Ready to rebuild Gaza: New CARE PACKAGE® delivers hope, health, and relief

CARE’s work in Gaza began in 1948 as part of the same spirit that created the first CARE PACKAGE. First launched as a mission to recover from years of war in Europe, CARE tapped into the American spirit of generosity, hope, and determination to help families recover, rebuild, and restore hope.

That same determination defines CARE’s team in Gaza today. Just this week, they received 4,000 food baskets to distribute, and while the supplies waiting at the border are still not being let through crossing points, CARE staff work tirelessly to source what they can for those who need it most.

Working through the rubble

In Deir al-Balah, CARE has been able to sustain and even expand one of the few functioning health centers in Gaza. The clinic treats children and adults suffering from malnutrition, provides reproductive health services, and helps manage chronic diseases. Trucking in clean water and rehabilitating water networks is also a key part of CARE’s ongoing support, as nearly 95% of the enclave is facing water insecurity.

Like the communities they serve, CARE staff has been living under siege as the bombardments continued. Jolien Veldwijk, CARE country director, reported that “over 90% of Gaza City is destroyed. Infrastructure is completely destroyed. Some of our other colleagues were saying to me, ‘we may still have two walls of our building, but we won’t have any water, there’s no sanitation, so nothing is working.’ There are no services.”

Another staff member said that he is renting “a small shelter” that houses himself, his wife, and their two children. “Since my apartment was destroyed, I tried to reassure them, while holding back my own tears, that I will do my best to find a decent place where we can start again and restore our lives somehow, even as fear and uncertainty still surround us.”

That same staff member noted that “being displaced has given me a deeper understanding of the needs and the struggles of people in similar situations. It strengthens my commitment to be a voice for the community I belong to, to speak on their behalf, and to help shape responses that can ease their suffering.”

The scale of need

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 PACKAGE crossed oceans to help rebuild lives, our mission remains the same: to stand with families through crisis, and to help them begin again.