Each year in November, MECA launches a Winter Relief Campaign to alleviate the cold, wet, and dangerous conditions in Gaza and in Lebanon’s refugee camps. The campaign lasts for months and includes distribution of winter jackets, blankets, shoes, and socks for children in Palestine and Lebanon.

Homes in Gaza are outfitted with special house shields to protect families from wind and rain.

MECA partners also provide families in Lebanon with gas heaters and fuel in the harsh winter of the Bekaa Valley where they get snow and ice.

On December 27, 2022 Dr. Mona El-Farra, MECA’s Director of Gaza Projects wrote from Gaza:

Thunderstorms, strong wind, and heavy rain in different parts of the small enclave. Thousands of people who are living in fragile, tin-roofed homes that started to leak in the early hours of the morning. Mattresses, blankets, and clothes are heavily soaked with water. The basic infrastructure is not good enough to cope with such emergency—with no basic water drainage, no electricity and sewage pumping. In these conditions MECA partner organizations, staff, and  volunteers hurried to help.

Impact in 2022

This winter, with support of our donors and PaliRoots, ZamZamWater, and Hope Foundation of Palestine, MECA provided warm winter clothes to 2,300 children and heaters, gas, or house shields to another 2,165 families.

Locally Made in Gaza

During all of our relief projects, we look for local cooperatives and businesses to support. In Gaza, most of the warm clothing bundles for children were made in local factories providing income for dozens of families in Gaza and warm clothes for children.