The relentless two-year bombing campaign and ground invasion Gaza has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, including over 20,000 children. Despite the recent ceasefire agreements, those who have survived remain in acute crisis. With border crossings still restricted, CARE’s vital food and medical supplies remain largely stranded in Egypt and Jordan, where they’ve sat for the duration of the conflict.
Inside Gaza, what makes it through the borders is far from enough. According to a recent report in The Lancet, “more than 54,600 children are now acutely malnourished and face increased risk of death if untreated, further underscoring the extent of the humanitarian catastrophe and the need for immediate, unimpeded aid.” It notes that these children face a “three- to five-fold higher risk of death” if they remain untreated. The UN and IPC report that over 500,000 people are facing famine-level hunger. Unless things change soon, those numbers will continue to rise.
That’s where the new CARE PACKAGE® comes in. These modern versions of our historic symbols of hope aren’t actual “packages” at all. Rather than cardboard boxes full of candy and school supplies, the new packages are instead bundles of lifesaving support, delivering cash, food, safe drinking water, hygiene items, medication, and medical supplies to families who have lost everything.
Rooted in partnerships with local organizations like The Ma’an Development Center, Palestinian Agricultural Relief Association (PARC), the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), and powered by the determination of CARE’s Gaza team, each modern package delivers the supplies and needed services to families quickly, efficiently, and with dignity.
80 years after the first CARE packages crossed oceans to help rebuild lives, our mission remains the same: to stand with families through crisis, and to help them begin again.