Dear Supporter,
Welcome to our December 2021 Newsletter, keeping you updated on our vital work.
1. Lebanon Emergency Winter Appeal
The severe financial and economic crisis in Lebanon is hitting marginalised refugees the hardest; 62% report reduced income, and the cost of key food items increased by 400% in less than two years.
• WA is concerned by the limited access to food and fuel for Palestinian families in Wavel Refugee Camp in the Bekaa Valley, East Lebanon.
• The Bekaa Valley experiences extremely harsh winters, with heavy snow and frost. Without adequate shelter, food, and heating fuel Palestinian refugees are struggling to survive.
• WA will provide vouchers for food, fuel and winter clothing to some of the most vulnerable Palestinian refugees living in Wavel Refugee Camp; to help provide protection from the severe cold and freezing winter temperatures. Please Help Families in Wavel Refugee Camp this Winter.
2. Emergency Aid for Displaced Families in Gaza
With huge thanks to all of our supporters who contributed so generously to our emergency appeal in May and June. We are pleased to report that funds were allocated to provide humanitarian assistance to almost 300 families in Rafah whose homes were so badly damaged they could not return.
At the height of the Israeli military bombardment of Gaza in May, 120,000 displaced people sought shelter and protection in schools and with relatives. This decreased to around 8,500 people, primarily those whose houses were destroyed or so badly damaged as to be uninhabitable. According to local authorities, over 2,075 housing units were totally destroyed or severely damaged. An estimated 15,000 housing units sustained some degree of damage; 70 schools, 19 primary health care units had varying degrees of damage, as did 490 agricultural facilities (medium to large scale), multiple water and sanitation facilities and their infrastructure, 58 education facilities, and 9 hospitals. The damage to infrastructure has exacerbated Gaza’s chronic infrastructure and power deficits, resulting in decreasing levels of clean water and sewage treatment, and daily power cuts of 18-20 hours affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
This project supported some of the most marginalized families in two governorates of Gaza; North Gaza governorate and Gaza governorate. The project originally planned to provide 205 families in need with food packages, hygiene kits, and clothes for the women and children of these families. Thanks to savings made by our project team in Gaza, we were able to reach 294 families, who all received a Food Package (including; Rice, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Macaroni, Crushed Lentils, Canned Black Beans, Tomato Paste, Tahini, Feta Cheese, Packs of Cheese, Salt, Tuna, Chicken Stock, Tea, Flour, Yeast, Olive Oil, Maftoul, Canned Meat, Jam, Crushed Thyme, and Crushed Wheat), and a Hygiene Kit (including; Hand Soap, Shampoo, Tooth Brushes and Toothpaste, Hair Brush, Women’s Sanitary Towels, Disposable Razors, Toilet Paper, Cloths and Wet Wipes, Clothes Washing Powder, Washing Up Liquid, Sponges, Broom and Mop, Bin Bags, Bleach, Handwash, Pack of Face Masks).
Vouchers were distributed to each family so they could visit pre-qualified clothing shops, and women and children could choose sets of clothing (in the sizes, colours, designs and materials of their choice). Shopping slots were pre-arranged with each family to avoid overcrowding, and so social distancing guidelines could be followed. In all, 294 women and 588 children received Clothes Packages (including; Full Sets of Day Wear, Night Wear and Underwear, children were also able to choose a pair of shoes).
All of the families thanked everyone in the UK who donated, and said the support came exactly at the right time. A number of parents said the food supplies would get them through the next couple of months. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT.
3. Restoring the Livelihoods of Marginalised Farmers in Southern Gaza – Year 2
Accounting for 4.5% of the Gaza Strip’s GDP and employing 5.8% of its workforce, agriculture remains a key sector of the Gazan economy. A sector that could contribute to reducing the high unemployment and food insecurity within Gaza. The second year of our project supporting marginalised farmers in Southern Gaza has just been completed. This project worked with 195 farmers and their families in Gaza, 160 farmers with 2 dunums of open fields each, and 35 farmers who each owned a greenhouse.
Achievements included:
- Rehabilitating and planting 320 dunums [1] of open land fields to return it back to productivity
- Rehabilitating and planting 35 greenhouses
- Upgrading the capacity of a local women’s cooperative in Rafah, South of Gaza, and providing equipment. Six women were employed in the cooperative, to prepare, package and market the farmers’ crops to new outlets. They doubled production quantities, prepared high quality products that are attractively packaged in compliance with product specifications, and marketed and sold their products to five new hypermarkets and large stores, reaching 900 new customers.
- 96 workers were provided with temporary working opportunities in land rehabilitation
- 100% of targeted farmers livelihoods were restored, farmers returned to successfully farming their land. The average total monthly income has increased by 30.5% for open field farmers and 52% for greenhouse farmers.
- Farmers are becoming more dependent on agriculture to cover their expenses and less reliant on external assistance.
- The number of farmers continuing to use the dripping irrigation networks in greenhouse planting has increased from 54% to 83%. This has a positive impact in reducing water use and minimizing operational / production costs.
- The number of farmers who have used Integrated Pest Management (IPM) [2] increased from 46.5% to 81.4% for open field farmers, and from 55.9% to 82.9% for greenhouse farmers.
In total, 9,600 Fruit trees were planted including olive trees, citrus, peach, custard apple (Annona), and apricot trees. Each farmer also planted 60 fruit trees in his rehabilitated two dunums of land (30 tree average per dunum).
Farmers then harvested and sold their crops. The total quantities were more than 1,000 tonnes of vegetables, with all produce sold. Total heads of cabbage and corn crops harvested were approx. 97,400 units, again all were sold.
Cultivated land | Endline | |||
Total Area (Dunum) | Production Amount (Ton / Dunum) | |||
Open Land | Greenhouse | Open Land | Greenhouse | |
Vegetables Cultivation | ||||
Tomato | 0 | 26 | 0 | 312 |
Cucumber | 5 | 1 | 25 | 27 |
Potato and Zucchini | 90 | 2.5 | 360 | 30 |
Pepper and Bell Pepper | 56 | 3 | 224 | 24 |
Beans and Okra | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Eggplant | 20 | 1 | 40 | 11 |
Melon and Watermelon | 74 | 0 | 333 | 0 |
Mulukhiyah | 1 | 1.5 | 1 | 1.8 |
Total | 254 | 35 | 987 | 405.8 |
All of the farmers are planning to plant their fields and greenhouses again next season.
[1] 1 dunum = 1000 square metres of land
[2] IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage, through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices and use of resistant varieties.