Food parcels for displaced families in Deir al-Balah
Rounds of dry food parcels for displaced families in the city, arranged with neighbourhood committees.
- families
- 180
- distribution rounds
- 6
Seeds of Hope Association
Seeds Today … Hope Tomorrow
A Palestinian non-governmental charitable organisation working in the community and developmental sector in the Gaza Strip, seeking to empower people and help build a more just, cohesive, and prosperous society.
Farmland in the Gaza Strip, 2 February 2023. Photograph: Jaber Jehad Badwan.
Why we do this
From our office in Deir al-Balah, we have worked since 2007 with families in the Gaza Strip who want to stand on their own feet again. We believe help has done its job when it leaves something behind: a skill people use, land that is planted, a child back in learning.
So we combine relief when need is sharpest with training and livelihoods when rebuilding becomes possible. The purpose is the same in both: a family able to manage its own affairs, with dignity.
Gaza port, 26 March 2014. Photograph: Ramez Habboub.
Education through technology
Schools and universities across the Gaza Strip have been destroyed or badly damaged. That is why education has a special place in our work, and why we seek to help people move to learning with technology and the tools it offers, so that education does not stop when the classroom is gone.
Education and training in our workFields of work
See our work- Humanitarian Aid & ReliefSeasonal assistance and humanitarian support for families and communities in need in the Gaza Strip.
- Education & Training & Capacity BuildingEducation and training that build self-reliance skills, within the ongoing UNRWA partnership.
- Health & Psychosocial SupportHealth and psychosocial activities for individuals and families in our areas of work.
- Economic Empowerment & Social SupportLivelihood initiatives and social support for families, widows and orphans.
- Agricultural DevelopmentLand reclamation and agricultural projects that support local production.
15,000work opportunities for men and women over a period of 16 years
across agriculture, land reclamation, education, healthcare, psychosocial support, and culture
As stated in the association’s official flyer
Selected projects
All projectsDigital learning points in Gaza City
Shared devices, power and a connection for school and university students continuing their studies online.
- students
- 120
- learning points
- 3
Evening learning circles in Al-Zawayda
Short reading and arithmetic sessions for children out of school, led by teachers from the town.
- children
- 90
- facilitators
- 4
How we work
We listen first
We sit with people from the neighbourhood or camp and their committees, and write the need in their words before naming any activity.
We choose what can be finished
Every activity has a place, a period and a clear end. We prefer small work that gets finished to large promises that do not.
We work with local people
Facilitation, distribution and follow-up are done by people from the community. Organisation and safety stay the association's responsibility.
We review and share what we learned
When it ends we write down what was done and what was not, report it to the general assembly, and send the summary by email to anyone who asks.
Who we serve
We work across the entire Gaza Strip. We start with those whose need is greatest, and agree with local committees who each activity reaches first.
- Families who lost an income or were displaced from their homes
- Widows, orphans and their families
- Women looking for a skill they can practise at home or nearby
- Young men and women without steady work
- Children whose regular school day has stopped
- Households cultivating a small plot next to their home
- People who need a group psychosocial meeting
- School and university students whose places of study were destroyed
Partners
More about our partners- UNRWAOngoingProjects in education, health, psychosocial support and culture, including job-creation and agricultural land reclamation.
- World Food Programme (WFP)PastFood distribution for displaced families during the 2023 war in Rafah Governorate.
- International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)PastTraining programmes for rural women in handicrafts and development.
- Agricultural Relief (PARC)PastAgricultural land reclamation and agricultural inputs.