Looking for Trouble

Day Three in Gaza, by Gerri Haynes

(Gerri Haynes, a former president of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, is once again sending back reports from inside blockaded Gaza. As she did four times before, Gerri has organized a team of doctors and other health care providers to work in hospitals and clinics in Gaza in an effort to directly help the people there and to bring attention to the ongoing humanitarian crisis that the Israeli blockade has created. Third in the series.)

Roxanne Hamilton, landscape and healing garden designer, joined our delegation for this journey to Gaza, hoping to find interest in the development of a healing garden. In her gentle presentation, she is meeting great enthusiasm for the development of this garden.

Green space is a premium here and the possibility of constructing a place for quiet reflection and healing seems to appeal to everyone we meet. Today, the head of a construction company related his ability and great willingness to help a garden come to reality. We visited the fantastic garden of a local family and witnessed the wide variety of plants that can thrive in this climate.

Before we leave Gaza, Roxanne will have the opportunity to meet with a planning member of the municipality and be able to visit some of the potential sites that Gazans have recommended for a garden.

Michael Poage, Bob Haynes, Roxanne Hamilton and Steve Gilbert visited an orphanage in Gaza. This immaculate facility is home to 100 children, 5 – 18 years of age. A second orphanage in Rafah also has 100 permanent residents. Another 15,000 orphans in Gaza live with extended families.

All of the children who live in the orphanages attend local schools and receive intensive care from the orphanage staff: tutoring, birthday parties, holiday celebrations and psychological counseling. Recently, some recreational activities have been curtailed due to budget shortfalls. In the dire economy of Gaza, all people suffer.

Bob Haynes and Don Mellman consulted on patients in their specialty areas, cardiology and neurosurgery. Don also gave a lecture focusing on courage to fourth year medical students and Laura Hart spoke about urology in a local hospital.

This evening, we were visited by friends from previous trips – women who have committed their lives to serving Gaza – a UN worker, an NGO staffer and a pharmacist – all extremely bright and well-educated. Amani Malwan, who helped us with complex logistics during our last visits, presented us with a photo cake depicting one of our delegations.

Having the opportunity to hear about the response of these young women to life under external occupation is inspiring – each woman is helping Gaza to survive.