Frequently Asked Questions

On this page we try to answer some of the frequently asked questions we receive. If you cannot find a answer to your question, either on this page, or anywhere else on our website, please contact us on [email protected]. Or call us on +44 (0)20 7226 4114. 

About the current emergency

How can I support MAP's emergency response

MAP’s ability to respond to the growing emergency depends on the support of individuals. Please donate, and share our Emergency Appeal with friends and family as widely as you can. If you are able to support, please give to our Emergency Appeal with a one-off cash donation or by setting up a regular gift.

If you are unable to donate via our website, you can also give to our Emergency Appeal page here on JustGiving.

Please also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and/or X/Twitter for regular updates on the situation. 

How is MAP responding to the current emergency in Gaza

MAP's local team are themselves Palestinians from Gaza. Working in incredibly difficult conditions, they were the first to respond to the current emergency by releasing our pre-positioned stocks of drugs, medical disposables, and other humanitarian supplies held in our warehouses inside Gaza. As needs inside hospitals continue to grow, MAP is now procuring additional supplies locally. Where local stocks are unavailable, we will seek to procure from outside Gaza and are working with UN and NGO partners to advocate for immediate, unimpeded, and safe access for humanitarian supplies and personnel into Gaza. 

I am a medical professional. How can I volunteer to help?

Due to the current emergency, all medical missions to the West Bank and Gaza have been cancelled until the end of the year. However, widespread casualties and the destruction of essential infrastructure means that MAP’s volunteers will be needed more than ever when it is safe for us to resume. In addition to the vascular surgery, haematology, and breast cancer specialist volunteer roles advertised on our website, we will also need experienced neonatal nurses and neonatologists, neurosurgeons (spinal), emergency and trauma specialists, orthopaedics and psychiatrists.

Please note that due to the nature of MAP’s work, we can only consider individuals who have been in substantive NHS (or equivalent) for a minimum of 5 years. Those who meet this criteria and who are interested in volunteering with MAP can submit their CV by email to the UK Programmes team at [email protected]. Please note it may take time for us to respond to you at the present time.

About our work

Does MAP work directly on the ground?

MAP has permanent offices in East Jerusalem, Ramallah, Gaza City and Beirut in Lebanon, which means that most of the MAP team live, work and are a part of the Palestinian communities we support. 

We run projects in partnership with Palestinian organisations, doctors, nurses and other health professionals, which ensure that MAP projects are both wanted and needed by the communities we serve. 

The way MAP works also means that when an emergency situation happens, we are able to respond immediately because we have built up extensive networks with hospitals, medical centres and community organisations. 

Do your projects actually make a difference?

MAP makes a huge difference. The projects MAP supports can mean the difference between life and death. Just a few examples of what we are able to do:

Do you support any political organisations?

MAP is a non-political, non-religious, non-sectarian humanitarian organisation. We do, however, work with politicians and policy makers to ensure that Palestinians get access to the healthcare that they need. 

MAP's advocacy programme plays an active role in challenging violations of the universal right to health, which is persistently threatened by on-going conflict, prolonged occupation and displacement. 

The scope of MAP's advocacy programme is extensive, from raising public awareness about the obstacles to health for Palestinians to briefing government officials and parliamentarians on relevant issues and participating in cross-party delegations to the region. 

We are committed to challenging policies which impact on Palestinian health and to putting forward recommendations that could make a real difference. 

 

About your support and involvement

How much of my donation goes towards fundraising?

For every £1 donated to MAP we invest £0.12p in fundraising and £0.08p on organisational support.*

*these figures are based on our 2022 accounts

How do you ensure that the funds don't get into the wrong hands?

MAP has robust systems and processes in place to identify and mitigate the risks of operating in difficult social, political, and legal contexts such as the occupied Palestinian territory and Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, having worked there for more than 30 years.

We conduct thorough and robust due diligence checks into individuals and organisations that MAP has formal connections with, including appraising partners’ personnel, systems, record-keeping, internal controls, reporting, inventory management, assets and procurement processes. Where MAP transfers money, or equipment or medical supplies to partners, we conduct regular internal and external audits  to ensure these reach their destination and are used for specific activities that further MAP’s charitable purposes.

MAP keeps its due diligence procedures under continual review to ensure compliance with relevant legislation, including counter-terrorism law, and UK Charity Commission guidelines

Please can I come and volunteer in your office?

We are not currently recruiting for any voluntary positions in our UK London office. However, if you would like to be contacted when volunteer opportunities are available, click this link and complete the form. 

Please note that the form is only for volunteers who may be able to help the MAP team in the UK London office during an emergency, at UK events or with fundraising activity. Many thanks. 

I am a Palestinian doctor. Can MAP help me fund my medical training outside Palestine?

MAP is unable to respond to unsolicited requests to fund medical training outside Palestine. We are unfortunately unable to fund general medical training placements. Where we support medical training opportunities outside Palestine, it is only as part of our existing projects under our programme priorities in our strategy, and then the training will be arranged in advance in coordination with the Ministry of Health. There may be other trusts and organisations who might fund requests to fund medical training opportunities for Palestinian medics.