Situation Overview
Highlights
- Half a million children in Gaza returned to school on 14 September facilitated by a massive Back to School campaign led by the Education cluster, co-led by Save the Children and UNICEF. The first week of
- school is devoted to structured psychosocial support and recreational activities that ease the transition back to learning.
- Almost 60,000 IDPs continue to seek shelter in 20 UNRWA schools. With 26 Ministry of Education schools destroyed beyond repair and
- another 258 schools and kindergartens damaged, there is a huge strain on an already over-stretched education system in Gaza.
- The mass movement of civilians, children in particular, into areas that were intensively affected by airstrikes and shelling, raises major concerns about Explosive Remnants of War (ERW).
- Despite extensive repairs, electricity outages of 18 hours a day continue in most areas across Gaza. As a result, WASH services are disrupted with 450,000 unable to access municipal water.
Flash Appeal: $39.8 million
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- More than half a million students returned to school in Gaza on 14 September. Huge efforts have been made to ensure that students return to safe, clean, and well equipped schools with supportive teachers, and counsellors. Unlike previous years, the first week of schooling is devoted to structured psychosocial support and recreational activities that ease the transition back to learning. In Gaza, over a quarter of a million students attend public-run schools.
- Members of the education cluster, including the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, have provided educational supplies to all public schools, and will carry out recreational activities, including psychosocial support, as well as carrying basic repairs for lightly damaged schools. UNICEF is providing 130,000 schools bags, including stationery kits, teaching aids for all government schools, and has carried out training of nearly 12,000 school counsellors, teachers and supervisors on improved counselling skills. In addition, UNICEF has undertaken the cleaning of 27 public schools that were used as shelters during the height of the conflict.
- Almost 60,000 IDPs still seek refuge in 20 UNRWA emergency collective shelters and another 50,000 IDPs live with host families. The combined figure of 110,000 IDPs is broadly commensurate with the number of families now homeless after 20,000 homes were destroyed during the conflict.
- The National Consensus Government's Ministry of Public Works, in partnership with UNRWA and UNDP have commenced joint shelter assessments of damaged homes in the Gaza Strip. The joint shelter assessments and assistance packages will help facilitate a transition period for internally displaced persons currently taking refuge in UNRWA schools and elsewhere. All affected families in Gaza will be assessed, including refugees and non-refugees. Families with uninhabitable homes, approximately 20,000 households, will receive one-time assistance of $500 for non-food items to help the families get back on their feet. IDP families living in communities will be offered monthly support based on their family-size: 1-5 receive $200 per month, 6-10 $225 per month and over 10 $250 per month.
- As families transition from collective shelters to other shelter solutions such as host families or rented accommodation, it is imperative that case management of these families continues to help prevent exposure to sexual or gender-based violence, domestic violence and other kinds of abuse that are common in a post-conflict context. Lessons learned from the Syria Crisis and known protection risks around displacement in collective centers and host families are key to mitigating such protection risks. The UNICEF-led Child Protection Working Group is actively working with shelter partners, UNRWA and other key players, to ensure that essential monitoring, referral pathways and case management systems are in place for this high risk period of transition.
- On 9 September, the $551 million Gaza Crisis Appeal was launched in a joint press conference with Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Palestine, H.E. Dr. Mohammad Mustafa, and the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. James W. Rawley. It focuses on displaced persons, the injured, the elderly, children, and women, as well as farmers and fishermen who have lost their livelihoods.
- The open-ended ceasefire brokered by the Egyptian government and agreed by the armed groups in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority and Israel entered into force on 26 August, is holding with no major incidents reported. The Gaza Power Plant remains inoperable, resulting in electricity outages of 18 hours per day. Some 450,000 people remain unable to access municipal water due to damage or low pressure. The Gaza economy has been very badly impacted due to damage in the main industrial areas, mostly situated in Eastern Gaza.
Summary Analysis of Programme response
UNICEF's emergency scaled-up response in Gaza is targeting children who attend public schools, under five year old children and mothers, and vulnerable households in the most affected communities. UNICEF is currently focusing on supporting affected children and families in shelters, host families, and the communities that have been most severely hit. To respond to the urgent needs of the population, UNICEF has brought in significant additional international surge staff for programme response and cluster coordination.
Education
On 14 September, approximately 230,000 school children returned back to Government schools after 3 weeks of delay due to the 50 days of hostilities in the Gaza strip. During the crisis, and after a ceasefire was reached on 26thAugust, UNICEF worked closely with Education Cluster members, the MoEHE and partners in preparing for the reopening of schools.
Before the first day of school, UNICEF:
- Supported:
The cleaning and disinfection of 27 Government Schools that were used as collective shelters during the conflict. This was achieved through efforts of various organizations coordinated by MA'AN with UNICEF's support.
the orientation of about 12,000 school principals, school counsellors, supervisors, and teachers on psychosocial support, the nonviolence in schools policy, detection of traumatized children and referrals. This was achieved through cascade training. 56 school principals and subject supervisors were trained as trainers on the nonviolence in schools policy and on classroom management. They in turn trained 400 school principals and 11,000 teachers. 400 school counselors had a refresher training on psychosocial support in schools and then oriented the teachers in their schools. In total, 186 subject supervisors, 400 school principals, 400 school counselors and 11,000 teachers had received training before the start of the new school year.
Tankering of safe drinking water to schools (on daily basis, to serve 76,050 students and 2430 teachers in 117 schools.
- Distributed:
10,000 school bags and 10,000 stationary kits for school children in MOEHE schools;
231 teaching aids to 231 schools to enable teachers to work in a more conducive teaching and learning environment.
623 recreational kits to 395 schools to enable the schools to implement recreational activities with the school children in the first week of the new academic year.
28 ECD kits to schools that have preschool classes.
50 tarpaulins to 50 elementary schools to provide shade for children playing.
In addition, UNICEF is currently organizing:
- Distribution of the remaining 120,000 school bags that are being locally manufactured in Gaza by 3 suppliers at a rate of 24,000 bags per week, as well as 120,000 stationary kits.
- Distribution of the remaining 164 teaching aids to fully equip all 395 MOEHE schools.
- Repair of 26 schools that sustained minor damage during the conflict in West Gaza directorates through partner ACF.
- Provision of school uniforms and shoes to the most vulnerable children through the joint WFP-UNICEF e-voucher programme. So far, funding has been secured for 15,000 pairs of school uniforms and shoes.
- Recreational and fun activities in Government schools through partnership with Tamer, MA'AN and Alnayzak.
Water Sanitation and Hygiene
- CMWU is continuing urgent repairs of water and sewage pipe systems. UNICEF is procuring generator parts for CMWU to do repairs for essential WASH operations.
- PHG and GVC, with UNICEF's support, continue to provide water tankering for drinking water. To date, 4253 cubic meters of water have been provided to 50,000 individuals. PHG and GVC have also distributed 370 communal tanks in the Middle area of Gaza. In partnership with MA'AN, 14 water bladders have been installed: 6 in Gaza City, 5 in Khan Younis and 3 in Beit Hanoun. In total these water filling stations will provide water to 71,000 people.
Water tankering for domestic use is ongoing. MA'AN delivered 4,504 cubic meters of water to 31,528 beneficiaries in Gaza City.
Child Protection
- 12,395 adolescents and children (49% females) benefited from basic psychosocial support and recreational activities including stress relief and self-expression activities with the support of UNICEF partners MA'AN and Tamer in 19 government shelters, 15 community-based organizations and 7 Libraries. On September 11th, MA'AN conducted "fun-day" events in 8 communities and 2,360 children participated in psychosocial and recreational activities. UNICEF in partnership with NGOs and MoEHE will expand their activities in other CBOs and government schools, reaching more children to help them better cope with their experiences of the conflict.
- Emergency support to children and caregivers was provided through Sawa Child Protection Helpline, 2,128 children have been reached and 3,686 caregivers.
- A UNICEF-led Task Force on referral and case management continues to meet to identify potential focal points that should be trained to recognize child protection risks. This will contribute to the strengthening and rebuilding of child and family referral networks and case management systems in Gaza.
- UNICEF, through the Child Protection Working Group, organized a one day planning workshop to determine gaps in child protection and devise a strategy for short and long term interventions.
- UNICEF has reached an agreement with Internews to broadcast Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) Radio spots to raise awareness of children and their families on ERW dangers. During the conflict, 1 million people in Gaza were educated on ERW risk through local radio stations.
Child Health & Nutrition
- A UNICEF funded shipment of 107 pallets of medical consumables arrived on 10 and 11 September. Vaccines have been disbursed to Primary Health Centers run by the Ministry of Health and UNRWA and Vaccination coverage is higher than 95%, the same level as before the crisis.
- The needs of the Ministry are still high and more support is required to re-stock the essential drugs and medical supplies.
- 1483 men, 3484 women and 2935 children participated in 297 awareness sessions on communicable diseases organized by MoH at collective shelters and primary health care facilities.
- Breastfeeding awareness sessions by MoH benefitted 3567 mothers and 2635 children.
- MoH teams continued to make home visits to provide postnatal and neonatal care and advice to 1443 mothers and their neonates. This agreement with MoH is a long-standing agreement that has been scaled-up to respond to current needs. Near East Council of Churches is training staff to compliment activities of the Ministry and provide home visits in Rafah and Al Darraj.
Humanitarian leadership and coordination
- UNICEF leads the Child Protection Working Group and affiliated groups for mental health and psychosocial sevices (MHPSS), and for monitoring and reporting of grave violations against children (MRM). These groups have been merged to maximise coordination of child protection responses during the
- UNICEF continues to lead the WASH cluster and co-lead the Education cluster with Save the Children, both in Gaza and at the national level, with dedicated staff capacity.
- Emergency Operations Centres (EOC) have been established in Gaza and Ramallah.
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/UNICEFSitRpt_150914.pdf
Document Type: Situation Report, Update
Document Sources: United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)
Subject: Armed conflict, Assistance, Ceasefire, Children, Closure of institutions, Education and culture, Gaza Strip, Health, Humanitarian relief, Incidents, Internally displaced persons, Living conditions, Population, Protection, Refugees and displaced persons, Security issues, Shelter, Water
Publication Date: 15/09/2014