Polish aid

IMPLEMENTING ENTITY Polish Center for International Aid

PLACE OF IMPLEMENTATION Palestine, West Bank

CO-FINANCING PLN 1,590,526

The Palestinian society, which faces various shortages, is severely affected by the ongoing climate changes. The decreasing amount of rainfall and rising temperatures, coupled with the fact that 82% of ground waters are controlled by Israel, result in insufficient amounts of water for households, agriculture and industry. In these circumstances, it is not only necessary to take efforts to increase effective use of conventional water sources, but also look for non-conventional ones such as treated wastewater. The Polish Centre for International Aid attempted to solve these difficult challenges in partnership with the Applied Research Institute Jerusalem (ARIJ). As part of their activities underground irrigation systems using treated wastewater have been installed on plots adjacent to water treatment plants in two villages. Irrigating installations (drip irrigation in this case) were also placed in house gardens in the Beit Ula locality, supporting people in dire economic straits. These technologies allowed to start cultivation and reap the first harvests, some of which were sold at a profit. The project had a minor impact on jobless Palestinian youths who participated in specialist training courses and received support towards earning their own income; however, thanks to the involvement and the aid provided, some of them managed to escape the vicious circle of unemployment and improve their economic circumstances.