Germany, through KfW Development Bank, has signed an agreement with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) to provide an additional amount of four million euros to respond to the shelter reconstruction and psycho-social support needs of Palestinians in Gaza who lost their homes due to the escalation in May 2021.
Oliver Owcza, Head of the German Representative Office in Ramallah, David Kunze, Director of the KfW Office in Ramallah, and Tokumitsu Kobayashi, Director of UNOPS in Palestine, attended the signing ceremony.
According to a statement by the UN, this agreement is an extension to the agreement signed in July 2018, under which some 300 homes have already been re-constructed and an additional 1,375 substandard shelters are being rehabilitated.
Furthermore, around 1,700 families have been receiving legal aid regarding housing, land, and property rights.
With the additional funding of four million euros, the total project budget will increase to 25.15 million euros, which will enable UNOPS to provide financial assistance to an additional 85 families, whose homes were destroyed in May 2021, and to provide them with access to mental health and psychosocial support, the statement explained.
Under this project, UNOPS will continue to provide Gazans with safe, secure, and sustainable homes. Particular attention is given to women and elderly-headed households, as well as people living with disabilities.
