Palestine

About the Situation

Decades of political instability have stifled economic development in Palestine. The vast majority of Palestinians, living inside the territories, and living as refugees in neighboring regions, depend on international aid for survival. Foreign investment in the region has dropped, further hindering the ability for Palestinians to move toward a more stable economy.

In Palestine, where a majority of the population relies on foreign assistance for survival, insecurities in food, water and electricity, as well as crippled health care services and educational facilities, make living conditions some of the worst in the world.

Continued violence throughout Palestine has severely affected the most vulnerable section of the population—the children. Many Palestinian children suffer from psychological trauma.

How Islamic Relief is Helping

Islamic Relief^TM has been providing humanitarian relief in Palestine since 1994, and opened its first office there in 1998 so that long-term development projects could be implemented and overseen by people in the field. Islamic Relief projects in the region have included food distribution, medical relief, small business loans and orphan sponsorship. Islamic Relief has also established educational enhancement centers, care programs for traumatized children and a school for the deaf.

Here are some current and recently completed programs in Palestine:

• Emergency relief
  Islamic Relief teams distributed thousands of food packages and hygiene kits to families affected by the 2008 conflict in Gaza. Islamic Relief also provided medical supplies and equipment, and supported the rehabilitation of emergency departments for local hospitals. The subsequent establishment of a crisis group psychosocial intervention project helped thousands of affected children.
• Family sponsorship program
  Food services, medication coverage and school supplies are provided to thousands of the neediest families in the West Bank, assisting some 23,000 individuals overall. More than 500 families received sheep to assist with income generation, and nearly 1,000 beneficiaries were trained by veterinarians on best practicies for animal breeding. Greenhouses have also been set up for approximately 20 families to help them secure food year-round, and seven small businesses were established to help generate income for needy families.
• Farmland rehabilitation
  More than 100 farmers in the West Bank are receiving assistance to prepare farmlands for planting and harvesting. Teams of relief workers are clearing land of rocks and constructing agricultural roads and terraces to make farming possible. Islamic Relief has also provided 150 water cisterns and seedlings to help get farming underway.
• Dialysis unit at Abu Al Qasem hospital
  The equipment provided by Islamic Relief for this new dialysis unit will enable access to regular treatments necessary for maintaining the health of kidney patients in and around the village of Yatta.
• Intensive care unit for Gazans
  Six hospitals in Gaza received equipment to improve their intensive care and emergency units, benefiting thousands of Gazans.
• Askar Community Basic School for Boys
  IRUSA has funded the construction and equipping of a new school in the Askar refugee camp in Nablus. About 500 boys in grades 1-9 now attend the school. During the summer months, many of the boys gather with their friends and play sports, including basketball and soccer, in the school’s yard.
• Preschool development
  Islamic Relief is rehabilitating schools, training teachers and providing books and toys to 40 kindergarten programs—this will benefit more than 5,500 children, teachers and workers in the West Bank.
• One-to-one orphan sponsorships
• School feeding program
  Some 20,000 students in Gaza received fortified sandwiches daily at school. This program helped ensure that these children received at least one nutritious meal a day.

Read “IRUSA Team in Palestine,” to learn about a trip IRUSA team members took to Palestine in July 2011.

HOW YOU CAN HELP