our vision
A healthy, thriving Palestinian society where all can live in dignity.
what is the Gaza 5k?
The Gaza 5K is an annual family-friendly walk/run fundraiser hosted by UNRWA USA in different US cities to help Palestine refugee children and families in the Gaza Strip impacted by mental health.
how does it work?
The Gaza 5K is a 5-kilometer timed walk/run event. Once the run is over, the fun typically continues with a DJ-ed dabke dance party. Registrants are provided an online fundraising page that they can customize with their own stories and share with their friends and family to collect donations.
Your fundraising through both the virtual and in-person Gaza 5K events allows us to help empower vulnerable refugees in Gaza, especially children, to better cope with the extreme challenges they face daily.
Participation and fundraising allow us to employ mental health counselors, locally recruited from the Palestine refugee population, to provide psychosocial support to address the mental health needs of refugee children and families in the Gaza Strip who suffer from trauma due to repeated Israeli military assaults and the continued blockade.
Amid the outbreak of COVID-19, the Gaza 5K went virtual and became available nationwide. On March 2, 2024, the Gaza 5K returns to Brooklyn, New York.
our history
Initiated in 2012, the Gaza 5K was originally established by UNRWA USA as a fundraiser for UNRWA's Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) to make access to mental health care a reality for all Palestine refugee children in the Gaza Strip.
Abby Smardon, former UNRWA USA Executive Director, explains why the Gaza 5K was created