FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2009
Contact:
Joy Portella, 206.437.7885, jportella@sea.mercycorps.org
Deeb Al-Hoot, +974.4559255, deeb@qcharity.org
- Bold initiative will focus on youth, create jobs, build businesses and jumpstart technology sector
- Gaza work is step one of a broader Middle East partnership between Mercy Corps and Qatar Charity
Portland, OR - The global relief and development agency Mercy Corps has received a $10 million grant from Qatar Charity to help rebuild the economy of the war-torn Gaza Strip. The grant—a kind of economic stimulus package—aims to help create jobs, build a leading technology sector, and reconstruct shattered businesses while seeding new ones. Mercy Corps and Qatar Charity anticipate that the program will impact the lives of up to 28,000 people over the course of three years.
"Gazans have almost no economic opportunities, and people don't feel secure unless they can find jobs, start businesses, and support their families in a dignified way. It's particularly tough for young people," explained Mercy Corps Middle East Regional Program Director David Holdridge. "This initiative will give many Gazans a fighting chance to recover from the recent conflict and build better long-term prospects."
The $10 million initiative is the first phase of a larger partnership between the two organizations to boost development in the Middle East and other regions in the developing world. "This partnership shows how two groups from different cultures and parts of the world can come together to improve the lives of Gazans," said Abdullah H. Al Nameh of Qatar Charity. "So many have lost homes and loved ones. People in Gaza are downtrodden, and they need to know that a brighter future is possible."
The initiative will fund a two-pronged strategy of economic development. Jobs are a priority: Mercy Corps' cash-for-work programs, which provide temporary income to needy Gazans, will be extended to an additional 10,000 men and women working in the farming, fishing, manufacturing and food processing sectors. Businesses will also be able to obtain small loans and funding to replace damaged or outdated equipment and increase productivity.
Boosting the Strip's nascent technology sector, especially for young people, is the other main priority. A combination of skills training, apprenticeships and job placement will target young people ages 15-24, while technology-based businesses will be able to access start-up funding and network with U.S., European and other Palestinian tech companies. In addition, Mercy Corps "Global Youth Connectivity" program will empower hundreds of normally isolated young people to establish a youth-lead multimedia news outlet.
The initiative comes in the wake of a devastating 22-day conflict between Hamas and Israel that left 1,300 Palestinians dead, and more than 5,000 injured, according to Palestinian authorities. Damages totaled almost $2 billion, and many Gazans still lack reliable access to food, electricity and fuel.
The economy, already in a stranglehold after an 18-month blockade of Gaza, was decimated by the conflict. The International Labor Organization reports that the Strip has the highest unemployment rate in the world, and a once-functioning economy is now completely dependent upon aid.
"Like people around the world, Gazans long for normalcy and a sense of dignity. That's what we're trying to help them achieve," commented Holdridge.
Mercy Corps works amid disasters, conflicts, chronic poverty and instability to unleash the potential of people who can win against nearly impossible odds. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.5 billion in assistance to people in 106 nations. Supported by headquarters offices in North America and Europe, the agency's unified global programs employ 3,600 staff worldwide and reach nearly 16.4 million people in more than 35 countries. www.mercycorps.org
Qatar Charity (QC) was established in 1992 and serves needy communities in over 22 countries worldwide. Its mission is to support efforts of the most needy groups to fulfill human dignity and social justice. Its vision is to be a pioneering and distinguished Islamic institution combining originality, creativity and professionalism in the field of humanitarian aid and development. www.qcharity.org
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
REFILE - CLARIFYING CAPTION A Palestinian boy stands in front of the rubble of a house that local residents say was recently demolished in the neighbourhood of Silwan in Arab East ...
