In Gaza, Health for a Mother and Baby

After moving several times to flee bombing, Nada, her husband and their three young children were living in a tent in central Gaza. But the family could not escape the famine that was gripping the territory.

“I was truly starving,” says Nada. “There was no food, no milk, no fruit. I used to faint from exhaustion. Moreover, we were walking long distances on foot while fleeing.” Nada was still nursing her youngest son. When she became severely malnourished, her milk dried up, and her baby grew weak and thin. “I tried to feed him, but I had nothing to give,” she says. The baby cried through the night.

In the fall of 2025, Nada began visiting a nearby mother and child clinic, operated by Anera and funded by Americares, where she received medical and emotional care.

At the clinic, Nada received information about breastfeeding and rebuilding her strength with small, frequent meals. “Every week it’s the same routine,” says Nada. “They check [my son’s] growth and vital signs. They even prescribe supplements,” says Nada. “I truly feel they care about us, not just as numbers, but as mothers.”

Support for the clinic is part of Americares response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which also includes 35 tons of medicine and medical supplies and funding for mental health programs.

The mother and child clinic in Gaza can provide comprehensive care for 4,000 pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers each month. Services including medical checkups, psychological support and counseling on nutrition and lactation.

“Honestly, these Tuesday visits bring me so much comfort. They’re like a weekly breath of relief,” she says.

Gradually, both mother and baby’s health began to improve. “[My son] started to gain weight, and I began to eat again,” Nada says. “I started to feel small things like hunger, warmth and even a bit of calm. They treat us with humanity, they ask how we’re doing, they listen. Maybe the world has collapsed, but there are still people who care.”