Year 3 – Annual Report of Envision Gaza 2020

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 an eleven-year blockade, Gaza's infrastructure and its people have been devastated. Many people remain vulnerable after the 2014 war, and the socioeconomic situation continues to be in a steady state of decline. The project began in April 2016 with a consortium of local partners. The third year of the project, spanning from October 2017 to September 2018, witnessed a scaling down of program interventions due to the administrative review of funding to Palestine, which resulted in a hold on all US Government funding to Palestine. As a result, CRS and partners had to reduce their activities, and not all planned targets were achieved. Despite this, the program still supported NGO and CSO development by conducting an assessment to identify training and logistics needs. The CRS team also provided 32-participant training in emergency response simulation, including preparing emergency primary and secondary needs assessments and developing concept notes and budgets for emergency interventions. During the reporting year, the program placed 1,059 workers, 344 interns, and 27 apprentices with 89 employers from private sector and NGOs/CBOs working in 10 economic sectors, including agriculture, fishing, local industry, and health. CRS and partner teams conducted field monitoring visits to follow up with Cash-for-Work/Internship/Apprenticeship (CFW/I/A) beneficiaries. An additional 156 youth and women, including 94 women and 62 men, participated in Small Entrepreneurship Development (SED) training, and 59 women and 42 men submitted competitive business plans and received grants to start or develop their own businesses. The program also conducted a Local Market Needs Assessment to identify appropriate sectors for placing CFW/I/A beneficiaries. The assessment provided CRS with information on sector retention rates and accessibility for women and persons with disabilities. Beneficiary placement by sector was chosen based on the likelihood of retention and appropriateness for vulnerable groups. Improved sector targeting in Year 3 contributed to a 30-percentage point increase in the share of placements allocated to women in the CFI/A program. The program utilized a robust feedback response mechanism and call center to continually monitor program quality. CRS received and responded to 26,724 pieces of feedback in Year 3 and conducted monthly coordination meetings with partners to discuss program planning in response to the feedback received. The socioeconomic situation in Gaza has been in a state of steady decline for the past decade. Six years of intermittent armed conflict with Israel, combined with an eleven-year blockade, has restricted freedom of movement for people and goods. The negative impacts of man-made catastrophes and nearly annual flooding events have touched the lives of everyone in the Gaza Strip. The latest armed conflict of 2014 devastated Gaza's infrastructure, and many people remain vulnerable today. CRS began implementing the Envision Gaza 2020 project in April 2016. The project aims to build resilience and self-reliance in vulnerable communities through the expansion of employment opportunities and targeted emergency assistance. The project is implemented with local partners to ensure project sustainability and engage local actors who understand community needs and can quickly respond to emergencies. The project's approach is to help households meet their basic needs during times of crisis and increase livelihood opportunities, making them more resilient to stresses and shocks. This report covers the third fiscal year (October 2017 to September 2018) of the Envision Gaza 2020 project.