Humanitarian Response to Protect the Dignity of Women-Headed Households - AISHA 2019

January 2018 – Palestinians face a long-term humanitarian crisis with approximately 1 in 2 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza requiring some form of humanitarian assistance. The impacts on vulnerable Palestinians include limited access to safe water and sanitation persistent food and income insecurity and the risk of sexual and gender-based violence. With GAC’s support the Aisha Association for Woman and Child Protection (AISHA) is helping to alleviate suffering protect and maintain human dignity and save lives for vulnerable women-headed households between the ages of 18 and 59 in the poorest localities in the North and Gaza governorates of Gaza. Project activities include: (1) providing training to trainers on case management approach for two groups of gender-based violence (GBV) service providers and local women community-based organizations; (2) providing structured psychosocial group counseling legal group counseling/awareness awareness raising and sensitization support and dignity kits to vulnerable women-headed households (WHH); (3) providing case management to vulnerable WHHs including individual psychosocial counseling psycho-therapy and medication individual legal counseling legal representation economic empowerment reproductive health social services and referral services to other service providers; (4) providing temporary shelter assistance to evicted families of targeted WHHs or at risk of eviction due to deteriorated socioeconomic situation; and (5) raising awareness among men from the families of vulnerable WHHs on gender women’s rights early marriage and GBV risks.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased performance and changed behaviour among gender-based violence (GBV) service providers and local women community-based organizations in offering gender- responsive assistance for vulnerable women-headed households (WHHs); and (2) increased use of gender-responsive assistance including structured group psycho-social support open recreational days family therapy awareness raising workshops group legal counseling/awareness referral to receive additional legal support services dignity kits temporary shelter assistance case management (individual psychosocial counseling psycho-therapy and medication individual legal counseling legal representation economic empowerment reproductive health and social services). The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.