Islamic Help supporters have hit a £300,000 target in less than three months to provide a new water ...

Islamic Help supporters have hit a £300,000 target in less than three months to provide a new water plant at Gaza’s largest hospital. The desalination plant will provide clean and safe drinking water to Al Shifa Hospital and benefit more than 20,000 people each year.

The Water For Gaza appeal followed the successful Gaza 100 Challenge when Islamic Help supporters funded a new water plant at Wadi as Salqa. That opened in Ramadan 2015 and serves the daily domestic needs of 9,000 people.

Al Shifa Hospital relies on 2 wells for its water but salination (salt in water) has affected its use for drinking, health care, medical equipment and procedures. The new plant will purify the water and pump it via a network of pipes to the hospital, ensuring that it is safe and clean for human consumption.

Zaheer Khan, Islamic Help’s director of fundraising and communications, said the response to the Water For Gaza appeal had been overwhelming. “The generosity of our supporters continues to amaze us. It’s a great amount of money in what is a very difficult time for people,” he said.

“We have heavy expectations on our shoulders when we take on a challenge like this but our donors and supporters have been immense, and through their fundraising efforts and donations have got us to the target in less than three months after launching the appeal.

“We would like to thank them for their support and Insha’Allah look forward to the implementation of this project which will benefit so many. We will be showing our donors the results of their generosity when this plant is up and running by Ramadan next year.

“It is just one of the many initiatives we are carrying out to help provide clean water to communities across the world and would urge anyone who can support us in these efforts to do so.”

As part of the Water For Gaza appeal, donors were encouraged to contribute £200 each. Those donating £1,000 will have their name or the name of a loved one on a plaque which Islamic Help intends to erect either at the plant or the hospital.

Gaza’s main water source is its aquifer (underground water table) which is accessed by wells. However, contamination by seawater from the Mediterranean has increased its salinity (salt in water) and sewage pumped into the sea means more than 90% of Gaza’s water is unsafe for human consumption.

You can support Islamic Help’s water programmes by donating for a hand pump or well here.