Being a mother in Gaza
NECC Well Baby Clinic, Gaza
Mothering Sunday is a day to honour mothers and important women in our lives. On this Mother’s Day, we are reflecting on the challenges of being a mother in Gaza – and celebrating the wonderful work that our partner, the Near East Council of Churches (NECC), does through their well-baby clinics.
Amina* has eight children and lives in Gaza City. Her home is typical of many families in her neighbourhood – just two rooms with very little furniture, shared by 10 people. Most days, her husband is unable to find work and the family finances are stretched to breaking point. Although they receive quarterly food rations from the UN, it is not enough to feed the whole family.
For Amina, as for many women in Gaza, accessing maternity care is not simple. The Israeli blockade, which began in 2007, has crippled the health sector. Maternity and child health services are among the worst affected. Many essential pharmaceuticals and life-saving drugs are either unavailable or in short supply (such as folic acid, iron, antibiotics and medication to treat high blood pressure during pregnancy).
Why are the NECC clinics so important?
Our partner, the NECC, provides antenatal, maternity and well-baby services at its three family health care centres in the Shajaia, Darraj and Rafah areas of Gaza. Because of their geographical location near the Israeli border, Rafah and Shajaia are particularly subject to bombardment. In Darraj, the NECC clinic is the only health facility that serves the local population.
Children in Gaza at at high risk of malnourishment and anaemia.
The areas surrounding the clinics are densely populated. Over 80% of the population are dependent on international aid and nearly half of working-age adults are unemployed. The prevailing situation of poverty, psychological stress and the constant threat of violence makes for a challenging environment in which to raise a family. Yet the high birth rate means that many families are large (like Amina’s), with children under six representing around 16-17% of the population in these areas.
Improving the health of whole families
Amina’s youngest son, Omar*, was found to be anaemic at his seven-month-old check-up in the NECC clinic in their community. He promptly received treatment and the staff educated Amina about nutrition and the kinds of food she should try to give her children. Although Omar was the only one to be treated, the whole family benefited as a result of this health education.
At a Well Baby check-up, Omar was found to be suffering from anaemia.
Omar was just one of 13,000 children the NECC clinics screened last year. Of this number, 2,000 were found to be anaemic or malnourished, and subsequently enrolled onto a comprehensive treatment programme. Sadly, high levels of poverty and unemployment disproportionately affect the health status of children. As food insecurity rises, more and more children in Gaza are being exposed to anaemia and malnutrition. Left untreated, the consequences can be deadly. They can also affect cognitive ability, cause irreversible brain damage and negatively affects the ability of the body to fight diseases.
‘The mother is so important’
Being a mother against this backdrop is challenging. Although mothers like Amina benefit enormously from health education at the clinics (e.g. information about healthy food, hygiene and child development), they cannot always afford to buy nutritious food for their families:
Until the blockade is lifted, and living conditions can be improved, the NECC cannot fully prevent children like Omar from becoming anaemic again. But they will keep on treating them, and continue supporting the mothers to do all that they can to ensure the children are healthy and thriving. As the staff often say: ‘The mother is so important – if we can support her, we can make a difference.’
*Names have been changed