GAZA, July 6, 2009 (WAFA)- An Eye to the Future: Building Skills and Attitudes that Underwrite and Promote Conflict Mitigation in Gaza is a new project for CARE and its Palestinian partners supported by funding from the United State Agency for International Development (USAID)
Eye to the Future will develop child-centred conflict mitigation programs in three of the most conflict affected areas of the Gaza Strip. Approximately 2400 children aged 9-13 will participate in a community-based effort characterized by intentional programming that integrates behavioral and attitudinal change strategies with fun and constructive activities. Children will be supervised and mentored by adults who will be carefully and thoroughly trained by the project and low child/adult ratios will assure children receive the kind of guidance, attention, and modelling necessary to effect the desired changes. Parents and community leaders will be integrated into the program through dedicated programming, multiplying the dissemination of the conflict mitigation, pro-social messaging.
CARE International will work in partnership with three community based organizations (CBOs) partners (Eastern Gaza Society for Family Development (EGS), Al Ataa' Charitable Society (ACS) and Beit Lahia Development Association (BLDA)) to develop and implement a before/after school program, which targets children (male and female) ages 9-13 through a combination of technical assistance, training and grants to serve East Gaza, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia areas. These programs are intended to provide children with a time and place where they can participate in fun activities such as arts and crafts, dance, and sports, use libraries and computer labs, get help with homework and receive close attention from the trained activities leaders who are drawn from the children's' own communities and therefore represent a potential ongoing positive influence and resource for the children.
CARE will conduct a participatory needs assessment of the capacity of its partner CBOs and provide them with capacity building they need to help them in developing their grants applications and better manage their resources. During the first three months of project implementation, partner CBOs will develop the sub-grant proposals for 18 months, which will also include tailored capacity building programs based on the results of the assessment. Additional rounds of grants will be initiated at a later stage.
Eye to the Future is a 36 month project, which starts on July 1, 2009 and will run until June 30, 2012.
