Life in the Gaza: How DEC charities are supporting women in displacement camps
As winter approaches, nine out of ten people in Gaza are displaced, most more than once, and living in makeshift camps. Soon they will be met with new challenges: winds rising, rains coming and temperatures dropping.
As is so often the case in humanitarian crises, women are disproportionally affected. Most have no privacy, sharing often inadequate sanitation facilities with hundreds, - sometimes thousands - of others and without suitable clothing for the winter months.
Darine’s* story
Whilst hanging her laundry beside her beachside camp, Darine* describes the loss of her old life before the conflict. “I miss privacy, I miss having my cup of coffee on my own balcony every morning, I miss peace of mind.”
She is receiving support through DEC charity Christian Aid, with her family, Fatima*, 11, (daughter) and Hassan*, 6, (son) who are currently living in a temporary shelter on the beach in southern Gaza.
Through a local partner, Christian Aid have provided the family with drinking water, food and shelter (where they now live), however there is fear that the camp will be unsuitable in the winter, due to waves that could flood the area.
“I don't feel like a woman anymore. The thing I miss the most is wearing feminine clothing and sitting with my husband daily"
Darine and her children look out over the sea at their beachside camp. Image: Majdi Fathi, October 2024.
Women and girls
Many aid workers responding in Gaza have been displaced themselves, sometimes multiple times, and are faced with the same daily hardships. Fatma is a Project Officer for DEC member charity ActionAid, who is supporting women and girls affected by the conflict.
Fatma says “the conflict has increased the suffering of women as a result of the lack of health services, the lack of clean water, the lack of many multisectoral services they need to live in dignity.”
Fatma says women are bearing the brunt of the crisis and are desperately in need of relief items such as dignity kits, which typically include sanitary pads, washing powder, toothbrushes and more, as well as hygiene items and reproductive health support., Through all these challenges, Fatma and many like her continue to work and support fellow displaced people.
“We have to struggle to survive under these severe and hard conditions, but as humanitarian organisations, our duty and goal is to alleviate their suffering by providing them with effective responses.”
Fatma working in the displacement camp. Image Wattan Media Network, September 2024.
Supporting the most vulnerable
DEC charity Oxfam is helping to provide specialised support to people with additional vulnerabilities, such as those with disabilities, and people fleeing domestic violence or other forms of gender-based violence.
Ruth James is the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator in the Middle East for DEC member charity Oxfam, which has been delivering humanitarian programmes across Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon over the past year.
She remembers some of the images that have stayed with her since being in Gaza.
“When I was in Gaza last month, I visited an Oxfam-supported project, which provides a safe space for women to access mental health support and protection from gender-based violence. The women were talking about the fact that they couldn’t get sanitary pads – they were using rags made from potato sacks.
There's also very limited water so even if you're using rags, there's nowhere to wash them and nowhere to hang them, because everyone is living on top of each other. It's difficult from all angles.”
Heba hangs washing in a displacement camp in Gaza. Image: Khamis Alrifi/IRC, September 2024.
The humanitarian situation
Ruth has worked in many countries, including Afghanistan, Nigeria and across the Middle East , but says the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza is different.
“All have been challenging, but Gaza was unique as a humanitarian context because people are trapped – they have nowhere to go, bordered on one side by conflict and the other by sea.”
She describes how people in Gaza are building shelters with anything they can find, like blankets and plastic bags.
“They are living in the sand in makeshift tents that have no real walls or a roof and limited personal items such as bedding, clothes, and items to prepare food. I’ve met people, including aid workers, who have been forced to flee 15 to 20 times in the past year. Every time you move, you lose stuff. As a result, they now have nothing.”
Part of Ruth’s role is to ensure that the DEC’s humanitarian programming across the region is well resourced, is of the right quality, and is meeting internal and external standards. She talks about how aid is essential, to save lives and remind people they aren’t forgotten.
“People there feel abandoned, and if we're able to reach them with humanitarian aid, it will not only save their life, but also make them feel less abandoned and give them a bit of hope. Please do give what you can to the DEC Appeal – it could make all the difference.”
DEC member charities and their local partners are working around the clock to distribute essential aid and meet people’s most basic needs in Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region. You can find out more about how and where DEC funds are being spent, and donate to the appeal here.
