From war to hope: Humanitarian Youth Group - Palestine is a model of young people's important role in leading the humanitarian response
Occupied Palestinian territories. The West Bank and Gaza Strip live in a permanent state of emergency due to the continued Israeli occupation causing denial of all basic human rights to Palestinians, the further military escalation and repeated military wars against the Gaza Strip, the latest of which has been the ongoing Israeli war since October 2023.The ongoing war killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, while it continually has devastating impacts on all aspects of life and it displaced more than 85% of the Gaza Strip's population and caused further deterioration of humanitarian conditions. Youth do not only need to be engaged in humanitarian efforts, but they need to be placed at the center of humanitarian response.
In this context, Action Aid-Palestine (AAP) promotes and supports building capacities of young people in response and preparedness for new disasters, emergencies and shocks by providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge. AAP established and supported, Humanitarian Youth Group - Palestine(HYGP) whose members include young activists from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who play a role in implementing numerous humanitarian initiatives and activities and organizing lobbying and advocacy campaigns advocating for human rights and Palestinian rights and challenging the existing humanitarian structure in the Palestinian territories. Khaled (30 years old) is a youth activist and member of HYGP living in Gaza Strip talks about the importance of involving young people in humanitarian work: "It is no secret that young people play a vital role in any development process in all societies. We believe in the genuine and effective role young people play during crises, disasters, or periods of war.”
AAP helps members of this group to build their capacities in networking and building relationships with local and international institutions and cluster groups for humanitarian and development work in the Palestinian territories. Their participation in numerous international conferences and exercises is also supported to enhance young people's ability to advocate, network and build alliances with humanitarian and youth groups that are active advocates for the rights of the Palestinian people and the rights of the oppressed and to ensure the development of effective humanitarian systems at the national, regional and international levels.
Enhancing participatory Approach in Designing humanitarian response design
The members of (HYGP) adopt the participatory approach of humanitarian action in designing their initiatives and interventions by assessing and identifying the needs of the community through meetings and consultations with community members and partners from local and international institutions immediately after disasters and crises occur to build and design the humanitarian response accordingly. Walaa’ is a young female activist in HYGP living in Gaza highlights the importance of this approach: "the Youth Humanitarian Action Group - Palestine adopts the participatory approach to working with society; we build all of our interventions message, and advocacy efforts on consultations and discussions we conduct between the group members and members of the community. "
Engaging young people in humanitarian work as a means for Empowering young people in decision-making processes
The members of HYGP work under difficult and complex conditions. Young people in the Gaza Strip suffer from displacement, loss of parents, friends, wounds, loss of the right to education, health, employment opportunities, destruction of neighborhoods, infrastructure, schools, universities and psychological stress due to the continuing war. Palestinian youth and activists in the West Bank are also subjected to arbitrary arrests and killings in the face of repeated Israeli military incursions into cities and camps, movement restrictions and the closure of cities. These circumstances have not prevented HYGP from having the will and the initiative to implement humanitarian initiatives that strengthen the resilience of their community, empower them in decision-making processes related to young people's humanitarian work and acquire the leadership skills necessary to build a better future for Palestine.
Khalid who has been forcibly displaced multiple times by the Israeli military attacks on Gaza over the past year talks about his displacement experience : “I experienced the same conditions that other [Palestinians and their families] have faced. We lived through one displacement after the other. This has negatively affected everyone’s lives. Everyone in the Gaza Strip, and even outside of it, knows that displacement is one of the most difficult parts of the war because of the pain and suffering that people endure. One of our] initiatives aim to improve the psychological well-being of children in shelters and displacement camps”.
Youth As Partners in Leading Humanitarian Response and Raising Hope for a Better Future for Palestine
The members of HYGP in the Gaza Strip worked to implement several educational initiatives targeting displaced children who lost their right to education because of the destruction of schools and educational centers. They also organized several psychosocial support activities through the implementation of a series of hope festivals, which included music, art, singing and unloading activities to paint a smile on children's faces in shelters and to alleviate the psychological stresses they suffer from due to fear of bombardment, loss of father and mother and displacement.
The HYGP initiatives were not limited to children in the Gaza Strip. They also focused on organizing awareness-raising sessions targeting members of society on issues related to the effects of war, such as awareness-raising workshops on the dangers of unexploded ordnance spread in the Gaza Strip due to large-scale Israeli airstrikes, with Gaza covered by approximately 37 million tons of rubble. Countless unexploded ordnance remains in the rubble. The presence of unexploded ordnance will remain a deadly threat for years to come. This poses a fatal danger to Palestinians as they return to the ruins of their destroyed homes.
Khalid and Walaa’ as members of HYGP have conducted risk education sessions where they identified different types of unexploded ordnances, explained their risks, and taught protection methods. Other topics included recognizing warning signs, practicing safe behavior, and handling emergency situations
Walaa’ highlighted the importance of this initiative: “Raising awareness about unexploded ordnances is extremely important in the Gaza Strip where there is no safe place and indiscriminate bombing everywhere. People who do not lose their lives or body parts [in the war], might lose their lives or body parts while playing near or touching unexploded ordnances. For this reason, these workshops are needed to raise awareness in the community and among children particularly, because they have the curiosity to explore everything. It is very important to conduct and organize sessions to raise their awareness about unexploded ordnances and save their lives [through] the practices that should be followed when they see those materials in Gaza.”
HYGP’s initiatives in the West Bank target areas and groups that are mostly affected by the ongoing military escalation, which is constantly being subjected to Israeli incursions and the destruction of infrastructure such as camps in the north of the West Bank. These initiatives included the distribution of food rations, sanitation and dignity kits, and winter items to affected women and families. Financial support was also provided to the Freedom Theatre in the Jenin refugee camp, to implement film festival, which highlighted humanitarian violations in Palestine and showcased the influence of women's leadership during emergencies. In addition, it included interactive workshops for children and youth.
The members of HYGP are unified to achieve their common noble and goals serving their community and strengthening the role of young people in leading humanitarian action.
Khalid said: “The main reason for joining [the Humanitarian Youth Group] was my belief, alongside my colleagues, in the importance of having young people within decision-making positions in the humanitarian sector. Young people are the backbone of any society. They are an integral part of the system in any country throughout the world. We each face our own issues and obstacles. What’s important is how you overcome these obstacles and how you improve based on the lessons you learned. We hope we leave a mark and make a difference in every aspect. We hope to achieve our noble goal to integrate young people into decision-making roles and keep them involved in humanitarian work.”
About ActionAid International
ActionAid International is a global federation working with over 41 million people living in more than 72 of the world's poorest countries. We envision a world characterized by justice and sustainability, where every individual has the right to a dignified life and freedom, and a world free from poverty and oppression. We strive to achieve social justice, gender equality, and eradicate poverty.
ActionAid Palestine began its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, believing in their right to enjoy freedom, justice, and self-determination. ActionAid Palestine implements several programs through its engagement with Palestinian communities and youth and women’s groups, aiming to empower women and youth and enhance their active civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective action to address the rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation, in addition to improving their leadership capacity and practicing their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers accountable.
For more information, please contact:
Riham Jafari
Communication and Advocacy Officer at ActionAid Palestine
Email: Riham.Jafari@actionaid.org