Financial Report Projects supported by Welfare Association (UK) in 2002 Emergency projects in Palestine Community Based Rehabilitation Programme in Gaza £75,000 Development of Alrazi Charitable Medical Centre, Gaza: £3,510 completion of operating facilities AROURACharitable society, West Bank: Development of KG, £3,190 conflict-related damage repair Gaza Children’s Club £17,019 Replanting Community Orchards and Olive Groves £3,500 Kindergartens in Shatilla Camp and Bourj El-Barajneh Camp £10,000 Total project expenditure 2002 £112,219 Acknowledgements We are most grateful to all of our supporters, without your contributions our work would not have been possible. In particular we would like to thank: The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund Ashworth Charitable Trust Arab Ambassadors Council Arab News Network (ANN) Book Aid International League of Arab States Rhododendron Trust Rowan Charitable Trust W F Southall Trust Mr. Y Abu Khadra Mr. R. Farah A M Qattan Foundation Special thanks also to a number of volunteers who assisted in 2002, including Mrs. Aydin Ali, Mr. Hussein Hammoud, and Mr. Khawer Ghouse. Preparing to plant new trees in the West Bank 12 WF report 2003 _1-12 final 17/11/03 7:25 AM Page 1
Transcript
Finan
cial Rep
ort
Projects supported by Welfare Association (UK) in 2002
Emergency projects in Palestine
Community Based Rehabilitation Programme in Gaza £75,000
Development of Alrazi Charitable Medical Centre, Gaza: £3,510 completion of operating facilities
AROURA Charitable society, West Bank: Development of KG, £3,190conflict-related damage repair
Gaza Children’s Club £17,019
Replanting Community Orchards and Olive Groves £3,500
Kindergartens in Shatilla Camp and Bourj El-Barajneh Camp £10,000
Total project expenditure 2002 £112,219
Acknowledgements
We are most grateful to all of our supporters, without your contributions our workwould not have been possible. In particular we would like to thank:
The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial FundAshworth Charitable TrustArab Ambassadors CouncilArab News Network (ANN)
Book Aid InternationalLeague of Arab StatesRhododendron Trust
Rowan Charitable TrustW F Southall Trust Mr. Y Abu Khadra
Mr. R. FarahA M Qattan Foundation
Special thanks also to a number of volunteers who assisted in 2002, including Mrs. Aydin Ali, Mr. Hussein Hammoud, and Mr. Khawer Ghouse.
Preparing to plant new trees in the West Bank
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e are pleased to report that Welfare Association (UK) continues toprogress steadily. We appointed a new Development Directorwho was able to begin work in May 2002 at which point we also
moved to our permanent offices, very kindly given by Mr. Abdel MuhsenAl-Qattan. Once the office was relocated the accounts for 2001 were audit-ed in line with Charity Commission requirements and the 2001 AnnualReview was produced.
In view of the deteriorating conditions in the West Bank and Gaza, atten-tion was focussed on dealing with emergency needs and a number ofimportant projects, including the Gaza Community Based Rehabilitationprogramme, were funded. We have also supported the Gaza Children’sClub, a programme for replanting community orchards and olive groves,and the emergency appeal - which remains on-going.
In Lebanon we have worked with our field partner (Welfare Association- Geneva) and identified three main programme tracks for Palestinians inthe refugee camps: upgrading services for the disabled, vocational trainingand upgrading kindergartens. As part of the third programme we supportedkindergartens in Beirut’s Bourj al Barajneh and Shatilla camps. A majorsuccess in 2002 was the development of a project submitted to theCommunity Fund which seeks to include disabled children from thePalestinian refugee camps in mainstream primary schools. A three yeargrant of £315,546 was awarded in 2003, following the preparatory work in2002.
The region remains in crisis and the statistics from September 2000 to June2003 in Palestine are tragic:
• 2,588 Palestinians killed, 474 of these are children• Over 41,000 people injured • World Bank states more than half the population living below
poverty level of US $2 per day• U.N. states 62% of population at risk• More than 60% of workforce unemployed• 1.9 million Palestinians reliant on food aid• 30% of Palestinian children suffering chronic malnutrition
In 2002 a total of £112,219 was transferred to projects, (less than 2001 as inthat year funds from annual dinners in 2000 and 2001 were accrued andallocated). Thus in 2001 and 2002 a total of £392,336 was transferred to projectsin Palestine and Lebanon.
The Welfare Association (UK) Board of Trustees (2002)Mr. David Freeman (Chairman), Mrs. Julia Helou (Treasurer),
Mrs. Hanan Al-Afifi, Mr. Omar Al-Qattan, Mr. Sari Anabtawi, Mr. Christopher Elias, Mr. Mazen Masri, Mrs. Sa’ida Nusseibeh.
Staff Member: Mrs. Caroline Qutteneh
Rep
ort from th
e Trustees
W
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BACKGROUND
he Palestinian economy in theWest Bank and Gaza has almostcollapsed as a direct result of the
severe and protracted restrictionsimposed on the movement of people andgoods. In addition, closures and sieges ofcities has exacerbated the lack of access tojobs and markets and resulted in highunemployment among the population,which has created a humanitarian crisisof deepening poverty in Palestinianhouseholds over the past 2.5 years. Thevast majority of the 100,000 workers wholost jobs in Israel due to the closures can-not find alternative jobs in the local econ-omy and are too numerous to be re-absorbed in agriculture. Private fundssuch as personal savings, family loansand donations, are virtually depleted andeven social assistance programmes havenot managed to raise the majority abovethe poverty line.
In August 2002, the United States Agencyfor International Development (USAID)study reported that malnutrition andanaemia among Palestinian children -marked by stunted growth or low bodyweights -had increased to levels normallyassociated with emergencies in sub-Saharan Africa. In March 2003, twentyseven months after the outbreak of theintifada, the World Bank reported that 60per cent of the population of the West
Bank and Gaza live under a poverty lineof US $2 per day. The numbers of thepoor have tripled from 637,000 inSeptember 2000 to nearly two million1. Inthe same month the UN Office for Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairsreported that close to two millionPalestinians in the West Bank and Gaza(62% of the population) were considered“vulnerable” because they had inadequate access to food, shelter orhealth services.
As a result of the deteriorating conditionsand urgent needs WA-UK prioritisedemergency projects in high-risk areas andcontinued to assist those most acutelyaffected by the conflict.
1. GAZA COMMUNITY-BASED
REHABILITATION PROGRAMME
Since September 2000 the conflict has hada devastating effect on children and families in Gaza; it is estimated that over41,000 Palestinians have been injured,with at least 2,500 people permanentlydisabled, 25% are children. The local medical and social infrastructure has notbeen able to cope with such large numbers of injuries, existing services forthe injured and disabled are limited andconfined to major cities. Rehabilitationservices need to be extended andimproved in the actual areas where theinjured live. Equipment is needed inorder to rehabilitate people who havebecome disabled, to aid in their adjustment and to assist in reintegratingthem into the community.
We have now been working since July2001 to develop community-based rehabilitation services to meet theincreased need in the community. Thisproject builds on the capacity, skills, experience and resources of local organisations and will enable them to:• Provide comprehensive community-based services - medical, social, psycho-logical, and vocational rehabilitation • Link the rehabilitation work inside project centres to the disabled person’shome environment, including homeadaptations and provision of appropriateequipment (and training to use it correctly) for individuals to regain their
T*
Map
pro
vid
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ourt
esy
of U
NR
WA
From 28th September 2000 - 27th June2003, 2,568 Palestinians have been killedin the conflict. Of these 474 or 19% arechildren (below 18 years of age).
Palestine Monitor, June 2003
1 World Bank press release no. 2003/241/MNA, 3rd March 2003
West Bank
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tresource for children’sprojects, particularly pre-schools,have been reduced by25% in recent yearswhich has threatenedthe sustainability ofearly childhood education.
WA-UK supported the Dalal and FutureKids Kindergartens (KGs) in ShatillaCamp and Bourj El-Barajneh Camp in Lebanon. In 2002 agrant was provided to cover some of thestaff costs, to support the activities andfund some of the meals and costs of milkfor the children. WA-UK hopes to extendthese activities and upgradingKindergartens is a major programme inLebanon.
3. Improving Services for theDisabled Among PalestinianChildren and Youth in Lebanon
Welfare Association, together with thePalestinian Disability Forum, the coordinating committee for NGOs working in the disability sector, hasdeveloped a four-year programme to support services for the disabled. Itintends to build on NGO strengths in thearea of early intervention rehabilitationand the specialized education of childrenand youth, and includes preparing handicapped children for integration inmainstream schools. Direct beneficiariesare the 500 disabled refugees served bythe NGOs in special educational centresor through community-based outreach.Indirect beneficiaries include 3,000 familymembers, especially mothers and sistersof the disabled who usually act as maincare-givers, and the 100 staff - mainlywomen refugees, working in the programme at the NGO centres.
•As part of this programme WA-UK
worked in consultation with Palestinianpartners in Lebanon throughout the second half of 2002 to develop a projectsubmitted to and funded by theCommunity Fund. (The grant of £315,546,for a three year period, was awarded inApril 2003).
Inclusive Education Programme:Enabling disabled Palestinian Children,in refugee camps in Lebanon, to accessprimary school education (1 July 2003 - 30th June 2006)
Summary - This project will provide better access to primary education andhigher completion rates for the most
disadvantaged girls andboys and will prioritise better andmore relevant primary education tomeet their needs. Theproject is targeting 500Palestinian disabled
children, 100 teaching staff, and 3,000 individual family members who will benefit from counselling and training onhow to best assist their disabled familymember, and approximately one quarter ofthe camps will benefit from informationawareness raising campaigns on the rightsof the disabled and the role they have inthe community.
Project outcomes and expected long-term change:
Through a series of interventions, including school adaptations, provision ofdisability aids, child counselling and rehabilitation services, upgrading the skillsof senior teaching staff, awareness raisingcampaigns, the following outcomes areexpected:
1. Disabled children will be encouraged toseek placement in mainstream schools,allowing them to maximize their academicpotential and sense of independence andto increase social interaction with non-dis-abled children and adults. 2. Teachers will be encouraged to acceptdifferent learning styles of children and toregard disabled children as children alonga spectrum of abilities shared with non-disabled children, and will lose their reluctance to include them in the class. 3. Non-disabled children will be better ableto view people with disabilities as part ofthe society and similar to all other people,a learned behavior that can be extended totolerance and non-discrimination of otherdifferences within the society as a whole.4. The community will gradually changetheir attitudes and behavior toward disabled persons and will build toleranceand sensitivity
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£20 per monthwill provide a
regular kinder-garten place, anda healthy lunch,for a child in therefugee camps in
Lebanon
£100 will assist thespecial travellingexpenses of dis-
abled Palestinianchildren going toschool in Lebanon
£
£
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• Only 19 (0.6%) of the entire disabledpopulation had received vocational training • 22.8% are working and 3% hold workpermits. Early detection, diagnosis andintervention is crucial in maximizing the capabilities of the disabled and handicapped, and rehabilitation andvocational training are important meansfor their achieving any degree of independence. The workshop conducted by WelfareAssociation with NGOs working in thedisability sector identified their mostpressing needs as infrastructure repairand maintenance of their centres, stafftraining and lack of community education about disabilities. Houses arealso poorly constructed, overcrowdedand totally unsuitable for disabled residents. Adaptations of houses of thedisabled in the southern area, whereother international agencies have notintervened, was also specifically requested in a follow-up workshop inAutumn 2002.
Programme Areas
In consideration of these chronic conditions and the prioritisation of needs,in 2002 Welfare Association (UK) andWelfare Association (Geneva) developedthree major programme tracks and sever-al applications for funding are pending :
1. Vocational Training
This four-year programme (2003-2006)seeks to provide job skill training andthereby increase job opportunities, in sectors where employment is possible.For the Palestinian youths among the
376,000 Palestinianrefugees in Lebanon,this means improvingthe vocational training facilities, curriculum and services that are pro-vided by PalestinianNGOs in this sector.
This programme buildson existing services in order to benefit1,271 refugee youth annually, aged 15-25,who are drop-outs or school leavers afterthe 10th grade, by offering them appro-priate 300-hour minimum vocationaltraining in 16 sub-specialties. Programme interventions are focused on encouragingquality improvements of NGO facilitiesand curriculum, support for trainingcosts - equally for young men andwomen, and establishing coordination among the variousproviders of similar services.
2. Pre-School Education
This four-year programme (2003-2006)will support the development of activelearning pre-school education forPalestinian refugee children living incamps in Lebanon. The programmefocuses on quality improvements in thelearning environment for children aged 4and 5. The total number of annual beneficiaries is 3,580 children, 180 pre-school teachers, and parents and primary teachers in the outreach programme. Since pre-school educationdepends almost exclusively on femaleteachers, this programme also representsone of the few opportunities for on-the-job skill training for young females andaddresses the issue of sustainability, byproviding training in fundraising to therelevant NGOs to increase their capacityto supplement existing resources withoutside contributions.
Kindergartens in Beirut Camps,Lebanon
These very marginalised and denselypopulated camps with extremely highunemployment rates, provide a stressfulenvironment for all concerned - especiallyyoung children. Pre-school education,and particularly the use of active learningtechniques in the classroom, can have apositive effect on children’s overall development, behaviour, and criticalthinking, and can lead to higher levels ofschool retention and completion of education. NGOs report that donor contributions, which had been the main
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In Lebanon over 100,000 Palestinianrefugees are not registered for UNRWAservices.
£500 will sponsoran unemployed
Palestinian maleor female youth inthe refugee campsin Lebanon to gainemployment ‘skillsfor life’ on a voca-
tional trainingcourse for a year
£
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tindependence • Provide counselling and support forfamilies of those injured to develop coping strategies• Raise awareness of the needs of the disabled in the community• Provide vocational training and support to enable individuals to becomefinancially independent and through linking with the PalestinianBusinessmen’s Association a number ofemployment placements will be providedfor a year after which employment offerswill be made dependent upon individualprogress.
We are pleased to be working with theDiana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund,on this major community rehabilitationprogramme in Gaza which has successfully completed its first year inJuly 2002 and has helped a number ofdisabled children return to their schoolsand enabled them to socialise and playwith their friends outside of school, sothat they are no longer isolated by theirdisability. Through these extra medical interventions, physiotherapy, home adaptations, family counselling andequipment such as wheelchairs, theirlives have been changed. The overallmanagement of the project is executedthrough the WA field office, while theactivities are co-ordinated and implemented through local partnerNGOs2.
This programme is progressing very well,despite severe movement restrictions andin 2002 we received two grant installments totalling £75,000.
PROJECT PROGRESS:1.1. EQUIPPING AND SUPPORTINGREHABILITATION TEAMS OF PARTNERNGOS.
The rehabilitation teams conducted 11,416home visits offering two main types of
services:•Community basedservices that includedidentifying cases ofimpairment, solvingsocial problems, educating the families,psychological assess-ments, discussing problems at school,
encouraging activities enabling individu-als to positively rejoin society.
• Medical rehabilitation services thatincluded physiotherapy, occupationaltherapy, nursing, regular supply of
medication, and disability aids provision.As an example of the magnitude of suchservices, the value of disability aids purchased and distributed was almost£10,000. This amount included the purchase of artificial limbs, medicalshoes, orthopaedic mattresses, medicalbeds, knee joints, wheel chairs (both manual and electric), sticks, crutches,walkers, hearing aids and spectacles.
1.2. ADAPTING THE
HOMES OF YOUNG
DISABLED PEOPLE:
A total of seventyhomes have beenadapted to ensure easymovement and appropriate safety andhygiene specifications.
This included rehabilitation of bath-rooms, entrance passages, wideningdoors and windows, tiling wherever necessary and repairing waterand electricity networks.
1.3. TRAINING AND SUPPORTING
FAMILIES OF THOSE INJURED:
A series of weekly meetings were heldand all of the disabled clients registeredin the programme and their families metand discussed their worries, expectationsand problems. Families often found solutions to their problems by listening toanother family’s story of success and,very importantly, realised they were notalone. The sessions were facilitated byexperienced counsellors in a very professional way.
One-to-one training sessions were alsoorganised, when the social workers metwith families inside their homes. Thisallowed more privacy, paving the way forfrank discussion and identification of difficulties, giving people an opportunityto confront their problems in a positiveway. WA staff met mothers and fatherswho had learned coping strategies, i.e.how to avoid storms of anger, how to bepatient, how to offer support in all detailsof daily life, from these sessions.
3
Since the start of the conflict more than41,000 Palestinians have been injured,more than 50% of these are children.At least 500 children have been perma-nently disabled.
UN Special Rapporteur of Commission onHuman Rights, report March 2002, reported inDCI-PAL press release, 19 March 2002
£50 will buy disability aids for
a disabled client inour community
based rehabilitation
project in Gaza
£1000 will providebasic adaptations
to a disabled person’s home inGaza, enabling
freedom of movement and a
basic level of independence
£
£
2 Local project partner NGOs in Gaza: 1 Al-Wafa Rehabilitation Centre, 2 Community Based Rehabilitation Co-ordination Committee: 3. JabaliaRehabilitation Society (lead organisation), 4. Palestinian Society for Rehabilitation, 5.Nuseirat Rehabilitation Society, 6. Maghazi Social Rehabilitation Society, 7. Deir Al Balah Rehabilitation Society. 8. Amal Rehabilitation Society, 9. National Society for Rehabilitation (Gaza.)
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CASE STUDIES
RANDA - AN ACTIVE FAMILY
MEMBER AGAIN
Randa is 48 years old and lives in Rafah,she has six children aged from 5 - 16years of age. Two years ago a bulletwound in the upper section of her spinalcord resulted in paraplegia.
Randa and her family returned to Gazafrom Kuwait, where she had worked as aKindergarten teacher in 1990, along withthousands of other Palestinians whenthey found themselves jobless. Theyreturned to their family home in Rafah;located on Gaza’s Southern border theirhome often came under attack. On onesuch occasion her husband, and othercivilians, were killed.
Left to manage alone, Randa explainedthat she was shot on 1st May 2001, whenshe went out to buy bread, and says nearby tanks started shooting on civiliansin the road. A bullet from a tank penetrated her right shoulder, wentthrough the upper part of the lungs andthe upper part of the spinal cord on itsway out from the left shoulder. She wasnot transferred to hospital directly due toheavy shooting. Finally, when medicalhelp reached her, it was apparent that shecould not move at all, her condition wasdiagnosed as paraplegia. Randa receivedconsiderable medical treatment followedby medical rehabilitation in Al-WafaRehabilitation Hospital.
With special needs, and as a single parent with six children, she was given anew housing unit built by UNRWA. Thisproject contributed to the adaptations ofthe house: including constructing a rampparallel to the house’s front entrance
stairs, along with banister, adjustments inthe bathroom for easier mobility andindependence. In the kitchen, taps werechanged to allow water to run with thesimplest hand movement. The kitchensink was lowered to a level appropriateto the height of the wheel chair and asmall area in the backyard was tiled toaid domestic functions.
After being in the hospital for months,Randa felt she was isolated from the outside world. Her rehabilitation worker- Mona, who received a training course inan earlier stage of the project, worked onimportant psychological and social issuesin her regular visits. Mona organizedadditional rehabilitation services forRanda from the Wafa Rehabilitationbranch in Rafah and followed up herneeds (incl. housing unit from UNRWA)and also arranged support from variousfood distribution outlets. Finally therehabilitation worker helped in enrollingher in a local society called ‘The Friends’which is a central meeting place withfacilities such as library, computer training and sports activities. It is also aplace where disabled clients are encouraged to speak out and discusstheir worries freely. Randa is now hopingto join the centres sporting activities. Theproject has changed her life and given sixchildren their mother back.
KAMAL- BEGINNING HIS
VOCATIONAL TRAINING COURSE
Kamal is 16 years old and lives in theZo’rob neighbourhood of Rafah in Gaza,with his parents and 11 brothers and sisters, in a three room housing unit. Hisfather is unemployed, one of his brothersis a low-waged government employeeand he has a sister working with one ofthe local NGOs.
Kamal had left school and was lookingfor work; he was often found sitting onthe edge of his back door step - as he wason the 22nd June 2002, when he receiveda 250mm bullet wound from soldiers whoappeared nearby. Striking the left of hisback the bullet went through the upperright kidney and came to rest in his livercausing severe bleeding and damage tohis chest, leaving him paralysed.
Following hospitalization and a series ofoperations his rehabilitation programmebegan. Al-Wafa Hospital started a one-day home visit scheme when he wasable to spend the day with his family.Finally, he was allowed to return home
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Hardship: Proportionately Lebanoncamps also have the highest percentageof social hardship cases (11% of the population), which UNRWA attributes tothe fact of their low level of socio-economic integration in the country,compared to Jordan camps where only3% represent hardship cases and whereintegration is high.
SITUATION ANALYSIS: DISABLEDREFUGEE CHILDREN
Lebanon is still recovering economicallyand politically from more than twodecades of war and is struggling to supply basic services to its citizens during a period of general economicdownturn. Palestinian refugees, even thethree generations born in the country, areclassified by Lebanese law as “foreigners,” and thus cannot benefitfrom publicly funded social services,including the public health system, education or specialized social services.While UNRWA and Palestinian NGOsprovide some basic primary health careand educational services, the needs aregreater than the minimal services available. Additionally Palestinians whoneed more specialized services must relyon private institutions which are ofteninaccessible and unaffordable.
The political marginalization of thePalestinian community in Lebanon, aswell as the conditions of war and limitedresources, have left disabled Palestinianson the periphery of refugee society interms of achievement of their basic rights.Disabled Palestinians are relatively isolated due to limited access to rehabilitative services and to education.
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Over 400,000 Palestinian refugees are liv-ing in the camps in Lebanon, 40% areunemployed, 60% are under 25 years old.
*M
ap provided
courtesy of UN
RW
A
5 “Results of the Palestinian Disability Card Survey,” Coordination Forum for NGOs Working in the Disability Field, April 2000 (Beirut). The NGOs are: the Palestinian RedCrescent, Norwegian People’s Aid, Abu Jihad al-Wazir Institute for the Disabled, Nabil Badran Special School for Disabled Palestinian Children, UNRWA, NationalAssociation for Medical and Vocational Services, Society for the Care of the Disabled, the Disabled Revival Society, NORVAC, Ghassan Kanafani Cultural Institute, WomenHumanitarian Organization, Union of Palestinian Women, Charity Association for the Disabled, Palestine Solidarity Association, Medical Aid for Palestinians.
In a refugee community where educationand employment opportunities are limited even for the non-disabled population, the disabled are conspicuouslyabsent from the mainstream and thus areunable to develop their full capacities norto contribute to their society.
UNRWA, the UN agency establishedspecifically to provide relief services forrefugees, and the Palestine Red CrescentSociety, (the main NGO serving thehealth needs of Palestinian refugees inLebanon), offer very limited treatmentand support services for persons withphysical or mental disabilities.
In the mid-1980s, NGOs working in thecamps began to develop a number of special programmes for the disabled. Bythe 1990s several NGOs were establishedspecifically to address the needs of disabled and handicapped Palestinianswith various disabilities. Fifteen suchNGOs formed a Coordination Forum forNGOs working in the Disability Field(Disability Forum5), representing servicesto 2,888 disabled persons, to coordinateinformation and expertise to ensure adequacy and quality of care and sustainability of services in the sector.
One of the Forum’s first activities was toconduct a general survey of thePalestinian disabled population. The survey showed that: • more than half (56%) of the disabledamong the Palestinian population inLebanon that are aged 10 to 19 years werefound to be illiterate (267 of 474)
Child in Shatilla camp, Lebanon
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2. REPLANTING COMMUNITY
ORCHARDS AND OLIVE GROVES
More than 4,000,000m2 of cultivatedPalestinian land has been destroyed sincethe outbreak of the current conflict, in lateSeptember 2000. These fruit bearingtrees, an integral part of the BiblicalPalestinian landscape, have providedlivelihoods for local families for generations.
In addition, throughout this turbulentperiod, unemployment has soared to acurrent high of 75% as the population isunder siege and not allowed to passthrough checkpoints to get to work, andfood supplies have also been severely disrupted and often in short supply. Thisreplanting programme aims to restorethese destroyed olive groves andorchards and safeguard family livelihoods and community food sources.
PROJECT PROGRESS
The pilot phase of Welfare Association’stree planting project, was completed atthe end of June 2002, with unexpected
results. More than twice the number oftrees (42,701 trees) and dunums3 of land(1,603 dunums) were actually planted,compared to the original projections.
The project was successfully implementeddespite the difficult conditions of movement restrictions, roadblocks andcurfews, which delayed some of the work
and created logisticalproblems for the partner agriculturalNGOs. While transportation costsincreased, as did thenumber of trees
damaged, the market cost of trees wasfound to be lower than expected andmore work was accomplished throughvolunteer labour. The project includedsupport activities for farmers, such as theconstruction of retaining walls and fencesto protect land from encroachment byanimals and loss from erosion, and thedigging and building of water cisterns. Farmers werealso shown the latest farming techniquesin order to maximise the impact of theproject and were given follow-up visits toensure everything was progressing well.The total cost of the work completed wasUS$ 56,000, with 25% of this sum
6
From September 2000 up to February2001, 34,606 olive trees and fruit treeshave been uprooted and 15,501dunums3 of land have been confiscat-ed, burned or bulldozed. (15.5 million,square metres of land).
Palestine Monitor, June 2003
3 Dunum = 1,000 square metres
£15 per monthwill re-plant 60
olive treesuprooted during
the conflict.
Trees PlantedDunums PlantedVillagesGovernoratesLocationsBeneficiary Families
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tcontributed by the local communitiesthemselves, also the increased amount ofvoluntary labour and additional supportfrom these communities allowed a largernumber of trees to be purchased. Wewere able to contribute £7,692 (US$11,194or 20%) to this important project.
3. Emergency AppealAn emergency appeal was circulated withthe 2001 Annual Review and an advertwas placed in The Guardian newspaper, atotal of £6,700 was raised by the 31stDecember 2002, and supported the following emergency work:
1. The Development of Al Rhazi CharitableMedical Centre in GazaWA (Geneva) allocated US $50,000 for
building a small operating theatre, aphysical therapy room, and a small pharmacy for Al Rhazi Hospital in orderto provide much needed medical care forthe injured at Al Nuseirat Refugee Campin Gaza. An additional $5,500 wasrequired to complete the electrical andmechanical work.
2. Aroura Charitable Society, West Bank:This society provides an important playarea for very young children. Part of theplayground was completely destroyed inthe current conflict. WA-UK allocatedUS$5,000 for the completion of the urgentreparation work.
4. Gaza Children’s ClubThe Middle Area of Gaza is an importantagricultural area that has suffered enor-mously from Israeli land confiscations,losing large areas containing the best fruitbearing trees. As a result of this manyworkers in farms and small factories havefound themselves jobless and the rate ofunemployment is almost 75%. This addsto the already miserable conditions of theover-crowded shelters used as homes inthe refugee camp and of the constant conflicts because of the Israeli invasionsand presence. The children desperately
need to be involved in social and culturalactivities to alleviate the stress and psychological pressures they experienceon a daily basis. Over 150 children agedbetween 6-16 years old, needed a centralclub where they could go on a regularbasis and benefit from high quality activities and services provided by professional staff.
Funds were required to locate this club inDeir Al-Balah. Following the initial grantlast year - this second grant has provided furniture and equipment (bookcases,tables, chairs, television, video recorder,three additional computers, books andperiodicals, basic supplies for art and carpeting in some rooms for comfortablefloor playing). The grant also includesallowances for teachers, animators, trainers of various cultural activities suchas music, folkloric dancing, handicrafts,theatre, computer lab, painting, and therewill also be special classes to improveEnglish language skills. Additionally theclub serves as a community meetingroom, often women’s groups hold meeting sessions to discuss social issuesand problems in a relaxed and informalatmosphere. Funding was kindly extended by Mr. Y. Abu Khadra to coverthese costs. This club is an important community lifeline and is very well used.
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SPECIAL FOCUS
SITUATION ANALYSIS:REFUGEES IN LEBANON
The 376,000 Palestinian refugees residingin Lebanon (UNRWA4: 2000) are a particularly disadvantaged community.In addition to their original loss of homesand homeland (90% are from the Haifa-Galilee area of historical Palestine),and flight to Lebanon more than 50 yearsago, their difficult situation has beencompounded by unstable residency inLebanon, periods of violence from internal and external wars and generalinstability affecting the area. Palestinianswho immigrated to Lebanon after 1950have, for the most part, not been granted identity papers. Lebanon has restrictedthe absorption of Palestinians and legallyregards refugees as ‘foreigners’ whichprevents them working in many jobs andbenefiting from the rights of citizens tohealth, education and social services, aswell as to unrestricted movement.UNRWA provides basic health and education services to registered refugeesbut has very limited funds itself, forexample, there is only one UNRWA-runyouth centre and one community rehabilitation centre serving all of the 12Palestinian refugee camps.
Housing: Almost 2 out of 3 refugees stilllive within refugee camps, the highestpercentage for Palestinian refugees in anylocation. There is poor infrastructure inmost camps, especially in the south,where sewage runs in open channels,houses are densely packed together andof very poor construction.
Health: In terms of human developmentindicators, Palestinian refugees inLebanon have the lowest crude birth rate(24.6/1000) among refugees but the highest infant mortality rate (35/1000) of
any field served by UNRWA, and higherthan the Lebanese. Five percent of children aged 1-3 are malnourished (c.f.less than 1% in Jordan’s camps) andanother 4% are “vulnerable” children (c.f.2% in Jordan’s camps) (FAFO: 2000). Onein 5 refugees reports suffering from achronic illness and 1 in 5 takes medicinefor psychological distress.
Education: The educational level is lowand illiteracy is high among those aged15 and older; 13% of men and 26% ofwomen are illiterate. 21% of childrenaged 7-18 have never been enrolled inschool. Significantly, there is high non-enrolment among the young, especially males after age 11, and a highdrop-out rate. De-motivation is cited asthe chief reason for dropping out ofschool in the lower levels and economicreasons force children to leave school athigher educational levels. Enrolment for15-24 year olds is only half that ofLebanese citizens. UNRWA providesbasic primary school level education butNGOs and private schools, and some government schools, are the only sourcesof secondary education; only 10% of menand 7% of women complete secondarylevel education.
Employment: Refugees are formallyblocked from participating in most of thebetter employment sectors, and arerequired to obtain work permits even formenial labour. Unemployment is high at25% (and higher in Beirut) but under-employment and seasonal employment isalso significant at 35%. Labour force participation rate is 42%, with 4 out of 10non-active males aged 25-44 reportingthat they have lost all hope of finding ajob, and 5 out of 10 males report beingnon-active due to illness or disability.
Income: 70% of Palestinian households inLebanon are in the two lowest incomebrackets, compared to only 20% ofLebanese. No Palestinian households arein the highest income brackets. Mosthouseholds rely on employment income,particularly from wages but transfers areimportant for providing 20-30% of household income, indicating significantdependency on social networks. 80%reported being dissatisfied with workopportunities.
8
Registration as a refugee is for those whowere displaced in the 1948 Arab-Israeliconflict. Subsequently thousands ofrefugees displaced in later periods are notregistered and do not receive any services.
4 United Nations Relief and Works Agency-UNRWA
Ein El-HilwehCamp inLebanon
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tand is now using an electric wheel chair.At 16 years of age he suddenly could notmove his lower body at all, could notcontrol urination, and felt very isolatedand depressed by his condition.
This project has allowed for the medicaltreatment and provided the essential electric wheel chair to aid his mobility.Additionally, Kamal’s house has beenassessed for adaptations which willinclude entrance ramp, bathroom changesand supportive hand rails. He has justbeen introduced to a local society thatoffers various sports, cultural, and socialprogrammes. Here, Kamal is progressingvery well and as a result he has asked tobe enrolled in a vocational training programme which will give him anopportunity to acquire the knowledgeand skills to perform a workshop job.
AMMAR - RETURNING TO SCHOOL
Ammar is 14 years old and lives in theShaboura refugee camp in Rafah, Gaza,with his parents and seven brothers andsisters. The family live in a small shelter,their father is unemployed and theyreceive a basic welfare subsidy fromUNRWA.
On the 24th November 2000, when hewas barely 11 years of age, Ammar wasshot in the right side of his head by a250mm bullet travelling from below theear to the neck, causing severe damage tothe spinal cord, resulting in quadriparesis(loss of feeling in all limbs.) Other children were also shot on that day, someof them were his friends. As the shootingwas heavy the ambulances were unableto reach them for several hours, when hefinally reached the hospital he was in theoperating theatre for 8 hours of continuous surgery to remove shrapnel.
He attended the medical rehabilitationprogramme in Al-Wafa Hospital. After 30months of treatment, his condition hasimproved slowly and he has some mobility and independence due to theelectric wheel chair which he uses.
The project has provided an electricwheel chair, a medical bed and an integrated programme of physiotherapyand occupational therapy in regularweekly sessions. UNRWA have alsoassisted and a neighbour takes him tomassage sessions. Housing adaptationsinclude special bathroom adaptations,renewing the electricity network, andpiping repairs. Kamal has been introduced to the local ‘Friends’ Societywhere he practices basketball and tabletennis. He has been encouraged to talk topeople about his journey to recovery andhe is sometimes invited to talk to otherdisabled people to guide them through,to help them gain the will, the necessaryskills and the hope.
When our field worker caught up withhim in the street, he was in a rushbecause the Al Wafa rehabilitation teamwere waiting for him and then at noonwas attending a group meeting of the‘Friends’ club. Ammar will return toschool in September 2003 and is receiving computer training. The project hashelped him re-integrate in to the community at various levels, and haskept him positive and allowed him todevelop new skills. He is no longer isolated and has a very busy schedulethese days!.
5
* Map provided courtesy of UNRWA
Gaza
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