Country: Palestine. Governorates of Rafah and Khan Younis
Donor: IACD (Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development)
Period: 1st September 2016 - 31st March 2017
Thematic area: Protection of refugees and displaced persons
Local partners: El Amal Rehabiliation Society; TDP, Theatre Days Productions; Palestinian Early Childhood Education Program (PECEP); Cultural and Free ThoughtAssociation, CFTA.
Italian partners: GVC
Overall objective: providing a contribute during the recovery and preparedness period for most vulnerable people living in Southern Gaza Strip
Specific objective: improving preparedness and resilience capabilities of vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on teenagers, children and woman living in Rafah and Khan Younis.
Direct beneficiaries: All children and students attending schools and kindergartens involved in the project, about 5781 individuals.
Indirect beneficiaries: Each familiar and member of schools and kindergartens involved in the project, about 245379 individuals
Project Summary:
This project is intended to operate in a post-conflict context, as a partial measure to re-build the structures destroyed by Israeli soldiers and as a support for psychological and social traumas caused to most vulnerable part of Palestinian population. The constant block of Gaza strip represents an on-going violation of human, economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights. About 1.3 million people living in the Gaza strip need humanitarian assistance. A serious risk for people living in this area is represented by explosive remnants of war. From the end of the conflict, October 2015, about 15 Palestinians have died and 91 have been injured by those explosive remnants of war. Another aspect is represented by the trouble increase of gender violence. As reported by OCHA, the UN agency for the coordination of humanitarian assistance, about 73% of interviewed families are detecting the increase of these violences; moreover, by the data of the same agency, about 225000 children and teenagers need psychological, social and child protection support services. As reported by the above-mentioned agency, 72% of people living in the Gaza Strip (around 9000 people) are considered as internal displaced persons because of the destruction of many private residences during the last Israeli military campaign. They are forced to face against many limitations such as missing protection, limited access on basic services and the risk of coming into contact with remnants of war, aggravating the vulnerability of certain social groups such as families composed mainly by women, children and disabled people. Obviously, damages on public structures are persistent, causing the consequent missing of adequate services such as electricity, drinking water and a decent healthcare.
Therefore, the goals of this project are the following: improving accessibility and inclusiveness to educational and hygienic services on schools; improving provision of sustainable energy for the same buildings; strengthening the structural services for psychological and social support in the educational sector of children from 3 to 9 years old; realization of psychological and social sessions for caregivers, especially mothers; awareness campaigns on social inclusion principles, promotion of personal hygiene and environmental protection.