– We have never seen the same enormous commitment to an area as we are now experiencing for Gaza, says marketing and fundraising manager Grete-Lise Christiansen at Leger Utan Grenser. This year, the organization has received NOK 12 million in direct support for the work in Gaza. They have also seen an increase of almost NOK 2 million in “Christmas gifts with meaning” – a total of almost NOK 6 million. – People are upset, they want to make a difference and to protest in their own way, says Christiansen. news has asked several of the largest organizations that contribute humanitarian emergency aid in Gaza how the war between Hamas and Israel has affected Norwegians’ giving habits. – Generous support The Norwegian Refugee Council, Norwegian People’s Aid and Save the Children are the three largest recipients of government support for aid work in Palestine (see fact box). Everyone sees the same trend as Doctors Without Borders, but Norwegian People’s Aid and Save the Children have not yet received an overview of the private donations they received in the run-up to Christmas and New Year. The Norwegian Refugee Council says they have experienced great donor satisfaction in the last three months. There has been a large increase in individual donations compared to the previous quarter. In the last quarter of 2023, they received NOK 58 million. This is 12 million more than last year. 5 million were donations directly to Gaza, while the rest was increased support from regular donors. EXAMPLE: This is one of many alternative Christmas gifts that could end up under the Norwegian Christmas tree this year. Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid / Screenshot Many people want to support the aid work in Gaza in particular, and many have given a gift in connection with the general Christmas campaign for people on the run. – I greatly appreciated the generous support. This means that we can help even more people who are fleeing war and conflict right now, writes the Norwegian Refugee Council to news. Doubling of “symbolic Christmas gifts” This autumn, Norwegian People’s Aid has been a driving force behind support demonstrations and events for Gaza in Norwegian cities. – Especially in autumn, we have seen an enormous amount of donor joy and eagerness to show solidarity through Vipps donations, says Hege Lilleheil Horsberg. Horsberg is head of marketing and communications at Norwegian People’s Aid. Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid Every four years, people have the opportunity to give what the organization calls “symbolic gifts” to support the work for people in war and need. – This year, twice as much has been collected as last year. In addition to regular collection campaigns, this year there have been several own collections due to the situation in Gaza. Dyrtid Redd Barna is likely to receive more donations in the period October – December than the 25.4 million kroner they received in the same period last year. – More people give, but slightly smaller amounts are given than before. We interpret it to mean that donor happiness is great, but that people have less to worry about, they wrote to news. Norwegian People’s Aid has not noticed this tendency. – We have received a very high number of transactions in the last quarter, and do not see any clear pattern in that the sums have decreased. – It is incredibly moving for us to see the enormous commitment when we know that many have actually had less to deal with, says Horsberg. UNICEF – the world’s largest aid organization for children – reports a corresponding increase in involvement in Norway: 19 per cent more in the Christmas campaign than the previous year. One of the autumn’s support demonstrations in Bergen against the bombing in Gaza. Photo: Simon Skjelvik Brandseth / news Norwegian state aid to Palestine In the ten-year period 2013 – 2022, the Norwegian state has given a total of NOK 6.4 billion in aid to Palestine. Over 60 percent of the money went via the World Bank, the UN and other multilateral channels. 21 per cent went via Norwegian non-governmental aid organisations. State institutions in the Palestinian area have received around 11 per cent of the aid (around NOK 680 million). Next come international non-governmental organizations (6.3 per cent), the public sector in Norway, and then the private sector. Business is the recipient of only NOK 5.4 million in the ten-year period. Among the Norwegian non-governmental aid organizations, the Norwegian Refugee Council, the Norwegian People’s Aid and Save the Children were the three largest recipients of Palestine aid in the ten-year period, followed by the health aid organization Norwac, the Norwegian Church Emergency and the Norwegian Red Cross. The money goes to various projects on the ground in Gaza and on the West Bank. Source: Panorama, a magazine about Norwegian and international development and aid. Politically inflamed Palestine and Israel is a politically inflamed topic, both internationally and in Norway. – How does it affect the Gävärgleden? – There is a focus on the humanitarian suffering and that is what people donate to, says Horsberg in Norwegian People’s Aid. – Most people see that some boundaries have been crossed here that should not be crossed. It is about human dignity, that all people are of equal value and that everyone has the right to access health and so on. It is quite clear the reason why I get so much support from most people, says Christiansen in Doctors Without Borders. – Sad cross of thought The Palestine Committee in Norway works politically, not with emergency aid. But they too have had a sharp increase in support this autumn. – This is such an extreme humanitarian disaster that people feel they have to do something, regardless of where they stand politically, says leader Line Khateeb. – I have experienced an overwhelming, enormous donor joy. It is a bright spot that does good in a very difficult time with the terrible warfare that is happening against civilians in the Gaza Strip. The monetary donations have increased dramatically since the Gaza war started on 7 October. – It has multiplied in the last two months compared to what I usually get. But it is a sad cross of thought that it is happening because of the brutality of Israel, says political deputy leader Morten Sortodden. In addition, the membership this year has gone from 5183 to 9475 members, an increase of 82 per cent. – I interpret the increased support as a very strong sign that people think I am doing an important job for a fairer Norwegian Palestine policy, says Khateeb. Leader Line Khateeb of the Palestine Committee in Norway. Photo: Alf Simensen / news The organization Med Israel For Peace (MIFF) – the Palestine Committee’s “main political opponents” – has also received increased financial support this autumn. In the last three months, they have received around NOK 5 million, compared to NOK 2.6 million in the same period last year. The number of members has increased by over 20 per cent since September, from 11,254 to 13,563. – Extra gifts take longer Two organizations report that this year it has been a little more difficult than before to get money in for the Christmas campaigns. SOS Barnebyer Noreg has received large contributions to Gaza from companies and individuals. But both Christmas collection and other occasional gifts have been more difficult than in previous years. – Those who give regular sponsorship contributions to us maintain their involvement even in times of need, but Christmas contributions and other small campaigns are decreasing somewhat, says communications manager Sigurd Skjefstad. The business world gave roughly the same as in 2022, while private individuals gave 15 per cent less. He also says that there is a contrast to Norwegians’ commitment to Ukraine. – The money for Gaza sat much longer than, for example, money for Ukraine. On the other hand, it is much easier to get monetary gifts to Gaza than to a drought- and famine-prone area like Sudan. Many Norwegians have this year given symbolic Christmas gifts to emergency aid in Gaza. Photo: Shutterstock Christmas action without a Gaza focus The Red Cross also has some of the same experience. Communications adviser Truls Brekke mentions several possible explanations: The animal season means that people have a tougher time financially. Last year was completely exceptional because of the war in Ukraine. The donor gap was then enormous. The Ukraine campaign brought in a lot throughout 2022. People wanted to give to Gaza, while the Christmas campaign for the Red Cross did not have a direct focus on Gaza. – We had already planned our general Christmas campaign when the war in Gaza started. We have collected for our emergency relief work in general. The money is also used in Gaza, but it was perhaps a bit confusing for people, says Brekke. In the last three months, the Red Cross has received NOK 33 million, including NOK 9 million for emergency aid in Gaza in particular. 19 of the millions were general “Christmas gifts” in December. In comparison, NOK 7 million less was collected in the same period of three months the previous year. Three other organizations Norwac: – People are inventive The humanitarian organization Norwac runs a health care project in the Middle East funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Norad. They have worked on the Gaza Strip for 30 years. The organization does not usually have a program to collect funds from volunteers. – But due to the media coverage of Gaza, over NOK 2.5 million has come into our donor account up until Christmas. This is money that has been earmarked for Gaza since the war began, says leader Erik Fosse. Norwac’s country director for Palestine, Kristil Haraldstad, says the sudden private donations especially came when the organization received a free advertisement in Klassekampen. – It is a great donor’s joy, an enormous desire to contribute. And people are very resourceful. They do a lot of strange things to raise money. There have been, for example, tattoo or beauty events, concerts, poetry evenings, or the carrying of guns in the local area, she says. Church Aid: “Gifts with meaning” Church Aid received NOK 5 million more in October and November this year than in the same period last year, and expects the same trend when the December figures become available. – Despite the expensive times in Norway, the number of donors is great. It comes, among other things, from a great commitment to Gaza, says market manager Vibeke Gudbjerg. The number of regular donors is at a record high and has now passed 40,000. – Both private individuals and businesses are interested. Many also continue to give each other “gifts with meaning” for Christmas, she says. Like the other organisations, the financial support goes to their work in various parts of the world that have been affected by war or poverty. – The money will be used for all our work, both for emergency aid and long-term help. There have been many disasters in recent years, and an increasingly large proportion goes to disaster relief, says Gudbjerg. Doctors Without Borders: – Enormous support – For Doctors Without Borders, this autumn has been very affected by the situation in Gaza. We have experienced enormous support from people: actually for all our campaigns, but especially for Gaza, says marketing and fundraising manager Grete-Lise Christiansen. Førebel’s figures show that in 2023 they have received NOK 12 million in direct support for the work in Gaza. Annually, the organization receives around NOK 500 million in support. Last year they received an additional 240 million in connection with the TV campaign. Christiansen has not registered that the Christmas campaign has gone a little slower than usual this year. – We actually experience the opposite, not only in the Christmas activities, but in all other campaigns that we have run this autumn and this winter. I simply get much more support than I usually get.
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The war in Gaza led to Norwegians giving a lot of Christmas gifts to emergency aid – news Vestland
