Country: Palestine (Gaza Strip)
Financier: AICS
Period: 12 months
Thematic area: Inclusion, reduction of inequalities and human rights
Local Partners: COSPE, Palestinian Working Women Society for Development (PWWSD)
Italian Partners: RIDS, Casa delle Donne of Pisa

General objective: To increase the level of protection and resilience of the vulnerable population of the Gaza Strip most exposed to violations of Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

Specific objective: Improve the physical and psychosocial condition of people who have suffered trauma as a result of violence and human rights violations.

Direct beneficiaries:The project, aimed at improving the physical and psychosocial conditions of vulnerable individuals, promotes the autonomy of people who acquired a disability during traumatic events and the psychosocial well-being of their families.
The aims and activities of the project are fully integrated with the Palestinian National Policy Agenda 2017-2022, which enshrines social inclusion, protection and empowerment of both economic and social persons with disabilities, as well as the elimination of all forms of violence against women, girls and children.
The intervention involves 22 women and 128 men in the rehabilitation activities provided by the multidisciplinary team and in peer counseling; 50 PcD will benefit from the activities of restructuring and environmental adaptation at home; 50 operators in capacity building activities.
At least 150 families will be involved in home-based family counseling, while at least 360 women and girls exposed to gender-based violence will be involved in group and individual counseling sessions.
At least 175 minors with language difficulties will be involved in individual speech therapy sessions.
At least 1,000 people will be involved in prevention and awareness sessions organized by PWWSD, together with CBOs, in the project areas.

Indirect beneficiaries:The entire community of the Gaza Strip will benefit from the actions of the project as it will be possible to count on an increased capacity to respond to emergencies with an increase to inclusive and quality services for all. It will also be possible to count on a system of protection against violations of international law for vulnerable groups. The intervention will benefit caregivers and families of people with disabilities, women and children involved in the project.

Project Summary: The project comes in the aftermath of the prolonged conflicts in the Occupied Palestinian Territory that has profoundly affected the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. The isolation imposed by the State of Israel on the Palestinian population continues to significantly worsen their living conditions, increasing poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and limited access to basic services, and leading to approximately 1.6 million people in need of humanitarian aid. Deteriorating living conditions also have a significantly greater impact on children, women and people with disabilities.
The RE-ACT: ACTing for Resilience and Empowerment project, has made the 5 CBOs active in marginalized areas accessible through environmental adaptation work. Through service mapping and the creation of emergency management plans, families and people with disabilities were provided with emergency response tools. Also through training activities aimed at staff, the possibility of offering better services to resident families has been given.
The action aims at the autonomy of people with disabilities through the distribution of customized aids and the readaptation of the spaces available to them, such as homes. These activities were supported by individual and group peer counseling.
The impact of the Great March of Return (GMR) on women and girls persists even after about two years. In fact, where not directly injured during the GMR, socio-economic difficulties and the presence of wounded in families, and the role of women as primary caregivers, continue to increase the risk of social isolation, economic insecurity, deterioration of psychosocial well-being, as well as family violence.
The intervention of EducAid, therefore, responds to what are the educational needs of the most fragile families exposed to violence and violations of rights by improving their psychosocial health. This has been made possible through individual and family counseling aimed at these vulnerable groups. A group counseling for women exposed to gender violence and a speech therapy service for minors have also been carried out.