Government of Japan and UNDP build 120 housing units in Gaza – UNDP/PAPP press release

PRESS RELEASE

Rebuilding a Dream

The Government of Japan and UNDP Handed Over Houses

to Families in Gaza

Gaza, 11 September 2012 – Today 120 families are the proud owners of houses handed over to them by the Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme in Khan Younis. Mr Hideaki Yamamoto, Deputy Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority, Yasmine Sherif, UNDP Deputy Special Representative and representatives from 20 families, attended the ceremony at UNDP offices in Gaza.

The USD 5 million project comes as a response to the non-refugee families who lost their homes in Rafah and Khan Younis during the last incursion. The project included the construction of 120 housing units in 20 buildings. Each unit is 110 square meters, with three bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, two bathrooms, an emergency rechargeable light in case of power cuts for each unit, and a solar heating system.

“I know that the number of apartments constructed through this project is not enough to solve the growing housing crisis in the Gaza Strip,” said Mr Hideaki Yamamoto, Deputy Representative of Japan to the Palestinian Authority. “We are proud to make a modest contribution especially for people who are in dire need and I also appreciate calling the housing neighborhood on behalf of the Touhoku region in memory of those who perished in the 2011 Tsunami”.

The project generated over 60,000 workdays for workers in the construction industry and local manufacturers at a time when unemployment in the Gaza Strip is high.

Furthermore, the project provided 10,500 square meters of internal roads and landscapes, including telephone cables, lighting pools and one transformer. The project also provided 600 linear meters of sewage networks, one sewage pumping station, 1.5 km of a sewage pressure line, and 430 linear meters of water networks.

“This project, with the generous support from the Government of Japan, brought homes to the people that lost their houses, and now after six years, 120 families will move into them.” said Yasmine Sherif, UNDP Deputy Special Representative of the Administrator.“ This project will bring a sense of reconstruction to the community”.

According to Mohammad, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries, this project will positively affect their lives. “We lived through a tragedy, but now with your support we will live a decent and better life,” he said.

The Khan Younis housing project is part of a larger assistance the Government of Japan has given the Palestinian people to develop other sectors including water, waste water, agriculture, access to justice, and solid waste. Currently UNDP has two ongoing projects funded by the Government of Japan in Gaza namely the Emergency Water Supply Project in Rafah and Beit Hanoun for the amount of USD 5,424,106 and the Clearance of UXOs, Rubble removal and immediate support for improvement of solid waste service management worth USD 18,262,000.

For further information, please contact:

Dania Darwish, Communications Specialist, Tel: 00972-2-6268229 – email: dania.darwish@undp.org, in Gaza
Hashim Al Husseini, Communications Assistant, Tel: 00972-59-2776565,  email: hashim.elhusseini@undp.org. For more information on UNDP/PAPP see http://www.undp.ps.

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