UPDATE:  We have successfully completed two phases of the project, distributing seeds and seedlings to 200 families in Beit Lahiya, Gaza City, and Jabaliya.  We have also equipped a major well in the area with a solar system with backup batteries.  Our team is now in the process of following up with the beneficiaries and identifying the next 100 families.   Thank you for your continue support!

Support Families in Northern Gaza through Rooftop & Home Vegetable Gardens

My name is Laila El-Haddad. I'm an author and advocate for Palestinian rights and food justice.  Many of you might know me as the co-author of The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey.  I'm also an avid gardener and though I am from Gaza City, I'm a farmer at heart!  Farmers represent the deep rootedness Palestinians have to the land.  For Palestinians, farming, especially during a time of genocide and ecocide-is an act of deep faith and the very embodiment of Sumood- the Palestinian concept of steadfast perseverance

Background

Once known for its lush apple orchards, strawberries, and citrus, northern Gaza is now completely cut off from the rest of Gaza.  

As part of its policy to make Gaza unlivable, Israel has destroyed 50% of Gaza's trees and farmland, and severely restricted the entry of food and aid, especially to the north.  The scale of damage and destruction is catastrophic.  Israeli forces have leveled agricultural land, 90% of all greenhouses, olive groves, and poultry farms.  The entire population is now facing a forced starvation policy and experiencing extreme hunger. 

Your Donation Will Help Change This Reality by Providing Rooftop, Home, and Urban Vegetable Gardens through seedling and seed distribution for Vulnerable and Displaced Families in Northern Gaza who are subsisting on 245 calories a day. 

What and Why?  

I'm organizing this campaign to help support farmers and families in the areas of northern Gaza most impacted by Israel's ongoing war to start their own rooftop and home gardens-a small step towards self sufficiency and food sovereignty.  All international and local aid agencies have had to evacuate from the north, leaving the population especially vulnerable, and whatever limited amounts of fresh produce and aid are available are sold astronomical prices. 

How ?

I  spent months researching and consulting with agricultural experts in Gaza and abroad on the effective way to give Palestinians sustainable access to fresh produce.  Next, I partnered with with the Gaza Palestinian American Association and the Middle East Children's Alliance, both accredited 501(c)(3)  who are taking 0% overhead, as well as a team of community based partners in Gaza, who will be sourcing the supplies needed to start the home gardens locally and managing the project.  

Our team on the ground has been working hard to source and start growing local seedlings to distribute to families, and other materials needed to provide them with the resources they desperately need to start their own home, rooftop, patio, and community vegetable gardens, depending on the spaces they have access to.  We will roll out the project in several phases, which each phase targeting 100 families.

Each family will receive:

* At least 30 assorted seasonal vegetables seedlings (Palestinian summer squash, hot peppers, eggplant, cucumber and tomatoes, depending on availability)

* 80 grams of local seeds (dill, mulukhiya, chard), 

* Compost, soil, and amendments 

* Plastic planters, irrigation cans, where needed

* Training and follow up by agriculture experts

Your donations will also help fund the purchase of several solar panel systems to power  community wells that communities rely on to drink and irrigate their gardens and farms with (currently, municipal access to water is limited to once every ten days, and well motors are inoperable due to an Israeli ban on the entry of fuel).

With your support, we can help Palestinian families sow the seeds of a brighter future, cultivate hope and grow some of their own food again!

Your donation is tax deductible and zakat eligible!  100% of the proceeds will go towards the project in Gaza!  

Together, we will help families in the north grow healthy food for themselves, their neighbors and their friends!