Planting Olive Trees in Palestine
INTERIM REPORT 2022
Your Support Changes Lives
On behalf of Islamic Relief Canada, I would like to thank you for your support of our Tree Planting project in Palestine. We pray that Allah accepts your efforts and contributions, and that He rewards you generously for your donation.
Your contribution is going towards planting 41,240 olive trees in Palestine and transforming the lives of 3,619 individuals.
Because of your generosity, your brothers and sisters in Palestine are being provided with the livelihood support needed to maintain their olive groves, make an income for themselves, and break the cycle of poverty.
We pray that Allah accepts our efforts and grants us the ability to continue helping those in need across the world, Ameen. Warmest Regards,
Usama Khan CEO, Islamic Relief Canada
Assalamu Alaikum,Our Work in Palestine
Islamic Relief has been on the ground in Gaza for the past 26 years, and is one of the only Muslim-based relief organizations that has a presence on the ground in Gaza.
Throughout escalations of violence, our work in Palestine provides essential medical supplies to support the treatment of injured Palestinians, food and hygiene vouchers, and immediate cash support to meet each vulnerable family’s needs.
With the aim of strengthening social support and resilience, orphans and vulnerable youth are receiving psychosocial support, social development mentorship, employment opportunities at local health rehabilitation service providers, and school kits to enhance their education, through family empowerment and community-driven recovery models.
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Project Overview
Project Name: Tree Planting in Palestine
Project Start Date: November 15, 2021
Proposed Project End Date: February 15, 2023
Overview
This intervention is in response to the dire needs of vulnerable Palestinian farmers whose livelihoods are impacted by economic strife, unemployment, and unstable weather.
The goal of the project is to rehabilitate agricultural lands by replanting olive trees while providing tools and resources to enhance cultivation and
environmental sustainability. This contributes to creating employment opportunities and improving income generation for 678 vulnerable farming households
The project is being implemented through a local partner organization, Natuf, and in close coordination with the General Union of Palestinian Peasants and Cooperatives (GUPPAC).
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Project Activities
Needs assessments were conducted to identify eligible and vulnerable Palestinian farmers whose households would best benefit from the project’s livelihood activities.
41,240 olive tree saplings are being distributed to vulnerable smallholder farmers across Palestine. Each farmer receives assistance to plant 30 to 70 saplings and conditional cash grants to purchase fertilizer and cultivation tools including weeding hoe, rakes, spades, and more.
Resilience is incorporated into these small farming communities by providing environmentally conscious irrigation systems while training farmers in business operations, income and risk management, and research and development.
This provides vulnerable farmers with the necessary knowledge and resources to mitigate the adverse effects of economic and political
Project activities include:
• Conditional cash grants to purchase farming tools and install irrigation systems
• Olive tree saplings and fertilizer
• Orientation sessions on agribusiness operations, crop protection, etc.
instability on their smallholder agriculture businesses. Farmers can utilize newly attained knowledge and resources to expand their business and increase income generation.
Progress Update
256 out of the targeted 498 farmers in Northern Palestine and an additional 180 households across Palestine have been provided saplings, conditional cash grants, and business training.
Our management committee continues to conduct field visits to applicants’ land to evaluate the condition of their farming land, eligibility, and each land’s needs assessment.
For the selected 436 households, farmers have purchased tools and installed irrigation systems to ensure their land is ready to cultivate the provided olive tree saplings. Depending on the size of their land, each farmer has received anywhere from 30 to 70 saplings.
Orientation sessions have also been delivered to these farmers, educating them on crop protection and best planting practices.
Continuous follow up and visits by the project committee and GUPPAC team are underway, ensuring that farmers receive technical support and are following best practices in planting and irrigation.
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Your donations
are
your
Impact of Your Support 41,240 Trees* Are Being Planted in Palestine *Any variance in figures from the initial report in March is due to initial estimated numbers. 2,045 Individuals 436 Households Rights-Holders Currently Reached 3,619 Individuals 678 Households Total Rights-Holders Reached Upon Completion PLANTING OLIVE TREES IN PALESTINE | INTERIM REPORT 2022 7
to Islamic Relief Canada
funding the distribution of olive tree saplings and cash grants, helping to uplift the lives of thousands of Palestinians. This is the power of
donation.
Success Story Planting Trees & Nourishing Dreams
Hassan, Olive Tree Farmer
Hassan is the breadwinner of his family of 9, living in a small 2 room house in the east of Gaza where his family is struggling to make ends meet.
He works as an olive harvester and is always searching for ways to improve his harvest and provide for his family, “We had a lot of ambition to rehabilitate and plant the land, but the harsh economic situation is always an obstacle.”
As part of Islamic Relief’s Olive Tree Planting project, Hassan was selected
to receive 35 olive trees of Sori and Shemlali types and a grant to support the rehabilitation of 1 acre of land. With the grant, he installed an irrigation system and bought equipment to assist in planting and maintenance.
“It is a dream come true.”
Where Hassan could previously only see difficulties in his path, he is now filled with optimism.
“Re-plowing, rehabilitating, and cultivating the land is a new source of hope and stable income for my family.”
It is thanks to the generosity of donors such as yourself, that we are able to help families like Hassan’s flourish and make a living for themselves.
if the Last Day is upon you and you have a seedling in your hand, you should plant it.” – Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
“Even
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Thank You
Your support has made an immense difference for farmers in Palestine, building their resilience through livelihood support. Their lives will be forever changed, and their futures made brighter.
“Whoever relieves the hardship of a believer in this world, Allah will relieve their hardship on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever helps ease one in difficulty, Allah will make it easy for them in this world and in the Hereafter...”
Jazakum Allahu Khairan for your continued support and kindness for the world’s most vulnerable. – Prophet Muhammad ﷺ3501 Mainway Burlington, ON L7M 1A9
info@islamicrelief.ca 1-855-377-4673 (HOPE)