Palestine Children's Relief Fund
AbbreviationPCRF
Formation1991 (1991)
TypeNonprofit organization
(IRS exemption status): 501(c)(3)
Area served
Middle East
Key people
  • Steve Sosebee (founder and president)
  • Khaled Abughazaleh, BDS, DMD (chairman)[1]
  • Ashraf Abu-Issa (vice chairman)[2]
Websitepcrf.net

The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization established in 1991, by, according to its website, "concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian youths in the Middle East."[3] The main objective of the PCRF is to locate in the United States and Europe free medical care for children who cannot be adequately treated in the Middle East.[3] Since 1991, tens of thousands of young people have received medical treatment through the PCRF.[4] According to their website in 2023, the PCRF is the primary humanitarian organization in Palestine that delivers medical relief and humanitarian aid where it is needed.[5]

The PCRF was founded by Steve Sosebee, who currently serves as the organization's President.[6]

Humanitarian activities

The Palestine Children's Relief Fund sends medical equipment, supplies, and American medical personnel to the region to treat difficult cases and train Palestinian surgeons. Several injured or sick children are being treated in the U.S. for free. The PCRF relies on volunteers throughout the U.S. who act as host families and donors. The organization also helps suffering children from other Middle Eastern nations, based on medical need. The PCRF has built two pediatric cancer departments in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.[4] In addition to physical medical care, the PCRF operates a mental health program in Gaza.[7]

History

1991: Establishment

The Palestine Children's Relief Fund was established in 1991.[3] It was founded by Steve Sosebee, a former journalist who, while on assignment in Hebron, brought Palestinian children in need to Akron, Ohio, to receive free medical care.[6] Sosebee later met Huda al Masry, a Palestinian social worker with the YMCA in Jerusalem.[6] Sosebee and al Masry married in 1993, and had two daughters.[6]

2004–07: Attempted donation by the Holy Land Foundation, and Open Heart

In 2004, the Holy Land Foundation—a group which was shut down by the United States government because it was suspected of funneling donations to terrorist organizations—attempted to make a donation of $50,000 to the PCRF.[8] Steve Sosebee, president of the PCRF, said at the time that if the PCRF received the donation, the money would be used to fund its relief services.[8] That same year, NBC televised the fictional film Homeland Security featuring a scene in which the PCRF is referred to as a terrorist organization and "a front for Islamic Jihad".[8] As a result, Sosebee received numerous phone calls and e-mails asking about how the PCRF uses its funds.[8]

In 2006, the PCRF, in cooperation with the British Arts Council, produced the 22-minute documentary film Open Heart. Directed by Claire Fowler, the film is about a nine-month-old boy named Jamal with congenital heart disease, and the efforts by his family, a British surgeon, and the PCRF to provide him treatment.[9]

2009–2020: Pediatric cancer units

In 2009, al Masry died of cancer, and Sosebee moved to Palestine with his daughters.[6] There, the PCRF built the first public pediatric cancer department in Bethlehem, and named it after al Masry.[6] In 2016, Sosebee married pediatric oncologist Dr. Zeena Salman.[6] In February 2019, the PCRF built a second cancer department, this time in the Gaza Strip.[10]

2021–present: Ongoing work

During the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, online streamers and other online content creators on platforms such as Twitch and YouTube held fundraisers in support of the PCRF, most notably Vaush, who raised $292,284.71.[11][12] On 17 May 2021, Israeli airstrikes damaged PCRF offices in Gaza City.[13] In November 2023, the al-Rantisi hospital in Gaza City, which is run by the PCRF, was struck by an Israeli airstrike, killing eight people and damaging the building.[14][15][16]

On November 16, 2023, PCRF awarded America Near East Refugee Aid, in partnership with World Central Kitchen, a $1.5 million grant to provide hot meals for distribution to displaced individuals in Gaza during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war.[17]

Reception

As of November 2023, PCRF has held a four-star charity rating since September 2012 from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities' fiscal management.[18] The organization has received support and endorsements from U.S. Senator Paul Sarbanes,[19] former U.S. Congressman Albert Wynn, and actor and humanitarian Richard Gere.[20][21]

In October 2006, former U.S. president Jimmy Carter issued a video endorsement of the organization.[20][22]

References

  1. ↑ "Khaled Abughazaleh, BDS, DMD – The PCRF". PCRF.net. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Ashraf Abu-Issa – The PCRF". PCRF.net. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 PCRF: Who We Are Archived 6 April 2006 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 13 April 2006)
  4. 1 2 "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has strained medical services and left families reeling. Here are six organizations you can support to help victims". CNN. 19 May 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "PCRF". PCRF. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Steve Sosebee". PCRF.net. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  7. ↑ Elbedour, Salman; Onwuegbuzie, Anthony J.; Ghannam, Jess; Whitcome, Janine A.; Hein, Fadel Abu (2007-07-01). "Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety among Gaza Strip adolescents in the wake of the second Uprising (Intifada)". Child Abuse & Neglect. 31 (7): 719–729. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.09.006. ISSN 0145-2134.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Strom, Stephanie (2004-04-15). "Charity Seeks To Transfer Money Frozen By Treasury". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  9. ↑ "British Council Film: Open Heart". British Council. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  10. ↑ Akram, Fares (2019-02-19). "US charity opens cancer ward for children in Gaza". Associated Press.
  11. ↑ @VaushV (May 18, 2021). "After nearly 27 hours of uninterrupted livestreaming, we managed to raise an unbelievable $292,284.71 for Palestine Children's Relief Fund. I had the pleasure of speaking to the charity's founder, @Stevesosebee, and I could not be more confident in the value of his work" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ↑ Grayson, Nathan (18 May 2021). "As Gaza Burns, Twitch Charity Streams For Palestine Remain Few And Far Between". Kotaku. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  13. ↑ Farzan, Antonia Noori (19 May 2021). "Humanitarian groups providing aid in Gaza face steep barriers". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  14. ↑ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (2023-11-06). "Gaza death toll tops 10,000; UN calls it a children's graveyard". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  15. ↑ McDougall, A. J. (2023-11-07). "Airstrike Decimates U.S.-Funded Children's Hospital in Gaza". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  16. ↑ Abu Riash, Abdelhakim (7 November 2023). "Israel targets Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza City". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  17. ↑ "PCRF joins Anera and WCK to Partner on Gaza Crisis Response". Anera. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  18. ↑ "Palestine Children's Relief Fund". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2023-11-07.
  19. ↑ Commendation letter by Senator Paul Sarbanes dated 23 May 2003 Archived 12 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  20. 1 2 "Message from Richard Gere To the Palestine Children's Relief Fund". Palestine Children's Relief Fund. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  21. ↑ Schwartz, Susan (9 November 2006). "The Palestinian Children's Relief Fund Gala". The Muslim Observer. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2008.
  22. ↑ Jimmy Carter's endorsement Archived 10 November 2006 at the Wayback Machine
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