Middle East, North Africa and Europe
Palestine ranks 115 out of 189 on the 2020 Human Development Index (HDI). CARE International’s programs in Palestine (West Bank/Gaza) focus on the economic empowerment of women and youth, as well as humanitarian response to meet basic and long-term needs.
CARE International has been working in the West Bank and Gaza since 1948. We have collaborated closely with local partners to help strengthen democracy and civil society, with a particular focus on meeting the needs of poor, vulnerable and marginalized people in Gaza.
Throughout the devastating waves of violence Palestine has faced over the past decades, CARE and our partners have continued to help people in need. From 2012, when our office was damaged by airstrikes and we were able to continue our emergency response, to the ongoing conflict, we have worked with communities to provide emergency aid and support long-term recovery.
CARE Palestine (West Bank/Gaza) has a long-term commitment to engage Palestinian communities in development processes that enable them to determine their futures, realize their rights, and live in peace and dignity.
We focus on promoting women’s political participation and social entrepreneurship, supporting their skills and agency development.
Since the start of the ongoing devastating conflict in October 2023, CARE and our partners have worked to provide emergency aid to help reduce desperate needs among people in Gaza. We have distributed thousands of essential items including potable water, clothes, and shelter kits, and supported healthcare systems by donating medicine and equipment as well as setting up mobile clinics. Our goal is to address the extreme levels of humanitarian need now and support the long-term recovery of affected communities.
CARE and peer organizations working in the Strip provide a detailed account of the multiple obstacles to deliver life-saving aid.
Statement by CARE’s Gaza Response Director, Francis Hughes.
Nine months on from the escalation of war in Gaza, women there have conceived, miscarried, and birthed their babies in constant fear. It is hell, the pregnant women in Gaza are living through every day.
Lack of sanitary pads, essential hygiene items and safe drinking water have turned simple activities into a daily ordeal for women and girls in Gaza.
In this interview, Yasmin*, 33, talks about her family's recent displacement, children’s poor nutritional status, the fear of being attacked, and how helpless it makes her feel that she can no longer make her children smile.
In this interview, Basem*, a 48 year old man from Gaza talks about the challenges of finding food for his children, lack of water and sanitation facilities, and the memories of the house he has built with his own hands.
CARE and other 12 INGOs working in Gaza provide an accurate picture of the immense challenges that impede our humanitarian response in the Strip.
The focus of this Rapid Gender Analysis is to better understand the experiences of women, men, girls and boys in Rafah, and to identify how CARE and the local and international humanitarian community can best respond and provide support amidst the crisis.
This Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) aims to highlight existing gender, age and disability data and provide operational recommendations for the humanitarian response in Gaza.
In FY2023, CARE worked around the world, contributing to saving lives, fighting poverty, and increasing social justice.
