In the Gaza Strip, access to drinking water and hygiene supplies is one of the most urgent needs of families living in camps and temporary settlements. Many people have left their homes without supplies, documents or personal belongings, and with no possibility of returning safely. Daily life continues in tents, makeshift shelters and places that were never meant for people to stay in for long.
That is why HumanDoc, in cooperation with local partners, provides access to drinking water and basic hygiene kits for internally displaced people. Assistance reaches families staying in camps and temporary shelters across the Gaza Strip, with particular attention given to households in the most difficult situation: families with children, older people, persons with disabilities, single mothers and people without stable support.
Water deliveries are organised through a mobile distribution model. Instead of creating one large collection point, where hundreds or thousands of people would have to gather, water is delivered as close as possible to the places where people actually live. Smaller water tankers are used because they can enter narrow streets, move between tents and reach improvised settlements. This solution may be less spectacular than a large convoy, but in practice it is often more effective: it reduces chaos, lowers the risks linked to crowds and makes it possible to reach people who cannot stand in line for long or carry heavy containers on their own.
At the same time, WASH kits are distributed — sets of basic hygiene items. They include products needed to maintain personal and household hygiene, such as soap, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, toothpaste and toothbrushes, sanitary pads, tissues, wet wipes, towels and, where needed, diapers for infants. The contents of the kits may be adjusted depending on product availability and the logistical situation, but the goal remains the same: to help families maintain a minimum level of sanitary safety in conditions where even the simplest daily tasks become difficult.
Assistance is provided on the basis of ongoing needs assessment. Field teams work with local leaders and camp structures to better identify where support is most urgently needed. Beneficiaries are informed about planned distributions in advance, including through SMS messages and local community leaders. This helps organise the distribution process and reduces situations in which people gather without clear information, without order and without a sense of safety.
Why this matters
The lack of drinking water and hygiene supplies quickly becomes more than a logistical problem. It becomes a health risk, especially for children, older people and those already weakened. Without water, it is difficult to prepare a meal, wash hands, care for an infant, wash clothes or keep even basic cleanliness in a tent. Without hygiene supplies, the risk of disease, infection and further deterioration of living conditions increases.
In displacement settings, assistance must be carefully planned. It requires knowing where people are, who needs support the most, how to organise distribution safely, how to avoid creating unnecessary crowds and how to reach those who, in a standard queue-based system, would always be left behind.
That is why this project is based on local partners, mobile distribution and continuous assessment of the situation on the ground. Assistance is meant to reach the places where it is needed, in a way that is as safe, orderly and respectful of people’s dignity as possible.
