Social & cultural development

A Plan for Children

With Swedish assistance Palestinian ministries have drawn up a plan for children, the Agenda for Social Renewal. Sida is financing a secretariat, which is responsible for the implementation of the plan and the co-ordination of contributions. Support is also given to individual projects, such as equipping premises and developing cultural programmes for children and young people in Nablus and Gaza, and staff training and the procurement of books for a large number of children's libraries. Support to children and young people is also being channelled via NGOs.

Statistics

Support is also given to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), inter alia for the compilation of statistics concerning children and children's conditions. Sweden is also supporting the PCBS in gathering household statistics.

Culture and the media

Sida is supporting, via Diakonia, a programme to promote reading among children through greater access to good children's books and a pedagogic approach to reading. The University College of Film, Radio, Television and Theatre is running a school theatre project. Through Göteborg University College of Music a scholarship programme is being financed for basic musical education for children and young people. Support is being given via the Riwaq group of architects to a national project to chart and document buildings of cultural-historical interest. Palestinian journalists are being given intensive journalistic training through the Swedish Institute for Further Education of Journalists (FOJO).

Health Care

In co-operation with Palestinian NGOs, Diakonia is carrying out a programme to improve the living conditions of people with disabilities on the West Bank and in Gaza through community-based rehabilitation (CBR). The programme involves and trains people with disabilities, their families, and the community.

The Palestine Solidarity Association in Sweden run a primary care project in co-operation with a Palestinian organisation, which has clinics for primary health care, centres for women, and school health care programmes.