The context
Since the Strategy 2005 – 2010 came into force, many changes have taken place that affect the situation of the Palestinian population and the context in which the PRCS operates.
The political and security situation has seen frequent changes at national and regional level and remains unstable. The continuous occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, political tensions between Israel and some Arabic countries and the invasion of Lebanon in 2006 and the Gaza Strip in 2008/09 have had a negative impact on all aspects of the life of Palestinians, economically, socially, psychologically and related to health and nutrition. As scenarios of minor and major conflicts unfold, insecurity and instability remains and hamper the development of fragile Palestinian communities.
The construction of the separation wall and the number of check-points cause serious disruption to people’s lives and to community development. The restrictions on freedom of movement cause economic loss, threatens lives in emergency situations and have led to a wave of internal migration. The total population in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem numbers 4,2 million people, 40% are refugees, 41% are children under 15 years and only 3% are more than 65 years old.
Palestine has many young people and many children face social problems. Some become drop-outs from school or child labourers, others have problems due to poverty or family issues. Better quality education and affordable, good quality kindergartens are needed.
The situation in the West Bank shows 49% of households beneath the national poverty line of 385 USD per month. Unemployment rates are showing signs of improvement, but are still relatively high with unemployment rates around 16% with an additional 8% being underemployed.
The poor humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has deteriorated even further following the Israeli war in 2008/09. Prior to the war 79% of the households were living under the national poverty line. 22 days of conflict left 1300 Palestinians dead, 5300 wounded and disabled and much of the health and education infrastructure destroyed. The scale of damage on the economic domain and on the social life in the Gaza Strip is massive.
The humanitarian situation among Palestinian refugees living in the Diaspora has for many years been poor. Updated statistics on living conditions and health status of the Palestinian refugees in Disapora are unfortunately scarce.
In 2008 the Ministry of Health finalised the new National Health Strategic Plan. The plan presents opportunities for alignment and coordination between the actors in health related fields and places the PRCS health service delivery within a national framework. The health status of the Palestinian population shows some good progress, but there are also many challenges. Over the past few years infectious- and vaccine preventable diseases have come under control, with immunization coverage among children under five and school children sustained above 90%. There have been improvements in health surveillance and health education, but the national structure of health services and health providers remains weak, fragmented and lacking in quality coherence. 10 % of Palestinian children under five suffer chronic malnutrition and like many countries in the world, non-communicable diseases are on the raise in the population. Around 5% of the population suffers disabilities such as visual or hearing impairment and/or other physical or mental disorders. Another major health challenge relates to the level of anxiety and traumatic stress among children as well as in the adult population.
The Middle East is located in a disaster prone area. Local and regional studies have indicated that Palestine, Jordan and other countries in the region might be affected by major earthquakes in the coming years. As the areas are densely populated estimates suggest that as much as one million of the Palestinian population might be affected should a major earthquake occur.
In 2008 the world was faced with a global financial crisis. The impact of this crisis on the Palestinian community is yet to be determined. The Palestinian National Authorities as well as the PRCS are heavily dependent on external aid. It remains uncertain how the financial crisis will influence the foreign donors. The PRCS are relying on funding from the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), from its Movement partners and on fundraising by local branches and other income-generating activities. The challenge of securing a sustainable financial base for the organisation remains a matter of priority.