AVSI in Palestine
- Jerusalem HQ Office Saint Francis Street 1, Saint Saviour Monastery
AVSI has been present in Palestine since 1993, when it launched its first projects supporting small businesses and artisanal activities in the West Bank.
Today, through close collaboration with public and private local institutions, AVSI continues to operate across the West Bank.
Despite the extremely challenging context, AVSI promotes interventions focused on sustainable economic development, social inclusion, education, and access to healthcare.
The West Bank today
In 2024, the West Bank experienced a further deterioration of socioeconomic conditions, exacerbated by increased restrictions on movement, an escalation of violence linked to the war, and the climate crisis.
Rural and peripheral communities have been among the hardest hit, facing limited access to essential services and increasingly scarce economic opportunities.
Attacks against Palestinian families have increased significantly, including assaults on individuals, destruction of agricultural property, and damage to community infrastructure. The prevailing climate is one of uncertainty, while forced displacement continues across several areas of the West Bank.
Quality education for palestinian children
In the West Bank, secondary school attendance rates do not exceed 65%. AVSI supports six schools affiliated with the Custody of the Holy Land, serving approximately 1,200 Palestinian students in East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Jericho. Through its Distance Support Programme, AVSI provides:
- payment of school fees for 460 vulnerable students,
- extracurricular and psychosocial support activities for around 600 students each year,
- tools to ensure educational continuity, including during emergencies.
Since the outbreak of the war in October 2023, AVSI has expanded its support to parents and caregivers through art therapy and psychosocial support programmes.
Inclusive education and vocational training for children and youth with disabilities
In the West Bank, 22.5% of boys and 30% of girls aged 6–15 with disabilities have never attended compulsory education. Persons with disabilities face significant barriers not only in accessing education, but also in employment and social participation.
AVSI promotes an inclusive educational model that addresses the specific needs of students with disabilities. Through the Distance Support Programme, AVSI supports:
- inclusive education,
- vocational training opportunities for young people with disabilities,
- awareness-raising initiatives within school communities.
Employment inclusion and sustainable development in the governorates of Hebron and Ramallah
Although limited employment opportunities remain a major challenge in the West Bank, AVSI promotes projects that facilitate access to the labour market for the most vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, women, and young people.
AVSI believes that safeguarding opportunities for a dignified life for Palestinians remains essential, even in this extremely fragile context.
The approach is integrated and sustainable, with particular attention to climate resilience, agri-food value chains, and inclusive tourism.
Among the most significant initiatives is “Li Biladina: Sustainable Agriculture, Decent Work and Cultural Heritage Restoration for Community Resilience in the West Bank” (2022–2026), funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and implemented in partnership with the Italian CSO CRIC (Regional Centre for Intervention and Cooperation) and local organisations BASR (Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation), LRC (Land Research Center), and the Mosaic Center.
The project is implemented in the governorates of Hebron and Ramallah, particularly in the municipalities of El Burj, Sa’ir, and Taybeh, rural areas often marginalised and affected by restrictions on access and development.
Activities include:
- agricultural rehabilitation and installation of irrigation systems,
- training programmes for farmers and support for the creation of micro-enterprises,
- career guidance and employment opportunities for women, youth, and persons with disabilities,
- restoration of the cultural heritage of Al Burj, a village located 20 km southwest of Hebron with a history dating back to the Byzantine era. The project includes the restoration of an ancient Saracen fortress, now in ruins, together with other traditional architectural elements, to enhance local heritage and create opportunities for tourism and employment.
The project finances 40 new enterprises. To identify the 40 beneficiaries, coaching sessions open to anyone with a business idea were organised, resulting in more than 1,200 hours of coaching delivered.
Access to healthcare and protection in Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem
In the governorate of Nablus, where hospitals operate at only 70% of their capacity and primary healthcare centres function on average just two days per week, AVSI launched the project “Beyond Health: Right to Health and Protection in Nablus.”
The initiative aims to improve access to health, social, and protection services for the most vulnerable populations. In addition to equipping emergency centres in Nablus, Beita, and Huwwara with life-saving equipment and medical supplies, the project includes:
- psychosocial support for children, youth, and marginalised mothers,
- educational and artistic activities for students with learning difficulties who are at risk of dropping out of school,
- provision of assistive devices and access to rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities,
- training for 60 healthcare workers and 75 volunteers in emergency management.
The intervention directly reaches more than 400 people, while generating broader benefits for the local community.
In the governorates of Jenin and Tulkarem, the areas of the West Bank most affected by displacement—with more than 29,000 displaced people recorded in May 2025—AVSI leads the project “KARAMA – Inclusive and Dignified Access to Essential Services” (AID 12966/01/0), funded by AICS and implemented in consortium with CESVI, Emergenza Sorrisi, and the local partner BASR.
Over a nine-month period, the intervention seeks to protect the dignity of more than 121,000 vulnerable Palestinians through an integrated approach spanning protection, health, and WASH services:
- psychosocial support for children, youth, parents, and teachers through six community Safe Spaces and school-based activities,
- provision of rehabilitation aids and prosthetic devices (including through 3D printing) for persons with disabilities, alongside specialised training for BASR staff,
- strengthening of two primary healthcare clinics and the Jenin Governmental Hospital to support surgical interventions for displaced children,
- restoration of WASH services in schools hosting displaced families and support for solid waste management in the governorate of Tulkarem.
Across the governorates of Nablus, Jenin, and Tulkarem, AVSI’s interventions contribute to ongoing efforts by local institutions and actors to maintain the continuity of essential services in a context marked by increasing fragility. The integration of support to healthcare facilities, protection services, rehabilitation pathways, and psychosocial assistance helps foster a more coordinated response to the needs of individuals and communities most affected by the crisis.
