Protecting livelihoods and Improving
Resilience of the herding communities in the
Bethlehem eastern slopes- Area C - West Bank The critical situation West Bank people are living under, specially people live in area C has resulted from the continuance expansion of Israeli settlements which lead to confiscate lands from the Palestinian people. Continues violence that occurs by the settlers live in that area including destroying agricultural lands, roads and infrastructure. All these practices deteriorated life in area C.
The proposed project will address critical issues and priorities in the food security cluster, while directly achieving the 2nd and 3rd strategic objectives of 2019 1st HF allocation “The basic needs of vulnerable Palestinians living under occupation are met through the provision of quality basic services and improved access to resources, in accordance with the rights of protected persons under IHL” and the 3rd Objective” The capacity of vulnerable Palestinians to cope with, and overcome, a protracted crisis, including from environmental threats, is supported, while solutions to violations and other root causes of threats and shocks are pursued.

The project is linked with HRP/ FSS objective 1: Livelihoods of vulnerable households are protected, and their resilience, food security and productive capacity restored/enhanced”, and the activity: “Livelihoods of vulnerable households are protected, and their resilience, food security and productive capacity restored/enhanced”.

The project was designed in full coordination and cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture and it goes in line with the MoA national strategy 2017-2022. 

The project activities will respond to the different humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable groups (vulnerable farmers/herders), including women and men, to improve their living conditions by improving their access to inputs and utilizations of natural resources like water and grazing lands for their sheep and goat, improving the condition of the shelters for sheep and goat in the targeted areas. Women Households will be the first priority when targeting the families The main activities of the project will focus on:

Activity 1: Enhance protection and accessibility and improve livelihood of infrastructures of agricultural/grazing lands through rehabilitating7 Km agriculture roads of damaged/ not accessible due to settler and IF violence
The Intervention will benefit 175 families. By its nature, road rehabilitation will create jobs for 15 skilled and unskilled workers during 210 days.

Activity 2: Rehabilitation of rainwater collection (Cisterns). The Intervention will benefit 100 families and serving 5000 heads of sheep and goats, while also creating 500 working days in favor of 30 skilled and unskilled labors.

Activity 3: Barn rehabilitation (76 barn) . The Intervention benefiting 76 families, and also create 532 working days for 33 labor.

This project aims at enhancing the resilience and protect the agricultural livelihoods of 361 food insecure families in (515 women, 495 men, 406 boys, 389 girls) in 4 major communities in Area C- eastern slopes in Bethlehem governorate. These communities are Bedouin communities and are subject to a high risk of demolitions, displacement, Israeli forces and settlers’ violence. The mentioned locations are Kisan, A Rashaiydeh, Ar Rawaien, and Al Walayida. In total, 1630 working days will have created for 94 workers in these communities.