Humanitarian Response to Populations in Need of Food Security and WASH - MA’AN 2019

January 2019 - 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 MA’AN Development Centre (MA’AN) is helping to improve the resilience and food security of agricultural households in the West Bank including agriculture-dependent women-headed households. This project is also helping to increase safe equitable and sustainable access to water for drinking cooking personal and domestic hygiene and to improve access to adequate sanitation in Gaza. Project activities include: (1) rehabilitating under-cultivated or damaged land including constructing retaining walls and protection fences providing seedlings and grains and rehabilitating farm water harvesting cisterns; (2) conducting training workshops on crop management and livestock feeding and disease control to build technical capacities of vulnerable agricultural households to manage natural and manmade shocks to their livelihoods; (3) rehabilitating eight kilometers of agricultural roads to expand access to shrinking agricultural lands; (4) rehabilitating community water wells to increase rainwater harvesting for agricultural uses; (5) installing renewable energy/solar systems in public desalination plants and providing spare parts and supplies to support their operation; and (6) providing case management and referral services for vulnerable women who are survivors or are at risk of gender-based violence.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved protection and productivity of agricultural based livelihoods of among the underserved and most vulnerable populations in the West Bank; and (2) improved access to safe and equitable water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and appropriate gender-based violence response mechanisms during emergencies and shocks for the underserved and most vulnerable communities in Gaza. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.