Improving access to WASH services for fragile families in the eastern area of Gaza governorate Oxfam in partnership with the Youth Empowerment Center (YEC) and in close coordination with the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and WASH cluster members such as (PHG,MA’AN, ACF, GVC, and Save the Children), is proposing an action fully aligned with the objective 2 of the 2019 OCHA’s Second Standard Allocation Strategy in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The proposed intervention aims to mitigate the impact of restrictions and blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip by improving access of WASH services for the fragile families living in the vulnerable communities of the eastern Gaza governorate. This action is an immediate response to ensure that girls, boys, women, men, elderly and people with disabilities have sufficient means to respond to their WASH related needs at HH level by improving sanitation, water supply chain in term of quality and safety, and WASH conditions which will mitigate and control waterborne diseases in the targeted areas, which constantly affects children under five-year old. 

The project, ‘Improving access to WASH services for fragile families in the eastern area of Gaza governorate’, aims at improving the WASH facilities for 310 fragile households from the eastern Gaza Governorate to ensure adequate access to WASH services for nearly 2,170 inhabitants. Beneficiaries  will be selected based on vulnerability ranking parameters such as age, disability, families with high numbers of dependents, women-headed households and finally families who suffer from issues related to living conditions and protection. 

Under the proposed intervention, handwashing basins, Kitchens, toilets, showers and drinking water tanks in addition to internal fittings and external connection to the main networks will be upgraded, installed or rehabilitated based on the deep technical assessment that will be conducted for each house to identify their specific need in WASH considering protection aspects and the special needs of women and disabled people. Moreover, hygiene promotion activities related to proper hand washing, personal hygiene practices, enhancement of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) for vulnerable women and girls and distribution of dignified hygiene kits will be implemented with the targeted beneficiaries at community and HH levels to ensure effective hygiene promotion intervention in an integrated manner . The project design has considered gender and protection principles by emphasizing on the participation of women in the project’s committee as well as further exploring women and disabled people needs. 


The suggested action, will positively impact the WASH services at HHs level of the targeted families as it will enhance the water storage capacity, improve quality of sanitation services and raise public awareness to promote good hygiene practices aiming to protect people and the surrounding environment. In addition, it will contribute to alleviating the burden on women and children (division of labor and household chores) and will enhance gender and age responsiveness by enhancing women’s knowledge and awareness. This will contribute to managing care duties and household chores more effectively including enhancing their engagement in decision making processes at the HH and community levels