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“I miss my home, the place where I was happy with my family” Aya, 15, Gaza Strip \u00a9 UNFPA<\/p><\/div>\n
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Gaza’s Girls Leading the Way to a Hopeful Future<\/strong><\/p>\n In a small tent in one of the shelters in Gaza, youth volunteers creat a classroom for children to learn \u00a9 UNFPA<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n On the\u00a02024 International Day of the Girl Child<\/a><\/em>, we honour the strength and vision of girls in Gaza and around the world who show resilience and hope despite immense challenges. This year\u2019s theme, \u201cGirls’ Vision for the Future,\u201d calls for urgent action, driven by the voices and dreams of girls everywhere. For the girls in Gaza, who have endured over a year of devastating war, displacement, and deprivation, this day highlights their bravery and commitment to a better future.<\/p>\n For more than a year, girls in Gaza have faced tough conditions, repeated displacement, and trauma. They struggle to accessbasic needs like food, shelter, clean water, and hygiene products, making them more vulnerable to violence and health issues. With over 80% of schools and all universities damaged or destroyed, more than 300,000 girls are missing out on education, and over half a million need mental health support. Additionally, 230,000 girls of menstruating age have severe difficulties accessing menstrual hygiene products.<\/p>\n “I wish I could go back home and feel safe with my family. I miss drinking clean water, eating good food, wearing new clothes, and living in Gaza without war.” -Aya, 15<\/p>\n Aya Zarab, 15, was dispolaced from Rafah and now lives in a camp in Khan Younis.\u00a0 She and her family endured a difficult journey fleeting from the North to the south, leaving behind their home and memories after it was destroyed in the war.<\/p>\n Despite these challenges, girls are not just surviving; they are taking action, supporting their communities, and helping those in need.<\/p>\n “I miss my home, the place where I was happy with my family” Aya, 15, Gaza Strip \u00a9UNFPA<\/p><\/div>\n The “Rebuilding Hope for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip” project, funded by Education Above All (EAA) and\u00a0carried out\u00a0by UNFPA with youth-led organizations, has engaged 1,500\u00a0young people, including over 700\u00a0young\u00a0women,\u00a0to lead humanitarian\u00a0efforts. These initiatives have\u00a0helped over\u00a0150,000 people, including displaced women,\u00a0adolescent girls, children, and the elderly, providing\u00a0vital\u00a0support\u00a0in\u00a0and\u00a0around\u00a0shelters.<\/p>\n One standout effort is the “Girls’ Tent,” started by eight young female volunteers working with the Social Development Forum and the Save Youth Future Society. This initiative focuses on meeting the urgent needs for personal hygiene awareness and supplies for displaced girls and women during the ongoing crisis.<\/p>\n The “Girls’ Tent” began as a small project in Southern Gaza, providing a safe space for girls to join recreational activities. It has now expanded to Northern Gaza, offering hygiene kits and educational classes to 300 displaced girls and women.<\/p>\n \u00a9 UNFPA<\/p><\/div>\n Yasmine Mohana, one of the young volunteers, said, “The Girls’ Tent is important not just because it focuses on teenage girls, but because it promotes self-care in such tough times. We want to give girls health and hygiene packages after teaching them about mental and physical health. The large turnout and great questions showed how much this support is needed.”<\/p>\n \u00a9 UNFPA<\/p><\/div>\n The girls have also shared how valuable the initiative is. Haya Darwish, 16, shared, “The best part is that it focuses on us girls. We struggle to get hygiene products, and this really helped.”<\/p>\n Volunteers Nuha Hamada and Areej Al-Barasi added, “This initiative is essential, and we hope it continues to reach other areas. It helps girls and women take care of their hygiene and mental health amid the ongoing displacement and challenges we face in Gaza.”<\/p>\n With a worsening hygiene crisis and severe shortages of basic supplies like soap and shampoo, the initiative is crucial. It not only provides essential support but also empowers girls and women with knowledge to protect their health. In response, UNFPA and its partners plan to scale up the \u201cGirls Tent\u201d initiative to reach all adolescent girls in Gaza.”<\/p>\n \u201cAdolescent girls have a clear vision of the future they want. Let\u2019s support them in realizing this future; let\u2019s stand with them, and not in their way.\u201d –\u00a0Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n On this International Day of the Girl Child, the story of the “Girls’ Tent” showcases the hope and resilience of girls in Gaza. Even in times of conflict and hardship, they are stepping up to lead and advocate for their communities.<\/p>\n As we recognize their voices and actions, we must also recognize the urgent need for ongoing support for their futures. By protecting them from violence and helping them overcomethe challenges they face, we can empower these young leaders to turn their vision into reality, ensuring a future where every girl can thrive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 11 October 2024 Gaza’s Girls Leading the Way to a Hopeful Future On the\u00a02024 International Day of the Girl Child, we honour the strength and vision of girls in Gaza and around the world who show resilience and hope despite immense challenges. This year\u2019s theme, \u201cGirls’ Vision for the Future,\u201d calls for […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[2337],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1769,2441,2005,2533,1745,1841,6635],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-302292","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-united-nations-population-fund-unfpa","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-education-and-culture","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-health","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","document-subject-women","document-subject-youth","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/302292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/302292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":302300,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/302292\/revisions\/302300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=302292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=302292"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=302292"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=302292"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=302292"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=302292"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=302292"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=302292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Youth-for-All-All-for-Youth1.jpg\")
The Reality for Girls in Gaza<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Empowering Girls and Rebuilding Hope<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The “Girls’ Tent”: A Safe Space for Girls<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Invest in Girls’ Voices and Actions<\/strong><\/h3>\n