International Women¹s Day 2009: Dedicated to the Women of Gaza

March 8, International Women¹s Day, is a time when people around the globe focus on the needs and contributions of women. This year, on Sunday, March 8, 2009, women and men worldwide will commemorate the day by highlighting the plight of the women of Gaza and sending an international delegation to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid.

What more powerful way to celebrate International Women¹s Day than working collectively to ease the suffering of the women of Gaza!

Please show your support by becoming a sponsor (to help with outreach), making a donation and/or joining the March 7-12 International Women¹s Delegation to Gaza. Contact gaza.codepink@gmail.com or call Medea Benjamin at 415-235-6517.

Sponsors include (organizations for identification only):

Jodie Evans, CODEPINK
Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange
Women¹s Freedom in Iraq
Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies
Faye Williams, National Congress of Black Women
Yanar Mohammed, Organization of Women¹s Freedom in Iraq
Ann Wright, Veterans for Peace
Samina Faheem, American Muslim Voice
Dolores Huerta, Dolores Huerta Foundation
Susan Griffin, author
Alice Walker, author
Laura Flanders, talk show host
Nadje Al-Ali, Act Together: Women's Action on Iraq
Fiona Dover, Transnational Institute

Background:

Palestinian women in Gaza have been devastated. We have seen the agonizing pictures of wailing women digging through the rubble of their destroyed homes to look for their buried children. We heard the stories of the dead mothers whose emaciated children were found hanging onto their bodies for days until reached by aid workers.

The Israeli attack that began on December 27 left over 1,000 dead, including 412 children and 110 women, and over 5,000 injured (1855 children and 795 women), according to the United Nations Children's Fund. But that but that attack came after 18 months of a crippling blockade that had left the Palestinian population hungry, sick, weak, and already suffering from what UN officials called a catastrophic situation.

Women now have to care for the physical and emotional wounds in their families and communities, while dealing with their own broken hearts. They have to attend to the physical needs of their families in the face of shortages of water, electricity, food, medicine, heat, fuel, and shelter. Some neighborhoods have been almost totally destroyed, with over 100,000 people displaced from their homes.

According to the United Nations, "Children are hungry, cold, without electricity and running water, and above all, they're terrified. Women are at greater risk of maternal death and or injury as maternity wards are being used as surgical facilities to treat the wounded.

There are huge medical needs. Twenty-one medical facilities were damaged during the fighting, and there are severe shortages of emergency supplies, including sterilization equipment, needles, anesthetics, catheters, oxygen and essential medications.

The UN says that hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid are needed to help Gaza's 1.4 million people and billions of dollars will be required to rebuild its shattered buildings and infrastructure.

Groups in Gaza that we will be supporting include:

Palestinian Medical Relief Society
Gaza Community Mental Health Program
Union of Palestinian Women¹s Committees
Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees
Palestinian Center for Human Rights

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We can't be of use to our communities if we are on our knees.