Emergency Fund
What is the Emergency Fund for
Following the death of Yahia, the seventeen-year-old son of Haneen and Salah, on 24 June 2025, due to lack of medical treatment after being shot by an Israeli soldier at the “American” humanitarian aid distribution centre in Rafah, the volunteers of Una Terra in Comune mobilised to establish an Emergency Fund to help families cope with critical situations that put their very survival at risk.
The fund was set up in July 2025 through a dedicated fundraising campaign promoted via the project’s communication channels, as well as through the personal networks of those who are voluntarily involved in fundraising activities.
Requests for access to the fund are first collected by Aya, one of the young students supported by Una Terra in Comune.
Aya gathers all the necessary information to estimate the direct and related costs of each requested intervention and assesses whether the request meets the criteria adopted for managing the fund.
The programme mainly supports surgical procedures not covered by the healthcare system, evacuations, repairs of electronic devices.
The Emergency Fund is also available to cover burial costs and, more recently, it has been used to purchase essential items for pregnant women and, subsequently, for their newborn babies.
What we have done so far
So far, the Emergency Fund has been used primarily for urgent surgical procedures of various kinds.
One of these interventions was necessary to safeguard the health of a pregnant woman and her baby girl, also ensuring access to the essential food needed for recovery during the post-operative phase.
In another case, the fund was used to repair the only mobile phone owned by a family, allowing them to remain in contact with their support network both in Deir al-Balah and in Italy during the most violent phases of the invasion — a form of support that was vital to their survival.
When the device eventually stopped working altogether, the fund was used to co-finance the purchase of a new mobile phone.
In other cases, the fund supported families facing additional health emergencies, worsened by Gaza’s extremely difficult hygienic and sanitary conditions, and provided assistance to two pregnant women so they could give birth safely and later keep their newborn babies warm.
The Emergency Fund in numbers
5 surgical procedures and medical assistance (€2,600)
1 post-operative support intervention (€200)
1 mobile phone repair (€600)
1 co-financing for the purchase of a mobile phone (€600)
2 birth support interventions (€1,000)
