Bolstering communities’ ability to protect themselves in the West Bank

In dozens of villages across the West Bank, Palestinian volunteers equipped by World Vision can now respond to emergencies, fight fires and provide emergency first aid.

Since 7 October, communities across the West Bank have seen an unprecedented escalation of violence, many episodes which have led to casualties and/or serious damages. In scores of villages, homes have been burnt and shops, crops, olive trees and cars have been destroyed, affecting the livelihoods of thousands of people.

Because of the hundreds of checkpoints, barriers and obstacles preventing people’s movements, even in cases of emergencies, the Civil Defence (firefighters) and ambulances are often unable to respond quickly and are even sometimes a target themselves.

The 1,200 habitants of Al-Funduq know this new reality all too well. In their village alone, they have experienced dozens of violent incidents over the past 10 months. Fires have caused serious damage and injured numerous people. However, most of the time, firefighters and paramedics located in Qalqilya, less than 20 kilometres away, are unable to reach them due to road closures and safety risks.

To reduce response times and save lives, young people in Al-Funduq village came together to form a civil defence committee that can quickly respond to incidents until the Civil Defence or ambulances can arrive.

“World Vision provided us with firefighting and first aid materials and the Civil Defence and the Palestinian Red Crescent implemented firefighting and first aid trainings for the community volunteers. [Al-Funduq] now has a well-equipped and trained committee who can handle emergency situations.” –  Luai Taim, head of Al-Funduq Village Council

The availability of this equipment, funded by World Vision Australia, World Vision Taiwan and the Humanitarian Coalition (Canada), has helped reduce the severity of the incidents. When fire recently spread across fields and crops in Al-Funduq, threatening to destroy crops and homes, Luai told us that the worst was avoided because “the community defence committee, using the materials provided by World Vision, managed to control the fire before the fire truck, delayed by roadblocks, was even able to arrive.”  

Strengthening communities’ preparedness by equipping local volunteers and facilities has been a priority for World Vision as part of our emergency response to the Middle East Crisis in the West Bank. In May and June alone, we were able to deliver US$120,000 worth of emergency preparedness equipment to more than 20 health clinics, seven Civil Defence centres and 22 village councils. Two emergency centres are now equipped with firefighting trailers, allowing them to quickly respond in villages cut from the main emergency services.

In the last 10 months, with the financial support of the European Union, Aktion Deutschland Hilft (Germany), the Humanitarian Coalition (Canada), World Vision Australia, World Vision Canada and World Vision United States, our organisation has supported more than 155 villages with emergency preparedness equipment.