Program Details: 
Gaza: Survival and Recovery

Since the 1980s, Mercy Corps has been working to help Palestinians in Gaza meet their immediate needs for survival and find durable solutions to chronic problems. Of late, this endeavor has become more difficult. The recent war has brought even more restrictive border closures, further crippling the economy. More than 80 percent of the population lives in poverty, while unemployment persists at just under 45 percent — the highest in the world.

Shortly before the December 2008 air strikes began, Israel tightened existing blockades, further limiting the import of critical supplies — from food, clean water, power and fuel to building materials, medicine and currency. These cutbacks weakened the economy and forced more people into poverty, exacerbating the strain on Palestinian morale. The escalating violence and strict controls are causing severe emotional distress, particularly among youth.

Immediate Humanitarian Aid
During and immediately after the incursion of Israeli military forces into Gaza, Mercy Corps responded to the humanitarian crisis by importing and distributing food, medical supplies, shelter rehabilitation equipment and other non-food items to particularly vulnerable Gazans — including displaced and homeless people, families with disabled persons and those without male heads of household.

Toward a Sustainable Recovery
In the aftermath of the military incursion, most of these interventions came to a close as Mercy Corps transitioned into a recovery phase. Our three-pronged approach aims to create a sustainable recovery by focusing on:

• Housing. Mercy Corps is addressing the housing needs of thousands of displaced families, many of whom are now homeless, by hiring local civilians to perform necessary labor.
• Psycho-social support. Mercy Corps is also organizing psycho-social support activities for youth and women. Our therapy for those affected by trauma includes an expansion of our programs that connect Palestinian youth to their peers in the U.S., as well as advocacy efforts conducted through our youth group, Global Citizen Corps.
• Jobs. We're using our proven cash-for-work approach — paying local people to rebuild needed infrastructure — to create short-term income generation and job training opportunities. Over time, this program will transition into longer-term, sustainable microfinance initiatives to spur the growth of economic opportunity in this job-poor territory.

Rebuilding Family Homes
According to the UN, the recent war destroyed an estimated 4,100 homes and damaged 17,000. Other damaged buildings include public schools, clinics, mosques and factories. Thousands of Gazans have returned to their homes to find little more than rubble, and now must live with extended family or friends, or in shelters.

Thanks to generous funding from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), Mercy Corps is working to address the needs of Palestinian civilians who have lost their homes. Our program provides families with temporary shelter materials while also helping them rehabilitate their damaged houses. Moreover, we are ensuring that needy families have access to safe drinking water.

Responding to Trauma
The war and blockade restrictions have caused trauma among many Palestinian civilians, particularly young people. Amid the violence and desperation of recent months, they have experienced insomnia, irritability, low self-esteem and hopelessness. All these symptoms of trauma have been observed and monitored by Mercy Corps staff who are working to help young people heal amid the most challenging conditions.

With funding from the European Commission and DFID, Mercy Corps is helping distressed individuals and families. We're creating a network of community support through open dialogues and forums hosted at nine community centers across the Gaza Strip. And, we are facilitating self-healing through publicly distributed brochures, informational kiosks on dealing with unexploded ordnances and manuals on overcoming stress and despair.

Currently the agency is convening 162 ongoing support gatherings that bring together thousands of vulnerable civilians. In this safe environment, youth can talk and find comfort among a compassionate group of peers also looking to heal and move forward.

Resuscitating Local Economies
Gaza's market structure has been virtually decimated by months of severe restrictions on imports and exports and on the cross-border movement of people attempting to conduct business. Burdened by the highest unemployment rate in the world, Palestinians living in Gaza now must effectively rebuild the economic foundations of their society.

To assist them in this task, Mercy Corps is continuing our cash-for-work programming, funded by the European Community Humanitarian Office. Cash-for-work enables families to earn desperately needed money so they can purchase essential supplies. In turn, their buying power helps speed the resuscitation of local economies.

Our cash-for-work program is expanding through a grant from the Qatar Charity that connects ambitious Gazans to career training, entrepreneurial guidance and, eventually, microfinance support.

Connecting Youth Around the World
Programs for youth form an integral part of Mercy Corps' Gaza recovery initiative. Based on the platform of our youth-focused Global Citizen Corps, these programs connect young people around the world through a lively exchange of ideas, information, heritage and creative expression. During the war, blogs posted on the GCC website allowed other groups to communicate with young Gazans, reading and responding to firsthand accounts of their experiences.

Our youth program participants also receive training in computer and digital media skills. This knowledge prepares Gaza's large youth population to take advantage of the international business and communication opportunities that lie ahead. By the time they complete the program, young people will have the skills and networks vital for success in healthy modern economies.