Help fill the foodtruck for Gaza

About our mission in Gaza

As violence and destruction continue to disrupt daily life in Gaza, animals have become some of the most vulnerable victims. Especially donkeys and horses are among the animals that suffer the most in Gaza.

Why do animals in Gaza suffer?

• Life-saving donkeys have replaced cars and lorries and are the only means of transport for many people, They are forced to carry heavy building materials, wounded and dead people around Gaza. At the same time they are weakened due to a lack of food, dehydration and excruciating wounds,
• Thousands of dogs and cats are starving,
• There are hardly any medicine for animals.

Foodtruck from Egypt

After 9 months of planning and preparation to send aid into Gaza, we have launched the Animals in Gaza Alliance, a collaboration between animal aid organisations with experience in running complex emergency aid operations in the Middle East. The Alliance provides an infrastructure in and outside Gaza that enables us to send our first aid shipment.

The founding members of the Animals in Gaza Alliance are:

• Animal Heroes from The Netherlands;
• Safe Haven for Donkeys from the UK which operates a mobile clinic in Gaza;
• Animal Aid without Borders from Finland.

Together, we are positive that we can offer structural relief to the animals in Gaza during one of the hardest times in the region’s history.

Even though there are still factors outside of our control, such as very little aid coming in, expected delays at the border, it paves the way for structural relief to animals in one of the most challenging times in the region’s history.

The truck is on hold at the moment

Our first shipment to Gaza was scheduled to depart from Egypt in mid-September, but the floodgates at Gaza crossing are now not expected to open until the ceasefire. Our shipment is ready to depart from Cairo, but is still waiting for a signal from the Egyptian Red Crescent to be able to depart. We will ship 4,000 kg of aid which will be distributed to:

• Animal Heroes’ medical response team;
• Donkey’s Safe Haven’s mobile veterinary clinic;
• Sulala Animal Rescue.

To minimise transport costs we bought the food directly in Egypt at the following prices:

A 20 kg bag of dried cat food costs €49,81 (€2,49/kg)
A 20 kg bag of dried dog food costs €46,78 (€2,34/kg)
A 50 kg bag of dry horse/donkey food costs €43,63 (€0,87/kg)

4000 kg aim achieved

We have received sufficient donations to have been able to buy the 4,000 kg of food that is allowed on our shipment. At the moment it is not possible to donate for our further shipments, because we first want to see that the truck will be able to cross the border into Gaza.

About Animal Heroes

We are a European animal emergency aid organisation based in Amsterdam. Animal Heroes aims to support local animal heroes – people who care for animals in the most difficult circumstances – with fast and efficient emergency aid. We have completed aid missions following wars, earthquakes, floods, and forest fires in Lebanon, Turkey, Ukraine, Italy, Greece, and the West Bank.

Important information

Despite the combined expertise, the carefully planned aid mission and tested infrastructure of the Animals in Gaza Alliance, the situation is unprecedented and highly unpredictable. Some factors are outside our control that can impact our aid mission. Nevertheless, we decided to send our first shipment, because the alternative is doing nothing, which is not an option for us. Every day we do nothing, not only people, but also animals suffer and die in Gaza.

However, this mission is more challenging than any of our previous missions in for example Ukraine and the Westbank. Therefore, we have decided to share with you the risks that we have identified and the strategies that we have implemented to mitigate these risks:

• Risk 1: The shipment is delayed at the border in Gaza. (Likelihood: high)
  Mitigation: We buy food locally at the latest possible moment, before actual departure not only to minimise transport costs but also to prevent food arriving after the expiration date.
• Risk 2: The shipment is refused at the border. (Likelihood: small)
  Mitigation: If there is no chance to get the shipment through in time on a second occasion, the goods will be offloaded and distributed to shelters in either Egypt or neighbouring countries (depending on logistical costs and need).
• Risk 3: The shipment gets stolen by armed bandits once in Gaza (Likelihood: medium)
  Mitigation: The shipment is sent to the Red Crescent Centre, which is close to the border. From there it will be divided into a variety of smaller shipments to different aid groups that we support, to spread the risk of aid getting loathed.
• Risk 4: One of the receiving organisations is no longer able to treat animals due to unexpected events in Gaza. (Likelihood: medium)
  Mitigation: The Animals in Gaza Alliance works with different aid groups in Gaza in order to spread the risks. If one aid team falls out, the aid will be transported to other aid team in Gaza.
• Risk 5: The infrastructure of the Animals in Gaza Alliance is compromised before the goods have been purchased. (Likelihood: low)
  Mitigation: if we can’t send aid into Gaza for the foreseeable future, donations will be used to save the lives of animals in similar projects operated by members of the Animals in Gaza Alliance members e.g. in The Westbank, Israel, Lebanon, or Egypt.

FAQ