Summer Silent Auction for Gaza Aid

We are grateful to all of the generous donors who have made this auction possible!!  We're excited to present more than 100 items, and thank you for bidding generously.  This is a great chance for Madison to come together to support humanitarian aid for Gaza.  Bidding opens July 11 at Noon, but you can view the 100 plus items any time!  

This auction includes many orriginal works of art and we'd like to invite you to view the art and meet some of the artists!  
 Artists Meet & Greet 
Thursday, July 17, 4-6:30
Generously hosted by Java Cat Coffee, 4221 Lien Road,  on Madison's east side.Come meet  some of these generous artists, view the art, and learn more about Madison-Rafah Sister City Project and Middle East Children's Alliance.Can't make it on the 17th ? The art will be up at Java Cat from July 11 until the Auction closes on July 20.

Today, the people of Gaza are facing an unprecedented level of death, injury, disease, trauma and destruction of their ability to survive in their own land. Hunger in particular has become so severe that the large majority of the population is now facing starvation and famine.  

Madison-Rafah Sister City Project has had a relationship with the city of Rafah in Gaza for 22 years. Although Israel has now completely leveled physical Rafah, its people are dispersed throughout Gaza along with the rest of Gaza's 2 million surviving inhabitants. MRSCP continues to partner with the Middle East Children's Alliance to provide urgent aid to children & families throughout Gaza.

During these terrifying and difficult times, Middle East Children's Alliance's (MECA) team in Gaza is still working to bring humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. After a temporary ceasefire, Israel is dropping bombs on hungry, sick, and traumatized children in Gaza. Children and families in Gaza are once again desperate for the most basic things like food, water, medicine, and shelter.
Incredibly, MECA’s team of staff and community partners have been getting food and water to tens of thousands of people every single day since the genocide.  As bombs are dropping on homes, tents, and shelters, Israel is still using starvation a weapon, along with the deprivation of water, medicine, and electricity.

Here's what MECA is doing, thanks to your generous support.

Hot meals every day. MECA has opened a new solar-powered community kitchen in northern Gaza where hundreds of thousands of people returned since January. MECA’s four community kitchens in Gaza are cooking 13,000 hot meals every day.  In these difficult times they have been able to buy some meat, chicken, and fresh vegetables grown locally.

Water. MECA is  expanding distribution of safe, clean drinking water in the north and the south, with 14 trucks delivering   clean drinking water and 13 solar-powered water purification units located in hospitals, shelters, and kitchens.  

Aid. MECA is continuing to package and distribute the small amounts of aid still in their warehouses which was brought in before Israel blocked incoming aid. This includes clothing, shoes, and food parcels.

Health. MECA is providing nutrition care for children, a basic health clinic, garbage removal by donkey cart, and latrines for tent encampments.

This work seems miraculous when we see what’s happening in the news. But it is not a miracle. It is the unyielding determination and resourcefulness of the people on ground who will do everything they can for their communities and their country.They draw their strength, in part, from people like you around the world who stand in solidarity and support their tireless work.
You can learn more about Madison's fundraising campaign for Middle East Children's Alliance at Tinyurl.com/madisontogaza
And see their 100% Charity Navigator  rating at https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/943074600#:~:text=This%20charity%27s%20score%20is%20100,%2C%205%25%20Culture%20%26%20Community.

MRSCP was founded in 2003 by concerned Madison citizens aiming to forge person-to-person relationships with citizens of Rafah, a city and refugee camp at the southern border of Gaza, Palestine. For the past 21 years MRSCP has supported many humanitarian projects for the people of Rafah including water purification systems, mental health resources, a playground, a children's library, a house reconstruction, and more.  
One of our major partners  throughout this time has been the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA).

MECA works to protect the rights and improve the lives of children in the Middle East through aid, empowerment and education. In the Middle East, MECA provides humanitarian aid, partners with community organizations to run projects for children, and supports income generation projects. In the US and internationally, MECA raises awareness about the lives of children in the region and encourages meaningful action.  MECA was on the ground in Gaza when the genocide began, and continues to work with local partners and international support to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid.