Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance to Support the Most Vulnerable and Crises Affected Households in Gaza ltp style="" class=""gtltspan style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif color: black"gtA decades-long
conflict and an ongoing blockade of Gaza has created a complex humanitarian
crisis characterized by economic stagnation, soaring unemployment, and alarming
levels of poverty. Unrelenting bombardments in May 2021 led to extensive damage
to homes, infrastructure, and services at a scale not seen since 2014. In
August 2022, families once again suffered the personal and economic effects of another
round of fighting North Gaza and Gaza City Governorates have been especially
hard hit in recent years. Against this backdrop, the Russia-Ukraine war is
further destabilizing the fragile economy and compounding three years of market
disruptions due to COVID-19. These disruptions have driven up prices for a variety
of basic goods and services, further undermining the purchasing power of vulnerable
families. The 2022 multi-sector needs assessment (MSNA) found pronounced need among
female-headed households (FHH), of whom 99% expressed a need for humanitarian support.
Women and other vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, the
elderly, and those with chronic diseases experience acute need in the face of shocks
and stressors due to limited access to resources. The impact of these enduring challenges
on vulnerable families is profound, leaving them unable to meet their basic
needs.lt/spangtlt/pgt

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ltp style="text-align:justify" class="MsoNormal"gtltspan style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif color: black"gtAligned with the occupied
Palestinian territories (oPt) Humanitarian Fund, 1st Standard Allocation for
2023, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and local partner Life and Hope Association
(LHA) propose a 6-month project to help 300 socioeconomically vulnerable
households (1,800 individuals) in Gaza City and North Gaza Governorates meet their
basic needs. This project will exclusively target households headed by women, persons
with a disability, the elderly, or persons with chronic illness, as these
groups are most in need of humanitarian assistance and most susceptible to
shocks and stressors. To meet the diversity of a households’ essential needs, the
project will utilize CRS' existing Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) transfer
system to provide unrestricted, multi-purpose cash (MPC) assistance. CRS will
follow the Gaza Cash Working Group (CWG) recommended minimum expenditure basket
(MEB) value of 1,081 ILS (roughly 305 USD) per household, per month. CRS proposes
four months of assistance which goes beyond the minimum of three months of
assistance, ensuring these especially vulnerable families can meet their
critical needs this duration remains within the CWG recommendations. lt/spangtlt/pgt

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ltp style="text-align:justify" class="MsoNormal"gtltspan style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif color: black"gtLHA will deliver assistance
to families CRS will provide technical support, compliance oversight, and capacity
strengthening. The project will coordinate closely with the Palestinian Authority’s
(PA) Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), to identify vulnerable households
in Gaza City and North Gaza Governorates. Following verification, CRS will share
the lists of potential participants with other humanitarian actors through the
relevant clusters to avoid duplication. CRS and LHA will also compile and
maintain a list of social service providers, including protection and
gender-based violence (GBV) resources and a list of Organizations for Disabled
Persons (ODPs). When a participant requires additional support outside the
project scope, the project will share details about available services in their
community. With a continuous presence in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt)
since 1961, CRS has the staff, systems, networks, and risk mitigation strategies
that will ensure the successful implementation of the project. Since May 2021
alone, CRS has reached 2,817 households (17,410 individuals) with assistance through
the OCHA Humanitarian Fund, demonstrating our ability to deliver assistance to
acutely vulnerable families in Gaza.lt/spangtlt/pgt





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