How staff and the Bank are making a difference

We are stepping up our engagement with communities in Gaza through two targeted initiatives, working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and using new rules to allow Community Initiative-type projects in this region.

These efforts respond to the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation and reflect both the Bank’s commitment to working with partners to deliver practical assistance and the strong interest from colleagues across the Bank in supporting communities in the region at a time of acute need.

In May the Bank signed an agreement with UNICEF to support vulnerable children and families in Gaza. Funded with €500,000 from trust fund resources over a 12-month period,
this initiative will deliver essential water, sanitation and hygiene services, alongside targeted cash assistance to those most in need.

The programme is expected to improve access to safe water for around 50,000 people, including more than 23,000 children, and to support approximately 1,400 households, particularly those caring for children with disabilities or injuries. By combining emergency water supply with digitally delivered cash assistance, the initiative will help families meet basic needs among other things.

Bank staff can now get involved, too: our first staff-led Community Initiative in Gaza, launched in partnership with UNDP, will support the provision of Relief Housing Units for families who have lost their homes due to the conflict.

Across Gaza, many households remain displaced and are living in deteriorating conditions. This programme will help to provide safe, dignified transitional housing, offering protection, privacy and basic living conditions as families begin to recover. The initiative places particular emphasis on reaching those most at risk, including women-headed households and families with persons with disabilities. It also reflects how the Community Initiative can respond quickly and directly to emerging challenges, while giving staff a meaningful way to contribute.

Staff will be invited to take part in a fundraising effort with a target of €50,000, which the Bank will double match, significantly increasing the impact of individual contributions. Further details on how to participate will be shared shortly.

We are proud to mark the Community Initiative’s 10th anniversary by remaining responsive to our regions’ needs and our staff initiatives.

Listing of current EBRD Community Initiative fundraising projects:

• Relief housing units for families in Gaza
• New beginning, Mongolia
• Fire Aid and international development
• The Ukrainian Firefighters Foundation
• Ukrainian charity foundation Children of Heroes
• Non-Governmental Organisation GEN UKRAINIAN CAMP