Amos Trust Summer update
August 2024

When I last wrote in December, only the greatest pessimists were anticipating that the attack on Gaza would still be ongoing and that conditions would have got so much worse. No one could have imagined that 40,000 people would have lost their lives, nearly 100,000 would be injured, and countless would be missing — including 10,000 children. The West Bank is also horrendous; we have just heard that settlers have destroyed five homes in the South Hebron Hills.

Despite these desperate circumstances, as a result of your incredible generosity and commitment, we have provided desperately needed practical support to people in Gaza and the West Bank. We have also participated in many remarkable events and activities.

No one could have imagined that 40,000 people would have lost their lives, nearly 100,000 would be injured, and countless would be missing — including 10,000 children.

Local partners

We have worked with local partners (including the Gaza Sunbirds) to provide essential food parcels and hot meals to tens of thousands in Gaza and on the West Bank. We have continued to support the Al Ahli Hospital’s essential medical care and have funded desperately needed therapeutic support to women and children in Rafah and Gaza City through our long-standing partner, NECC.

We have supported young Gazan writers from We Are Not Numbers as they document the atrocities and paid for 21 toilets for 3,281 people in the unbelievably awful conditions of the refugee camps in central Gaza.

Dignity: Toilet blocks being delivered to Rafa in the Gaza Strip using donations from Amos Trust supporters  
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We have also supported Wi’am in building a new community hall next to the Separation Wall in Bethlehem and funded another partner, HIRN, to support local communities in the South Hebron Hills.

Inspiration

In the UK, we have been involved in many inspirational activities that raise support and create hope. These include wonderful food events with Fadi Kattan and Rasha Khouri at Akub Restaurant, Sami Tamimi and Noor Murad and the fantastic team at the Souk el Salam food markets and Sally Azzam in Bristol and Cambridge.

We have supported young Gazan writers from We Are Not Numbers as they document the atrocities and paid for 21 toilets for 3,281 people in the unbelievably awful conditions of the refugee camps in central Gaza.

We have worked with fantastic musicians, speakers and poets at the Voices from Gaza and Sumud events. In our webinars, we have heard remarkable testimonies of loss, resilience and hope. We have also seen the objections to the Anti-Boycott Bill bear fruit as it failed to become law.

Two Wheels Good

Thousands ran the Wall for Gaza and so many people have cycled in solidarity and to raise funds, including Anne (82) who cycled up the mighty Mont Ventoux (one of the Tour de France’s most challenging climbs) and over 50 people who cycled across the UK on our annual road club ride. We also watched in awe as Alaa from the Gaza Sunbirds para-cycling team participated in qualifying races in Belgium, Italy and Kazakhstan.

Cycling in Solidarity: Meg Williams from Amos Trust with Anne Jones from South London in training for the Ventoux Challenge back in May  
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He successfully won a place to represent Palestine in September’s Cycling World Cup in Switzerland while being desperately worried about his young family who had to flee Rafah and move to a tent in central Gaza.

Regular Giving

All of these activities are made possible through your support. At times like these, we are particularly grateful to those who support our work through regular gifts. These core, stable funds give us the confidence to embark on the next creative way to express our solidarity, build hope and encourage people to keep going.

Such giving is particularly vital for those parts of our work that are far from the headlines; knowing that we had committed funding for CEPAD’s five-year programme allowed us to run a special, matched-funding campaign to rebuild toilets lost in recent hurricanes. This quiet, long-term support has also been vital for Karunalaya in India, who, after a year’s campaign, have finally gained permission to keep their girls’ shelter open.

All of these activities are made possible through your support. At times like these, we are particularly grateful to those who support our work through regular gifts. 

Climate Fellowship

Meanwhile, our new Climate Fellowship has been funded through legacies — from people who have been deeply committed to our work during their lives and decided that they wanted it to thrive after their death. Legacies allowed us create 12 new women-led micro projects in Central America, a region at the brunt of climate change, where women’s rights are routinely ignored and the environment is being decimated.

Thank you once again for your help and incredible support. Please get in touch with [email protected] if you would like any further information about any area of our work. You can sign up to receive all our latest news at amostrust.org/sign-up.

Thank you.