Kildare-based initiative Uisce for Gaza delivers clean drinking water to Gaza
Children in Gaza in front of water truck organises by Uisce for Gaza
A NAAS born woman, Siobhain Grogan, and her Kildare-based team have raised over €350,000 for struggling Gazan’s through their Kildare-based initiative, ‘Uisce for Gaza’ since 2024, and are calling to Kildare families to donate to a very important cause.
Irish people are renowned worldwide for their generosity, whether donating, organizing pub quizzes or concerts, they always find a way to get ‘the job done’.
Uisce for Gaza is one such example, a grassroots initiative launched by Siobhain and the Kildare team team. An active member of Teachers for Palestine and the Kildare Palestine Solidarity Campaign, in 2024, Siobhain grew increasingly frustrated by how little could be achieved immediately through lobbying and advocacy.
Through a Gaza-focused WhatsApp group, Siobhain connected with Mohammed, a teacher from Gaza, who explained that clean drinking water was the most critical resource there. In response, Uisce for Gaza, an unincorporated association, was established to deliver water from Gaza's desalination plants to those most in need.
This life-saving initiative, drawing on the symbolism of uisce, emphasizes sustenance, life, and the fundamental human need for clean drinking water. Using the word uisce has resonated and attracted Irish support from the four corners of the globe.
Since August 2024, Uisce for Gaza has supplied over 4.8 million litres of clean drinking water to Gaza. This is primarily thanks to an outstanding team on the ground. The vital work is being carried out by local residents of Gaza.
Mohammed, the teacher, was the first to transport water, and Kamal is currently the volunteer making daily deliveries, sometimes four trucks a day, in the most challenging conditions.
With Uisce for Gaza, there are no middlemen; the only bills paid are invoices for the Gaza desalination plants, for which 100 per cent of the fundraising proceeds are used.
They have stressed that the crisis in Gaza is unfortunately far from over.
Because there is technically a ‘ceasefire’, some people have stopped donating to certain Palestinian causes, assuming the needs have eased when in fact, the urgency remains. The sad reality is that it will be a very long time before services like drinking water are once again available for the people of Gaza. The war destroyed most of the infrastructure.
The lack of clean drinking water has dire consequences, including spreading famine and disease, which disproportionately affect the most vulnerable populations, particularly children.
Uisce for Gaza were stunned by the phenomenal financial support they received. They started out aiming to raise €20,000, which they considered ambitious, but since August 2024, they have raised €355,953!
The Uisce for Gaza team are particularly impressed by schools that ensured their students' learning came “out of books and into the real world.” Of course, Irish businesses are playing their part, and many have also sponsored water trucks.
A truck with 4,500 liters of clean drinking water currently costs approximately €280. Donors who give this amount or more can have their names featured on a personalized truck in recognition of their sponsorship. Smaller donations are combined to fund full trucks, and every single euro helps.
In addition to seeking donations from individuals and organizations, Uisce for Gaza welcomes any fundraising ideas or support people are willing to offer. Learning this, Paris-based Bláthín Daly reached out to Uisce for Gaza in Kildare. Very quickly, Bláthín proposed a fundraiser tied to an Irish cultural event, and Paul Lynch, well known in Paris circles for his fundraising activities, was immediately on board. To date, Paul has impressively raised over €300,000 for Irish charities. (https://www.irishtimes.com/business/work/french-people-are-pretty-relaxed-they-don-t-pander-to-scaremongering-or-hysteria-1.4387386)
Anna Newsome, an active and expert fundraiser, has also been volunteering alongside Nesreen Mroueh, the tireless founder of Bakesale for Palestine. They are also hoping to create a Bakesale for Gaza in Ireland in the very near future.
Uisce Pour Gaza’s team of ‘coordinators’, including dynamic Mark Daly, brought together fundraising skills, talent, and craic along with fantastic spot prizes, for a cultural event in Bastille, the very heart of Paris. Musicians, poets, actors, Irish dancers, and creatives joined the merry band to host the fundraiser. Like the Kildare team, all coordinators and the almost 20-strong lineup of musicians and artists worked pro bono to pull off a ‘Live Aid #2’ type event.
Spoken word artists recited Ceasefire by Michael Longley, No Crows in Gaza by Rémi Brannón, If I Must Die by Refaat Alareer, and Who am I without Exile, by Mahmoud Darwish. Each word in the poems struck a chord, and Sinéad Andrews, an advocate for peace in Palestine, also shared an interview with her Gazan friend Ilham – a heartrending but resilient story, which can be listened to here:
Irish-speaking performing artists reminded us how war starves both bodies and cultures alike. Along with reciting his own poetry, Darragh Ó Caoimh gave an excellent rendition of 'Amhrán na Leabhar' (The Song of the Books).
French, Michaela, an incredible sean-nós singer, gave a haunting rendition of ‘Dún do shúil’ (Close your Eyes), a lullaby in which a mother cradles her starving baby, soothing him with the words that Daddy will bring home food tomorrow.
Olive Towey, coordinator and resolute advocate for peace in Palestine, who travelled up from Cognac, felt “this joyous event followed on from so many initiatives taken by Irish citizens across France - advocating towards public representatives both here in France and back home...reflecting a strength of solidarity with Palestine that crosses many borders.”
The Paris Uisce pour Gaza team is now delighted to see on social media that the 20 water trucks, sponsored by the Paris fundraiser, are arriving in Gaza. Kildare inspired Paris with its innovative approach to addressing one of Gaza's critical needs. The fantastic cultural representation and the over €5,600 raised so far by the Uisce pour Gaza, Paris fundraiser both far exceeded the coordinators' expectations.
Go raibh maith agaibh to the incredible teams in Kildare and Gaza for opening the door for the Irish in Paris and around the world, to make a real difference, especially now, during the festive and giving season, when compassion matters so much.
As the old Irish proverb says, ‘Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine’ — ‘It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.’ Donations can be made on the idonate link: https://www.idonate.ie/crowdfunder/UisceForGaza
