Fiscal Year 3 – Quarterly Report 3: April 1 – June 30, 2018

The project aims to support Palestinian families in Gaza to become more resilient to everyday stresses and rebound more quickly from crises. After six years of intermittent armed conflict with Israel and a ten-year blockade, Gaza's infrastructure and its people have been devastated. Many people remain vulnerable after the most recent 2014 war and the socioeconomic situation continues to be in a steady state of decline. The project responds to these challenges by helping vulnerable communities build resilience and self-reliance through expansion of employment opportunities and emergency assistance. CRS began implementation of EG2020 in April 2016 with a consortium of local organizations. This quarterly report presents the results from the third quarter of the third implementation year of EG2020 (Y3/Q3): April 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018. During the quarter, 155 new Cash for Work (CFW) beneficiaries commenced CFW placements, providing much-needed cash to vulnerable households in Gaza. Of these 155, 50 workers were placed as lifeguards to protect swimmers on the beaches in Middle and North Gaza, 92 workers were placed in the agriculture sector in Khan Younis, and 13 were placed in EG2020 sub-recipient organizations. Additionally, 41 entrepreneurs received their second tranche of start-up grants, enabling them to continue to develop their business in line with their business development plans. The Great March of Return protests along the Israeli fence with the Gaza Strip resulted in significant injuries and loss of life. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 128 Palestinians were killed and 13,900 injured in the context of the demonstrations along the fence. Gaza's unemployment rate remains very high, and Gazans now experience on average up to 20 hours of daily power outages. Severe cuts to the salaries of public sector workers, and the deterioration of education, health, and municipal services continue to negatively affect the Gazan population. The program activities are reported below and numbered according to the EG2020 Implementation Plan, covering the Y3/Q3 period (April 2018 – June 2018). Strategic Objective 1: Vulnerable Gazans better cope with ongoing stresses and unexpected shocks. IR 1.1: Vulnerable Gazans use emergency assistance to meet priority household needs at times of crisis. OUTPUT 1.1.1: A conditional voucher system is pre-positioned. During the quarter, CRS completed the process of renewal of contracts for all food and non-food item vendors contracted during the electronic voucher intervention as preparation for any future emergency. Strategic Objective 2: Gazans are engaged in employment-related activities. IR 2.1: Unskilled and low-skilled vulnerable Gazans engage in CFW with targeted businesses. Output 2.1.1: CFW participants are matched with appropriate work sites. Delays in receiving funds have limited CRS' ability to provide CFW/CFI/CFA opportunities to Gazans, with many selected candidates for CFW/CFI/CFA opportunities remaining "on hold". During Y3/Q3 CRS placed 155 unskilled and low-skilled vulnerable Gazans in CFW activities. The quarterly report also highlights challenges, compliance adherence, and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) activities. The report outlines the program activities' process and results under each Strategic Objective (SO). Under each SO, the Intermediate Results (IRs) are listed with a brief narrative for each Output that describes activities and results.