Aydah Alhawy: We Suffer in Heat and Rain

During rain, Aydah Alhawy’s house often get submerged. The water comes not only from the leaking roof but also from the main door. In hot days, her family is trapped by the heat in the tin-walled house.

Aydah Eid Sulayman Alhawy, a mother of six children, shows her uninhabitable house in Deir Albalah, Gaza. (ACTNews)

ACTNews, DEIR ALBALAH - "Alhamdulillah, we are all good," said Aydah Eid Soliman Alhawy when Aksi Cepat Tanggap partner visited her house in October 2020. Along with her husband and six children, Aydah lives in Deir Albalah, Gaza, Palestine.

Before the ACT partners arrived, it was raining in Deir Al-Balah. On one hand, Aydah is grateful that the rain fell on the parched land. On the other hand, she and her family had to work hard to make a barrier to prevent the water from entering the house.

"We immediately ran to make a barrier out of the sand so that water would not enter the house," continued Ayda. Sadly, the barrier couldn’t prevent the water that got in from the leaking roof. If the water wets their mattress, they will have to sleep without a bed because it takes a week before the mattress is completely dry.

The exterior of Aydah Alhawi’s house. (ACTNews)

On hot days, this family has to face another kind of difficulty. The scorching sun ray often heat up the tin walls of the house. Aydah is constantly worried about her children’s well-being. "We have to wait until God removes our troubles," said Ayda to her children, hoping that they would understand.

Ayda is one of thousands of families in Gaza who are in need of shelter and support. She hoped that there are generous people who will help her so that her children can live a better life.

In order to help the Palestinian people, ACT is initiating programs to provide shelter and support for Palestinian families. Said Mukaffiy from the Global Humanity Response - ACT explained that the housing program for Gazan families is expected to improve the standard of life for underprivileged families, orphans, and single mothers.

"The poverty rate in Gaza is over 60 percent. Approximately, 31 percent of them do not have a house. They live in tents or shacks. They are poor families who have been unable to pay rent for a decent place to live, ”said Said.

Through the Support for Palestinian Family program, Indonesian families are invited to support the basic needs of underprivileged Palestinian families to bring Indonesian and Palestinian families closer together.

"The mission of this program is to establish friendship between benefactors and beneficiaries. We hope that the generous benefactors can support our endeavor," hoped Said. []