Grant awarded to KinderUSA
The Foundation is pleased to continue its support to KinderUSA.
KinderUSA is the leading American Muslim Organization focused on the health and wellbeing of Palestinian children. Founded in 2002 by American physicians and humanitarian relief workers to alleviate the suffering of children and their families in Palestine and beyond, regardless of ethnicity or religious beliefs, KinderUSA seeks to provide a free, just, and peaceful future where children thrive and look forward to a productive future, like children everywhere. The charity has built 3 platforms to provide aid to the women and children who inhabit the most densely populated area in the world, with 2 million people living in 360 square kilometers of Gaza Strip
Women and children are always the most vulnerable, and in Gaza it is more drastic with over 70% unemployment for women. With the defunding of UNWRA and the halt of USAID funding to the Palestinian territories, organizations are doing their best to continue important projects in education, infrastructure, and bulk dry foods for families. To date, KinderUSA is the only organization working to empower female-headed households in Gaza through chicken farming, a unique, yet viable enterprise for women to pass on to their children. This project aims to promote the empowerment of women heads of household while focusing on the United Nation’s sustainable development goals of eradicating poverty while building economic growth. This project equips female-headed households, many raising children and caring for extended family members on their own, with 200 chicks and the necessary education, tools, and marketing skills to begin raising chickens. KinderUSA purchases the first round of live, roaster chickens for distribution in our farmer’s food basket distribution for needy families. From here, we replenish their chicks, allowing the women to continue selling on the open market to local chicken dealers and private customers, assisting them in partnering with the appropriate customers. The selected beneficiaries have an average income of roughly $1.5 a day, with a potential outcome of approximately $8 a day depending upon production. Metrics are gathered at the start of the project, income of household, living conditions, number of family members. During the project we visit the women and make sure their needs are met and document production of chickens along with monthly sales. Upon completion, they measure the same metrics coming back 1, 2, 3, and 6 months afterwards to document success or failure.