During the war on Gaza in 2014, very few people were allowed into Jordan. A group of people met in the hospital that was receiving injured people from Gaza. A girl named Sama arrived with shrapnel in her skull. They decided to support Sama and provided support to her father during their stay. Unfortunately, Sama died that year. After this terrible event they founded the organisation "Sama Gaza" in her name.

The organisation has a Vocational Centre which provides training and opportunities for young people and adults. There’s a sewing space, a rooftop garden and a classroom equipped for a variety of learning purposes, including Kaya’s online courses. The volunteer trainers of the organisation teach computer literacy and repairs, sewing and other vocational skills. The organisation is keen to expand the spaces but the Vocational Centre requires a lot of resources to run and due to their grassroots nature, they have to take it one step at a time.

The organisation is also focused on providing opportunities for individual development, whether it is with children, young people or adults. Due to funding cuts on the UNRWA, limited resources, space and the large population of the camp, all the children in the camp have to study in overpopulated classrooms at school. The cramped spaces at home makes it hard for children to develop, express themselves, explore their talents and discover new ones. In response to this, Sama Gaza set up a Cultural and Community Centre which provides room for extracurricular sessions and support with formal education. With this centre, the organisation provides a space where they can explore and grow.

Sama Gaza has a large humanitarian component. They organise local winter aid distributions, as well as non-food items (NFIs) and cash assistance. Sama Gaza have a clothes bank and bazaar every season, as well as special Ramadan and Eid activities.

The biggest challenge for Sama Gaza is securing funds and resources to continue supporting the community members who benefit from the spaces. The organisation would love to have enough resources to send out volunteers for training or provide them with incentives to support them to do their best to serve their community. 

Last year, i had the opportunity to observe the work of all the amazing volunteers from Sama Gaza in Gaza Camp. I was blown away by the heartwarming souls who try to do everything they can to help others. I can't do much but i can shine a light on them and hopefully give something back to the organisation.