“My pregnancy during the war was very difficult,” 28-year-old Nadia told us. “I was really afraid for the baby.”

Nadia, a mother of four, has been displaced multiple times. “I was scared that something would happen to him from all the stress, and because we had to keep moving from place to place.”

The upheaval took its toll on Nadia, and she went into labour a month early. “I think it was because of how scared I was, and that I was so tired all the time from walking and moving, trying to find a safe place,” she said.

With prices for everything rocketing across Gaza, she also couldn’t afford the transportation costs, which have risen tenfold since the start of the war. “It took me about an hour and a half to walk from my tent to the hospital, while having contractions. I couldn't take a taxi because I didn't have the money.”

Nadia eventually gave birth at a UNFPA-supported hospital. Her story highlights the hardships mothers and pregnant women grapple with in Gaza, where early deliveries and miscarriages have reportedly surged due to the combined stresses of war, displacement, hunger, and a lack of access to care.

Before Giving Season is over, will you make a 3X-matched gift to deliver lifesaving maternal healthcare to more mothers like Nadia who are desperately counting on your support?

UNFPA has been providing critical support, including direct aid, to vulnerable women in Gaza and the West Bank to help them cover their basic needs and access essential services, especially healthcare. This is particularly crucial for more than 4,000 pregnant women who will give birth each month.

Before receiving the voucher, Nadia would walk an hour and a half to visit her son in the hospital. When she managed to save enough money, she would take a taxi or donkey-drawn cart, which currently costs 10x the amount it cost before the conflict. Sleeping at the hospital was mostly impossible, as it was overcrowded with patients and people seeking safety.

“With the UNFPA voucher, now I can pay for the taxi, buy diapers, and cover other essential needs,” she explained.

“I was desperate, and it was a lifesaver for me,” said Nadia. “Now I can see my son, hold him, and be there for him. I hope I can leave Gaza when this is all over and get my son the healthcare he needs.”

Your generous gifts are delivering hope amid despair. Will you reach even more mothers and pregnant women this winter by making a 3X-matched, tax-deductible donation before the year ends?

We condemn the violence in Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, and Israel, and echo the UN Secretary-General’s call for a sustained humanitarian ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages by Hamas. The suffering must end and peace must prevail.

Thank you for not looking away.

— USA for UNFPA