The ongoing occupation of Palestine came to a new escalation in October 2023. The past 7 months the unceasing violence in Gaza, the massive loss of life and infrastructure have continued to intensify. At the same time, the situation in the West Bank is additionally intensifying; violence, closures, demolitions and loss of live are happening on daily basis.
This project tackles three main streams of work to support Palestinian refugee families in the West Bank. The first is the food parcel; a carton package containing the most needed food supplies for each household. Secondly, the cash distribution; where Karama selects the most underprivileged families to receive a small cash amount to support their needs. Finally, the cash for work activities gives workers a chance to make a dignified income. Especially, with the difficult access to employment and loss of income.
Karama launched its emergency services project to help households meet basic needs in the West Bank. Karama is based in Deheisha refugee camp in Bethlehem. This makes Karama’s main goal to respond to the emergency needs in this area. Bethlehem has already been facing major challenges since the spread of COVID19. Now with the war on Gaza these concerns have renewed. The city does not have enough job opportunities for the rising numbers of unemployment caused by the war and the related closures. Multiple businesses have reduced the working days, and the number of workers in their institutions. Some families have been without a stable and\ or existing source of income for seven months. Bethlehem city now faces closures to other cities around it.
Main Emergency Activities
The cash for work activities serves two main goals; first providing a dignified living for employees in the program to earn a dignified income. The second is to use this working opportunity to improve public areas through reconstruction, painting, and cleaning based on their professional and /or vocational background. Moreover, the selected public areas in Deheisha refugee camp are mainly local organization and centers, including Karama headquarters, kindergartens schools’ especially, the streets around the children’s schools where the team found unprotected electricity wires around the school street which were a life hazard especially to children.
over 40 underprivileged families received a cash distribution especially families with a particularly specific financial need or difficulty including not affording a payment for different requirements like health/medical needs, education and/or university tuition or overall critical living conditions.
over 250 disadvantaged families were selected to receive a food parcel. The selection criteria are based on Karama’s data base which has been regularly updated during Karama’s similar relief projects. The data includes names and basic information of underprivileged families in Deheisha camp specifically for further updates the data base is always revised with Karam’s local partners. The food package contains contents worth of 250 NIS. Each parcel contains: rice, oil, lentils, crushed lentils, freekeh, white beans, sugar, salt, flour, tomato paste, spaghetti, tahini, tuna, fava beans, chickpeas, peas, vermicelli, ghee, halvah, mortadella, pasta. The team double check all items to have valid and long expatriation dates to make sure families can benefit from them whenever they need to.
