AFOPA launches appeal for Palestinian children
The Australian Friends of Palestine Association has launched a fund-raising drive to support the Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund.
The founder and president of the PCRF, Steve Sosebee, says the Fund’s premises in Gaza has been severely damaged in the recent Israeli Defence Force bombing campaign on Gaza.
“The building is unusable,” according to Mr Sosebee. “The ceiling has caved in. We cannot use it.”
He says the building was hit during an attack on the Gaza Health Ministry, across the street from the PCRF premises.
“We have 11 people working in our north Gaza office,” he said. “We are focused on young amputees, gunshot victims, children with cancer, bringing in surgery teams, providing urgent relief and building up hospital infrastructure. Now it’s just overwhelming.
“There are so many children with mental challenges - excessive anxiety mainly. There’s a high incidence of PTSD as a result of the bombings and the siege. We’re working to treat them as well.
“We have a program with psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors working with as many children as possible, trying to help their psychological recovery and development.”
AFOPA has set a target of A$50,000 for the PCRF appeal, the amount Mr Sosebee says it will take to find and move into new premises, and to expand the Fund’s mental health program.
Edie Bransbury, who chairs AFOPA, says raising funds for the restoration of the PCRF’s work fits AFOPA’s human rights focus and is a worthy cause in the aftermath of Israel’s excessive attacks on Gaza last month.
“Historically AFOPA has supported the work of Military Court Watch, which acts for children arrested by the Israeli Defence Force, and of medical professionals working in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Watching television news pictures of the incredible destruction wrought by Israel on Gaza, and hearing daily reports of innocent children being killed in bombing raids, led us to contact the PCRF to see if we could help them get back on their feet,” Ms Bransbury says.
AFOPA has kicked off the PCRF appeal with a donation of $5,000, and is urging like-minded organisations, businesses and individuals to donate generously in the quest for the $50,000 target.
