Al-Meyah Nebd Al-Haya (Water, The Pulse Of Life)
Brief Description of the Project: As part of the Civic Hackathon project, which is implemented by the Community Development and Continuing Education Institute in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Family Health International (fhi360) within the framework of the Civil Participation and Community Engagement Project (CPCE) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Civic Hackathon project aims to contribute to strengthening the role of social accountability committees and youth councils in decision-making processes by implementing community initiatives to address obstacles to social inclusion and gender equality in the less fortunate communities in the southern West Bank. Responsive community initiatives have been implemented to address community needs identified and agreed upon by active stakeholders in the local community, and this initiative was one of them.
Initiative Summary:
- Location: Al-Khader Town
- Implementation Date: May 25, 2023- July 15, 2023
- Executors: Social Accountability Committee/ Al-Khader Town
- Problem and Intervention:
The Problem and Intervention: The residents of Al-Khader town suffer from the ongoing issue of almost constant water interruptions due to poor management and distribution. Consequently, the Social Accountability Committee took the initiative to present the problem to relevant authorities and on a social level, involve town institutions and the municipality, as it is a public issue. Meetings were held with officials from the water department and local government in collaboration with the Al-Khader municipality to address the worsening crisis, especially during the summer. Awareness workshops were conducted on the water crisis, emphasizing the efficient use of available water resources in households. Pressure groups were formed, advocacy campaigns were launched, and social media platforms were utilized to exert pressure for solutions to contribute to resolving the problem. Additionally, a documentary film was produced to capture the challenges faced by the people of Al-Khader due to water shortages.
Main activities/outputs:
- Discussion session regarding the Water Scarcity Issue in the town
- Stakeholders’ dialogue session between the SAC members, the municipality, and the Water Supply and Sewage Authority in Bethlehem
- Short documentary video about the water scarcity problems in the town along with the Initiative process
- Develop a fact sheet about the water status in the Town
- Social Media Awareness Campaign
- Closing Event of the initiative integrated with the disclosure of the newly developed fact sheet and short documentary video
