PATHWAYS TO HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Dear Friends,  

Nearly two million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip, the vast majority of whom are refugees from historic Palestine. They live in untenable circumstance. They live in an environment that, just last year, the United Nations declared was unlivable. And yet, Palestinians in Gaza carry on. Despite 54 years of occupation, de-development, blockade, repeated wars, and any semblance of normalcy, they live life. 

Given the massive devastation caused by Israeli bombing in recent days, and more than a year since the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an already overwhelmed healthcare sector in the Gaza Strip has become even more vulnerable. At the heart of this tragic reality lie numerous barriers to healthcare, from insufficient stocks of medicine and medical supplies to insufficient access to preventative care for mothers and their children.  

Addressing the critical health situation in the Gaza Strip is a priority for UPA. Every day, UPA’s Gaza field staff and our partners work to mitigate the impact of barriers to healthcare, and thereby offer pathways to essential physical and mental wellbeing to some of the most underserved Palestinian communities. 

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, access to water remains a significant challenge for rural farming and herding communities where there is no connection to the main water network nor permission from the Israeli occupation to tap into deep water aquifers. Among the most affected are communities in the semi-arid zones of the southern West Bank.  

Inability to access sustainable water resources is not only a health risk, but also a risk to the livelihoods and existence of these farming and herding communities as the lack of water hinders their ability to farm the land and therefore maintain its ownership. Under Israeli imposed military laws, unfarmed land is subject to confiscation.  

Working through our local partners, UPA has successfully rehabilitated water cisterns – traditional rain-water collection systems – benefiting a community of more than 200 Palestinian farmers and herders and their households. To these communities, the rehabilitated water wells mean a great deal. They open a way to increase economic livelihoods and ties to the land by replacing costly reliance on trucking-in water with a sustainable source of water that underpins their farming activities. UPA is proud to support projects that affirm Palestinian cultural heritage and expertise, while empowering Palestinian communities to make long-term improvements to their lives.  

These are two examples of how UPA prioritizes the most vulnerable, removes barriers, strengthens services, and enhances community and individual resilience and wellbeing.  

When you support such exemplary Palestinian led, community-based efforts, you make a profound impact at the points of greatest need in the lives of ordinary Palestinians.

I sincerely thank you for your trust and partnership. In the meantime, I invite you to read the latest edition of UPAConnect Spring 2021. 

In Hope, 

Saleem F. Zaru 
Executive Director