Oxfam GB and the European Union have today officially launched a groundbreaking project in six West Bank communities severely affected and impoverished by the occupation. The project is designed to turn ordinary residents into advocates for their rights and services.
The three-year, 533,780 euro project, 'Fostering Community Change in the OPT,' will directly benefit 13,270 Palestinians residing in the villages of Fasayel, Jiftlik, Zbedat, Oja, Walajeh, and Jaba'a.
The communities currently suffer from a lack of services, such as access to water and sanitation, roads, schools, and hospitals. The six communities are also experiencing particularly high unemployment rates and poverty levels. Many also face house demolition or eviction, and refusals from the Israeli authorities to build in their own communities.
Oxfam GB believes the project will help citizens and local government come together to find sustainable solutions to these systemic and pervasive problems.
Joan Summers, Acting Country Director- Oxfam GB, says that providing ordinary people with access to the decision making process is the key to building a stronger community.
"It is critical at this time to support Palestinians living in communities like these. They are slowly being cut off from sufficient access to clean water, electricity, schools, health clinics - and even their own land, Summers said. "This groundbreaking project will help community residents to realize their rights on the local level and learn how to work with governing committees to secure better access to services where possible. When people are informed and engaged it is much easier for them to feel like they have a stake in what happens, which is especially important when trying to support a family under such difficult circumstances," she added.
Local partners, Palestinian Vision (PalVision), Ansar Centre for Children, The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH), and the Women's Study Centre, will work with village councils, local organisations, and other stakeholders in the community, such as women's and youth groups, to form community committees. In turn, these committees will work with their local governments to identify direct needs of the community as a whole. A citizen's handbook defining rights and services will also be produced.
Both Oxfam GB and the EU, have a shared interest in moving these communities away from aid-dependency and towards real development, despite the restrictive policies resulting from the occupation.
The European Union Representative, Mr Christian Berger, stressed that "the EU is deeply committed to the support of these deprived areas of the West Bank. This project is central to this EU objective as it is through the empowerment of local communities to realize and exercise their rights that real, long-term change in the everyday life of Palestinians can be achieved".
A seed-fund for community-driven development projects will also be established in each of the six locations. To ensure transparency in managing the funds, Oxfam GB will implement a scoreboard system where local officials will be held responsible for informing citizens on where and how the money is spent, and what the long-term benefit is for the community. Citizens will then rate their satisfaction with the services they have received. Oxfam has used a similar system in Africa and Asia to great success.