UNICEF and Jawwal reach more than half a million people in Gaza with life-saving child protection

[Jefferson23]

messages.

8/21/2014

Jerusalem, 21 August 2014 – In partnership with Jawwal telecommunications company, UNICEF has reached 550,000 people in Gaza with life-saving and child protection SMS text messages, with the hope of increasing the number of daily messages to 100,000. These messages aim at reducing child injury and death, decreasing psychosocial distress and increasing protection of children from abuse.

‘Children of Gaza have borne the brunt of the current conflict in Gaza with more than 460 children killed and 3,000 injured’ says June Kunugi, UNICEF Special Representative, State of Palestine. ‘Half of the 800,000 Gaza children are traumatised, and are in dire need for immediate psychosocial support,’ she added.

More than half a million free of charge text messages were sent targeting the most vulnerable communities in Gaza. While these messages created a demand for psychosocial support, UNICEF through its partner Sawa, provided a free hotline that was able to respond to more than 200,000 calls, requesting counselling services for children and their caregivers.

‘This is an innovative approach in using SMS messages in support of children in Gaza,’ says Maen Melhem, General Manager of Jawwal. ‘It is a joint effort with UNICEF, and is aligned with our corporate social responsibility, to support vulnerable children in need,’ added Melhem

http://www.unicef.org/oPt/media_9557.html

[Jefferson23]

1. Water delivery drivers dice with death in war-torn Gaza

GAZA CITY (AFP) -- Mohammed al-Khatib fears for his life every time he gets behind the wheel. In wartime, providing drinking water to homes and schools in Gaza means dicing with death.

At 23, Khatib is a veteran of two previous wars between Hamas and Israel, in 2008 and 2012, but nothing prepared him for the bombings, shredded nerves and death toll this time around.

"When I'm driving, I always feel frightened, upset and nervous," he tells AFP in the small warehouse where he loads up his truck with drinking water, as Israeli air strikes boom in the distance.

It's an essential job in Gaza, where at least 90 percent of municipal running water is not fit to drink and war damage means that for many people the only water comes from private vendors or desalination plants.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=723134