WAM Sharjah, 17th April 2012 (WAM) -- Peace for Children of Palestine or SYS (Salam ya Seghar Fund) and Save the Children launched a project to improve the health and rehabilitation care, nutritional situation for children in Gaza.

The one-year project seeks to improve access to quality health care services in Gaza.

This project, began at the start of 2012 with a total budget estimated at more than half million Dirhams, will tackle the issue of health care services for the poorest children and their families.

SYS was founded by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the wife of HH the Ruler of Sharjah and the President of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs), in 2008 and it began as a campaign to raise awareness and funds for supporting Palestinian children in the West Bank and Gaza strip.

Since its inception SYS has addressed a wide spectrum of issues and problems faced by the children in this area and has successfully completed many projects to bring relief to the children and to make the quality of their lives better.

The situation that the Palestinian children live in, which is full of suffering, injustice and oppression, is unworthy of human dignity. SYS aims to alleviate this suffering and help the children there to grow up with dignity and respect.

The project takes place amid continuing Conflict, violence, checkpoints and a four year blockade of Gaza, which have seen children unable to escape the daily threat of violence and poverty. Across the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT), one in three families cannot afford one balanced meal per day, and basic supplies and medical equipment are in short supply. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza are forced to live in camps and 80% of families are reliant on humanitarian assistance such as food and cash handouts.

As part of Child Rights to health, Save the Children will implement this project with an overall objective to improve access to quality healthcare services for the poorest children and their families in the OPT with a special focus on mother and child health and nutrition, and children with special needs.

The implementation will be through 4 different approaches, the first will be renovating 4 clinics in the Gaza Strip in partnership with Palestinian Wound Medical Center, Nebrass El-Ajyal Association for Community Development, Society of Physically Handicapped People and Ard El Ensan Association. The second approach will be supplying 3 medical centers in the Gaza Strip with medications and medical supplies, while the third is to improve the nutritional health status of 1,000 children aged 0-36 months old and improving the knowledge and practices of mothers and care givers through working with Ard El Ensan Association.

The final approach will be a continuation to the work that was already launched by Save the Children in Gaza to provide a comprehensive health care, which will be through improving the living conditions and health care of 300 children with disabilities and their parents in the Gaza Strip in partnership with Jabalia Rehabilitation Society, and Deir El Balah Rehabilitation Society, in addition to supporting 100 blind and partially sighted children in partnership with Friend Society of Visually Impaired Rehabilitation.

Save the Children UK Country Director, Ms. Salam Kanaan, highlights the role of the organization by saying: "Even before the conflict, thousands of children from Gaza were chronically malnourished and this still affects nearly 10 percent of children under five in the OPT. Therefore, Save the Children consider continuing the work in the health care services on top of its priorities for providing a better health sphere for the children and their families" The project will reach 18,600 children under 5 years old and lactating mothers, who will benefit from the quality health care services that will be provided in the partner health centers, in addition to serving 3,200 through nutrition and supporting children with special needs.

During the implementation time; the project will not only provide services to children directly, but also will target those involved with children including families, health care givers and teachers through awareness raising sessions to help them provide quality health services to the children.

WAM/TF