Emergency Assistance to Crisis Affected Vulnerable Households in Gaza This project aims to support vulnerable households to improve access to food and other essential basic needs and restore livelihood capacities in the immediate aftermath of the May 2021 escalation in hostilities. This project will build upon Mercy Corps’ current oPt-HF funded cash project to further respond to both urgent crisis-emerged needs, and continually increasing needs amongst targeted vulnerable groups, whose situation has been additionally exacerbated by recent hostilities.

Through unconditional cash assistance, this project will identify and select the most vulnerable households (HHs) in two groups of acutely vulnerable HHs: 1) vulnerable open land farmers from North Gaza and Gaza governorates, and 2) vulnerable HHs additionally impacted by the May-2021 crisis and on the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) affected households from North Gaza and Gaza governorates.

Through this project, Mercy Corps and its local NGO partner Life and Hope Association (hereinafter Life and Hope) will target 705 vulnerable HHs (3,878 individuals), including 175 open land farmers, and 530 vulnerable HHs from North Gaza and Gaza.

1) Eligible vulnerable open land farmer HHs identified through combined HH vulnerability assessment and livelihood technical assessment. Each selected Farmer HH will receive cash support for 2 Dunums of open land with an amount of $1,000 in two installments ($500 each installment) in line with Ministry of Agriculture’s (MoA) recommended support value of ILS 1,500 /Open Land Dunum 
2) Highly vulnerable and crisis-impacted HHs will receive $798 over three months ($266 monthly installments in line with the Cash Working Group (CWG) endorsed Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) value of ILS 878).

This urgent cash support will allow vulnerable HHs to have flexible, reliable, and timely financial support to address their urgent needs, restore their livelihoods, build resilience and restore agriculture production capacity. Cash installments will be distributed through Electronic Debit Cards (e-cards) or via Cash over Counter through Bank of Palestine, which has extensive geographic coverage and is highly accessible through ATMs and Branches in North Gaza and Gaza. 

By utilizing cash as a modality for direct assistance, beneficiaries have greater power in determining how to meet their own urgent needs, empowering them, and maintaining their dignity while reducing their vulnerability and contributing to the restoration of their food security. Additionally, in the Gaza Strip, local markets are functional and vendors continue to have adequate stock available therefore, cash assistance is an appropriate humanitarian response modality to meet critical basic needs.

Through well-established evidence-based vulnerability and technical targeting, Mercy Corps and Life and Hope will use the Proxy Means Test Formula (PMTF), and Technical Vulnerability Assessment Tool (TVAT) to identify, assess and verify selected vulnerable HHs to receive cash assistance, monitor activities, and ensure full coordination and engagement with the community and primary stakeholders. Mercy Corps will be the focal point of coordination with MoSD, and Life and hope will coordinate closely with MoA to obtain lists and cross-check names of affected households and affected open land farmers.

Additionally, Mercy Corps will promote community ownership, accountability, and participation throughout the project through baseline assessments, orientation sessions, Post Distribution Monitoring, and its Community Accountability and Reporting Mechanism (CARM), while also mobilizing key stakeholders to more deeply engage with identified vulnerable HHs.