Food Security in Al-Zannah Village, Southern Gaza

Published
November 1, 2007

The Gaza Strip has one of the densest populations in the world with about 1.5 million people living in 360 square kilometers. The majority of the population are refugees and over 50% of the refugees live in 8 camps. 70% of households live below the poverty line and 42% live in extreme poverty. There are limited resources and little economic activity so people depend on outside supplies of food, medicines and fuel.

This project targeted poor female-headed households living in Al-Zannah village in Bani Suhaila Municipality, Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip.

Project Outline

This project was for poor female-headed households living in Al-Zannah village in Bani Suhaila Municipality, Khan Younis area of the southern Gaza Strip. 80 low-income families were provided with an animal production unit each, including a pen, 10 hens, and a rooster. Training was conducted on the operational aspects of raising and caring for hens. Beneficiaries who were not receiving assistance from other aid agencies were selected.

Impact

65 households who were not receiving any food aid were selected as project beneficiaries. Families had improved quality and quantity of nutrition through the production of eggs and chicken breeding.

Contractors were hired to construct a chicken pen for each household, with 650 hens and 65 roosters distributed. Each household received training on animal husbandry and caring for chickens. The decrease in the anticipated 80 households was due to a shortage of local materials, which increased the costs of making a pen. As a result of this project, food insecurity reduced as families had an extra source of protein.

Case Study

Alia”a Abu is a mother of 6 children and wife to a disabled husband. Prior to the project the family relied of community organization handouts and help from neighbors. The children said they had not eaten meat in a month; the chickens gave the family the protein and nutrients that they had been lacking.