Palestinian territories

Livelihood and food security

The project’s purpose is to develop and support livelihood and food security with horticulture and family gardens, beekeeping and livestock production. The recipient families are single parent families, families with unemployment, families in vulnerable situation, or without any other means of income.

In the follow-up project, the focus is on increasing the marketing of the products and learning the skills for entrepreneurship.

During the year 2012, families’ livestock production was supported by giving out sheep and chickens and the necessary tools for raising them to 104 households in the project. In addition, 77 households were selected for beekeeping, and local cooperation partner International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) gave them the necessary tools and hives in February 2013.

For starting family gardens, households were given seeds, saplings and tools. After the distribution and planting, the families were taught to keep a record of the production and household consumption, and of the retail value of the harvest in order to assess the effects of the project.

Anita Chauque story

Anita third from left to right

Anita Chauque, 37 years old, married with former mine worker, mother of 5 Children, is living in Pandzane, Nalazi Administrative post in Guija District.

“It was three years ago when I heard about LWF in our community. Project staff was sensitizing the community where I’m living in different areas such as agriculture on teaching us how to improve the production, animal keeping, promoting health fairs and income generation activities.”

“I was lucky to be part of the group that learned to produce bricks, stoves, and pots using local material”. We are now confident that we can do these ourselves. We also are able to sell products to other people in the community”.

She has been benefiting from LWF support from 2010 in the bakery project.

“The activity that is helping me most is bread making project that we started with LWF support. The bakery was done with community participation and is from there that we are now able to produce some income that helps to improve our livelihoods. We are working there. With this project, we now sell bread to the communities’ members neighbours. As I mentioned before, with the income, I buy food for my family, and even during the scarcity time we have always something to eat. I also managed to buy school materials to my kids. I am member of the VICOBA group in the community, now I can save.”

Story compiled by: Titos Languene Gaza project manager