Programme Strategy

Welfare Association has increased its emergency humanitarian relief work as conditions have deteriorated dramatically in the last few years. However, the Trustees prefer to meet the objectives of the Charity by supporting the most vulnerable communities and the most marginalised sectors of society with longer term sustainable development programmes where possible. In line with the Charity's aims and objectives and the priorities set by the Trustees, and on the basis of a process of continuous needs assessment in consultation with local communities and local partners, projects are designed in the field and subsequently discussed and approved by the Trustees. The Charity’s objectives to meet the needs in Palestine and Lebanon in 2010-11 were to provide support to the most marginalised and vulnerable communities in the following sectors:

• Education: support for children with special educational needs, school health programmes and early childhood development. A component of training and capacity building runs through many of our programmes with the aim of upgrading local skills and ensuring self-sustainability when the programme ends.

• Additional sustainable development support for the most vulnerable communities: includes the development of agriculture in the West Bank and Gaza, micro-enterprise loans in Nahr El-Bared Camp in Lebanon and small advocacy programmes / support for IHL, around improving services for, and reducing poverty of, local communities.

• Emergency humanitarian relief in Palestine and Lebanon: through the activities of the ongoing Gaza emergency appeal, emergency child nutrition programme in Gaza, distribution of food packages to impoverished families in Gaza and emergency support for residents of Jal El Baher in Southern Lebanon.