Viva Palestina is finalising plans for the Kick Off for Palestine campaign to construct and maintain links with sporting venues in the besieged Gaza Strip.

It is five years since the imposition of the siege on 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza and nearly three years since Israel's Operation Cast Lead, which killed 1,417 and destroyed tens of thousands of homes. The UN reports that conditions within Gaza remain appalling. And now a decision by the UN's cultural and sporting organisation to admit Palestine has been greeted with the immediate suspension of £60 million contributions to the body by the US and the decision by Israel to accelerate illegal settlement building in occupied East Jerusalem.

Yet in the face of all that, the Palestinian people are determined to rebuild. Pressure to finally end the siege is increasing and they are looking to the future of Gaza, which has a large youth population.



That's why local authorities and civil society organisations across the Strip have asked Viva Palestina to sponsor the building of five sporting facilities at different locations in Gaza. Viva Palestina has always been guided by the principle that it is the Palestinian people themselves who are best placed to identify their own needs. And they are urgently appealing for funds to get these projects built next spring.

We want to fund the construction of four playing fields, with irrigated grass pitches, surrounding running tracks and associated facilities. The fifth project is the roofing and completion of a gymnasium/sports hall - it will be only the second such venue in Gaza. The target for our appeal is £350,000 to complete all these projects.

All labour, work and tendering will be drawn from within the Gaza Strip, ensuring that these projects also help to rebuild the battered economy.

There is a long list of sports organisations which will benefit from these projects: from football to athletics, men and women, young people and, particularly, disabled people.

Viva Palestina will be providing updates from Gaza of the progress of these projects and messages from those who will benefit from them. Consortiums of sports and youth groups see these facilities as not only a major boost to rebuilding Gaza, but also as the focus for ongoing twinning and connections with their counterparts elsewhere.

We are asking everyone to think now how they can contribute to raising these urgently needed funds. Work is set to begin at the beginning of March 2012 and the appeal will open next week on 1 December.

Here are ways for you to contribute, and a campaign pack will be up on the website next week:

For just £15 you can sponsor a square metre of turf.

For £150 - ten square metres, or one spectator place in the gymnasium - you will have your name recorded at one of the sites as a donor

For £3,000 you or a representative of your organisation will secure a place on the delegation we will send to Gaza to open the projects and to spend four days meeting the people, visiting projects and witnessing the response to the siege.

Spaces on this delegation, which is scheduled to be in Gaza at the end of May/beginning of June next year are strictly limited. This is a unique opportunity to forge ongoing links with people who against all adversity are determined to rebuild their future. We intend to take a second delegation later in the year and funds raised above our target will go to developing these facilities, similar humanitarian projects in Palestine and the ongoing work of Viva Palestina.

There are many events and avenues to raise the funds for this appeal - from sports clubs organising sponsored or charity games to getting donation from friends, family and people in your community. This also helps to raise public awareness of the ongoing siege, the reasons for it and why it must end.

Campaign materials and further details of this project will be available next week. But please do start spreading the word now and thinking about how you can contribute to building a better future for the people of Gaza.

You can donate directly via Paypal below.

Viva Palestina Team