Helping Palestinian Communities Move Towards a Brighter Future

CHF International has been working steadily in the West Bank & Gaza since 1994.  Though the region has been rocked by turbulent change since then—conflict, political strife, and the economic and societal hardship that accompanies both–the CHF team has not lost sight of its ultimate goal to provide stability through economic opportunity.

Between 2000 and 2005, the Palestinian economy had fallen into near collapse with soaring unemployment and half of the population living below the poverty line. According to the World Bank, at least 15% of the population was living in extreme poverty, meaning that they could not afford basic items for survival, such as food, clothing, and shelter.

During this time, CHF ran nine different programs, working in some of the most impoverished communities in the West Bank & Gaza Strip.  CHF’s programs were designed to provide Palestinians with short- and long-term job opportunities, while working with local municipalities and NGOs to rebuild infrastructure and improve the environment for Palestinian communities. 

Despite more blockades in January 2006, our current programming continues to build better lives for the Palestinian people. In West Bank and Gaza, we are:

• providing direct humanitarian assistance in partnership with the UN World Food Program;
• providing access to affordable credit for vulnerable Palestinian families;
• stimulating employment and livelihoods through the provision of emergency jobs in infrastructure projects; and
• implementing one of the strongest local governance programs for increased transparency.
  

 To learn more about CHF in Palestine, click here