Country: Palestinian territories (C area), governorates of Hebron and Tubas
Donor: IACD (Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development)
Period: 9 months (1st July 2017 – 31st March 2018)
Thematic area: Emergency
Local partners: UNRWA
Italian partners: Group of Civil Volunteering (GVC)
Overall objective: strengthening capabilities of Palestinian communities by providing basic services in the C area, H2 and refugee camps
Specific objective: providing protection to Palestinian communities from displacement in the C Area, H2 and refugee camps, by empowering and mobilizing the communities, providing material support and emergency responses, as well as training and advocacy activities, in order to respond to International Humanitarian Law violations, which are the cause of the high displacement risk.
Beneficiaries: 10800. Children and teenagers aged 0-17 (4229 female and 4451 males), adults between 18 and 59 years old (3782 women and 3981 males), adults older than 60 years (96 women and 102 males).
Summary of the project:
As detected by the HCT-HNO (Humanitarian country Team – Humanitarian Needs Overview) in 2017, the 300000 people living in the C Area are living under a constant protection risk, caused by the continuous violations of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, by the occupying power. The Palestinian population is facing huge protection threats, such as physical violence, damaging of properties, displacement, freedom of movement restrictions and consequent limitations on accessing essential services in order to maintain decent life conditions. 8000 Palestinians, 65% of whom are refugees, are in 61 communities of the West Bank characterized by a high displacement risk. This is cause by multiple factors, such as laws, policies and actions implemented by the Israeli administration, who is violating the International Humanitarian law and Human Rights; at the same time, about 350000 people are living in 67 communities, which are target of settlers’ attacks. In this context, only in 2016, 1089 Palestinian buildings have been destroyed and other 11000 demolition orders have been delivered.
At the same time, about 150000 Palestinians living in West Bank cannot access adequate WASH services, with direct negative consequences on their resilience. The access to drinking water is especially limited, and some extremely vulnerable families have to provide it for themselves by tankers on gravel roads, which however are targets of settlers’ attacks. In summer, water consumption in the most vulnerable areas would decrease until less than 20 L per person a day, far below the minimum recommended by the WHO (World health Organization. Moreover, about 588900 children and teenagers living in the C area and H2 needs assistance on accessing inclusive education in a safe and child friendly environment. In fact, the access to education is seriously compromised by arrests, violence and attacks of the Israeli army and settlers. Children are usually forced to pass through checkpoints, where are subjected to searches, physical and verbal abuses that are seriously damaging their physical and psychological wellbeing.
In this context, the current project is implementing the following activities:
- continuation of the implementation of the community based approach, with a specific focus on disability and gender approach;
- strengthening the EAELY warning system, against IHL/IHLR violations in H2 and violence committed by the settlers and the Israeli authorities, in order to report incidents against people or local communities to the appropriate agencies and provide emergency responses by giving adequate protection services;
- strengthening capabilities of the communities, in particularly of women, in order to provide them adequate tools for involving local and international authorities, humanitarian and development stakeholders, on the protection against IHL violation;
- restoring of adequate public services, providing essential and specific services for women, men, children and persons with disabilities of the most vulnerable communities, including rehabilitation of critical infrastructures such as WASH services, subsistence and schools;
- improving competences of teachers by using a peer two peer approach;
- strengthening psychological and social support services of the educational environment of the refugee camp of Al Fawwar;
- implementation of rapid response mechanisms in the advocacy field, by involving Palestinian and international authorities;
- empowerment of women, men and persons with disabilities of the communities in advocacy activities for defending their rights at international level;
- visiting of Palestinian Media to some of vulnerable communities living in the C area, in order to increase public awareness.