Background
The Health Committee is concerned with the effects of the Israeli occupation on Rafah's health care, including nutrition, medical supplies, and barriers to care.According to the June 2004 Rafah Humanitarian Needs Assessment by the United Nations, 90% of Rafah's population receive some food aid on a regular basis, and closures restrict access to agricultural land and fishing, keeping Rafah food insecure. Damage to water and sewage networks and overcrowded facilities have worsened public health. There are 3.3 hospital beds for every 10,000 people in Rafah, while the Palestinian national average is 13.8 beds. Support from healthcare facilities elsewhere in the Gaza Strip is frequently limited by movement restrictions imposed by Israel Defense Forces. However, homelessness due to home demolitions is the most pressing humanitarian issue, and the homeless may be forced to live in tent villages, risking severe sanitation and health problems.
Emergency Response Network
We are working to develop an emergency response network for human rights violations. Carefully chosen groups with reliable information on conditions in Palestine (such as Physicians for Human Rights - Israel and Palestine Children's Relief Fund) will notify us of situations requiring a response to appropriate organizations or individuals.We will solicit people to join the network, agreeing in advance to permit a response in their name. A copy of the request and response wll be sent to the members of the network to keep them informed. Members can withdraw from the network at any time.
Communications
One committee goal is to maximize input from contacts in Rafah, to ensure that the work is Rafah-driven with maximum benefit to Rafah. We are attempting to keep lines of communication open in spite of damage to phone and electrical infrastructure.
Outreach
The committee will be working to get our message out and bring funds in through public events, leafleting, and tabling.
Projects
Through the Milk for Rafah project, we are partnering with the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme (GCMHP) to send powdered milk to the people of Rafah.MRSCP has raised approximately $6000 to purchase powdered milk and ship it to Rafah. An initial purchase of over 1000 pounds of powdered milk will be purchased from the Land O'Lakes cooperative. The milk will be labeled with instructions in Arabic and distributed by our partners in Rafah.
Madison-Rafah Sister City Project (MRSCP) was founded in 2003 to foster people-to-people relationships between the citizens of Madison and Rafah. Located on the border with Egypt, Rafah’s economy and city infrastructure have been devastated by Israel's ongoing military occupation. All aspects of life there, whether cultural, physical, political, or educational, have been negatively affected. MRSCP has therefore focused its efforts on both humanitarian aid and community education, including lectures and films on the conflict in Israel-Palestine. In January 2004 MRSCP sent a delegation to Rafah to meet with community leaders, both governmental and non-governmental.
Checks made to "MRSCP" with the memo "Milk" can be mailed to Madison-Rafah Sister City Project
P.O. Box 55371
Madison, WI 53705
Receipts can be provided for PayPal and check payments only.
As a tax-exempt 501(c)3 corporation, all donations to MRSCP's Milk Project are tax deductible.
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