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“I hope my children’s future is brighter than the present,” said Mayyada, who comes from the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza and has lost count of how many times his family was forced to move during the Israel-Hamas war that started in October 2023.
Forced to leave their homes many times, families sought shelter wherever they could, moving from schools, to temporary shelters, and makeshift tents while facing overcrowding, insecurity, and loss of privacy.
“From our house to another house, from school to school, from tent to tent,” he said. “We moved from one place to another. Each time we faced many struggles.”
Now, she tends the garden and prepares for the birth of her twins.
Rebuilding the environment
As initial recovery efforts expand across Gaza, restoring the environment goes beyond simply providing temporary shelter as it requires rebuilding conditions that allow society to function again.
Families like Mayyada’s are supported to return closer to their home areas through this program Gaza Environmental Approach projects implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) coordinates with the Palestinian Authority, UN-like bodies, and other partners.
The new housing units also feature debris removal, rehabilitation of essential services, emergency employment opportunities and restoration of basic infrastructure, as part of UNDP’s Assistance, Employment and Vital Infrastructure for Vulnerable Groups in Emergencies (RESURRECTION) initiative supporting communities in six countries.
Transitional housing in Gaza.
A future changed by war
Before the war, Mayyada worked as a portrait artist, painting and selling his art.
“Painting has always been the first thing I wanted to do wherever I lived,” he said. “But, since the war started, I haven’t touched my art.”
The war also changed the future she and her husband, Ahmed, had dreamed of together, planning their wedding and hoping to build a life for themselves.
“I hope we will have everything,” he said. “I never thought I would live in a tent for so long.”
Start from scratch
Every move means starting from scratch, Mayyada said. Each new shelter brings new difficulties, while the comforts of privacy, stability and routine become increasingly difficult to find.
“There were times when we lived in a tent with my uncle and aunt,” he recalls. “It was very difficult. There was no privacy at all.”
Moving also means leaving behind more than just your home. Across Gaza, countless people have lost not only their livelihoods, but also the routines and passions that once defined their daily lives.
“All these tents are close together and men and women have to live separately, making family life even more challenging,” he said.
‘We had to live in other people’s tents’
During the ceasefire in March 2025, the family briefly moved into the Ahmed family home, which still stands. However, the relief was only temporary. As displacement continues, they are once again forced to seek shelter wherever space is available, often sharing tents with other families.
“When we were displaced again, we had no chance to live on our own,” Mayyada explains. “We were forced to live in other people’s tents.”
In the ruins of their house
Eventually, they returned to the spot where their house once stood and built a temporary shelter using whatever materials they could find, including used clothes, scrap wood, and nylon sheets.
“We built it from whatever we had,” he said. “But these materials break down quickly.”
Like thousands of refugee families in Gaza, they are constantly exposed to bad weather, poor quality shelter materials, and a lack of protection from insects and pests.
‘We are waiting for that moment’
When Mayyada recently learned that her family would be receiving an assisted living unit, she started counting the days until they could move in.
“We are waiting for that moment,” he said. “Having a small, private place means a lot.”
Today, these units provide families with a safer and more dignified place to live. More than just a place of refuge, it has restored privacy and stability while allowing them to begin to rebuild a sense of home.
“I try to create a sense of stability for myself and my family,” he said. “As an artist, I want to make it beautiful.”
Mayyada and Ahmed with their daughter Mila.
Missing ‘my own home’
The family now does daily chores outside the unit, while Mayyada plants green plants around it and starts decorating the room.
Although the housing unit has improved the family’s living conditions and restored privacy, Mayyada’s hopes remain focused on a future where, like many refugee families in Gaza, she dreams of something more permanent, a place she can live.
“More than anything,” he said, “I still want to have my own home so that I can have peace of mind and peace around me.”
Watch how housing assistance has changed lives across Gaza:
Here’s what you need to know:
Structure: UNDP offers lockable, weather-protected temporary shelters that can be built in a few hours
Environmental approach: The units are part of a wider recovery strategy and are being built alongside restored water wells, solid waste management, health centers and education services.
International support: Funding and resources come from Germany, the Republic of Korea, and Sweden
Residential rehabilitation: UNDP is also working to repair some of the damaged houses
Challenge: Even though these units have been installed, the need for these homes remains very high, with extensive infrastructure damage. This means that this temporary shelter is only a temporary step before long-term reconstruction.
