Keeping mental health services available for children in Gaza

Keeping mental health services available for children in Gaza
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According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), every child above the age of 10 in Gaza has witnessed death, destruction, and displacement as a result of three traumatic military offensives. As a result, recent estimates show that over 300,000 children in Gaza need mental health guidance. For the past 15 years, UNRWA has been using its Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) to support refugees, namely children and youth, on how to navigate their past and ongoing trauma. This program has a network of nearly 300 counselors spread across UNRWA’s 267 schools. To help CMHP continue to deliver psychosocial services to children and youth, UNRWA USA is hosting a series of Gaza 5K walk/run races to raise funds. This year’s races are being held in DC, NYC, San Francisco, Houston, and Chicago. You can register for them here.

How you can help

You don’t have to be near any of the participating cities to take part in the marathon of fundraising efforts. There is an option for you to donate online or support a team, which makes for a much, much shorter walk to your wallet.

Care about the cause, but don’t care much for jogging? No judgement here. Who among us has not paused a television binge to text, “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, got super busy :/”, to avoid doing something marginally physical? You can also host your own fundraising event with something that requires less movement, or donate online.

Most importantly, spread the word about how others in your community or networks can engage, through UNRWA’s volunteer program!

Follow UNRWA on Twitter and Facebook for more updates on Palestine refugees and how you can get involved.

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