The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) launched a global Ramadan campaign to raise funds to support the education of thousands of Palestinian refugee children in UNRWA schools in the besieged Gaza Strip.The campaign, under the title, #SOS4Gaza ‘Message in a Bottle’ aims to raise awareness about the hope of Gaza’s children in a better future. It is championed by Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Youth and Arab Idol star Mohammad Assaf.
UNRWA said, according to WAFA, that the campaign is based on a film that features the children of Gaza against a backdrop of devastation caused by last year’s Israeli attack; #SOS4Gaza features seven children putting messages expressing their hopes and dreams in bottles, which they send to sea.
The movie tells the story of a group of Palestinian refugee children from a Beach Camp in Gaza, who are frustrated by the bleak conditions in which they live; the children decide to put messages expressing their hopes and dreams in bottles, which they send out to sea in the hopes that help will come, said UNRWA.
Meanwhile, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl said that, “Despite all challenges, children in Gaza have dreams and want a future, like every other child in the world,” adding that, “The campaign comes at a time of particular need among Palestine refugees.”
“It is humbling to see that the children featured in the video, who, like 950,000 others in Gaza, have grown up surrounded by poverty and conflict, have not lost hope,” he said.
He expressed hope that people will be “inspired by the children to give generously. Supporters of the campaign will also be showing solidarity with Gaza at a time of enduring isolation and despair.”
“UNRWA invites people to join the campaign, which will reach out to a global audience with a message of hope and charity during Ramadan, by donating to UNRWA’s education programme in Gaza,” said the agency on its website.
“May #SOS4Gaza help bring to the children of Gaza a modest sense of joy during the holy month,” UNRWA concluded.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, around 327 schools were completely destroyed during the latest Israeli 2014 summer aggression on the Gaza Strip.
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