The Palestine Bank Group, as a partner in the program, will contribute financial support to provide comprehensive care for orphaned children and help empower them to live everyday life, create a healthy environment for their care, enhance their skills, and meet their needs so they can enjoy their rights and contribute positively to their families and communities. The Takaful Foundation will design, develop, and manage the program's implementation, enabling orphans to benefit from the services provided according to their age group. These services include humanitarian assistance, healthcare, education sponsorship, social protection, and psychological support, ultimately empowering them to become self-reliant in adulthood.
Mr. Hashem Al-Shawa, Chairman of the Palestine Bank Group, and Dr. Nabil Hani Al-Qudoumi, Chairman of the Takaful Foundation's board of trustees, signed the partnership agreement. Under this agreement, the Palestine Bank Group, with contributions from Palestine and the Arab Islamic Bank, will provide an annual grant of $2 million for orphan care, offering essential services to ensure the orphans' dignity. The Takaful Foundation will also allocate an estimated budget of $9 million over the program's lifespan through its resources and members.
Mr. Hashem Al-Shawa emphasized that the launch of this program, in partnership with the Takaful Foundation, is a response to a critical humanitarian issue, highlighting the bank's commitment to supporting its people during these unprecedented times. This initiative continues the group's ongoing relief program in Gaza. Since the war's onset, the group has been focused on delivering urgent humanitarian and relief aid to the people of Gaza. Notably, the orphan care program aims to support the new orphans in Gaza who are currently enduring dire conditions due to the ongoing conflict.
He continued, "We joined this program as a partner with the Takaful Foundation and will be part of the supervisory and executive committees. We welcome any additional donors to join us." Al-Shawa noted that as the number of orphans grows with the continuation of the war, thousands of children have lost their caregivers and families, thus losing social protection, shelter, and family support, along with facing severe psychological effects due to the war. He stressed the need to swiftly take action and provide them with the warmth and hope for a future they deserve, as they are our children, and we aim to offer them a future of dignity.
Dr. Nabil Al-Qudoumi expressed pride in this strategic partnership to establish the orphan care program in Gaza. He stated that this partnership is part of the ongoing efforts by the Palestine Bank Group through its relief and humanitarian programs, with the Takaful Foundation playing a key role in these efforts. He emphasized that the partnership reflects their noble mission towards the Palestinian community, noting that their support extends beyond the traditional notion of orphan sponsorship to include a comprehensive, integrated service program that will continue throughout the program. The program aims to raise a Palestinian individual capable of developing themselves and their community with humanitarian aid, healthcare, education, psychological support, and social protection services.
Dr. Al-Qudoumi said, "We hope that this program will support the orphans in Gaza, compensating them, even if slightly, for their losses. We also hope to achieve the program's objectives and contribute to the orphans' aspirations, enabling them to become active individuals in serving their community."
Over the past 15 years, the Takaful Foundation has supported 4,261 orphans in Gaza, providing a holistic model for support in education, health, and other activities. It also supports orphans based on their needs in partnership with a network of specialized civil society organizations.
Preliminary estimates from local and international organizations indicate that the number of children who have lost one or both parents since the start of the war on Gaza exceeds 20,000, requiring collective efforts from all parties to ensure adequate support for all orphans through this program.