence over funding decisions, with 64% reporting low level or no participation at all in this process.
Aid workers risk their lives
These percentages directly affect lives. The involvement of women-led organisations is essential to any humanitarian response. Their deep understanding of the needs and priorities of women and their capacity in addressing them is crucial. Their unique reach makes them indispensable allies. Their absence in decision-making spaces where allocation of funds is being discussed, is essentially the absence of the voices of Gazan women.
To date, 11 staff members from these organisations have been killed while serving the needs of the people, and 32 have been injured while providing essential aid. They carry on with their humanitarian duty despite losing loved ones to this unexplainable savagery. The constant threat to their physical wellbeing looms over them like a dark shadow, yet they continue to utilise their available resources to alleviate suffering and provide relief.
Having women at the centre of a humanitarian response is necessary, because too often women’s needs are overlooked. Supporting these organisations in whatever capacity is important for the sake of all the women and girls whose normality has been snatched from them. But what is most important is to call for an immediate ceasefire, the opening of the humanitarian corridor, and to speak up for those who are forced to pay with their lives for dreaming about freedom.
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