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AFSC - Palestine

In 1949, because of the experience AFSC gained in helping to resettle hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons following World War II, the United Nations asked the Committee to organize relief efforts for Palestinian Arab refugees coming into the Gaza Strip. This continued until the United Nations Relief Works Agency began its operations on May 1, 1950.

After 1950, AFSC staff began work on agricultural development projects in Palestinian villages and with internally displaced Palestinians living in Israel. Following the 1967 war AFSC has established a child education program in Gaza and a legal aid center in Jerusalem for Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. These programs continue as independent NGOs under Palestinian leadership. Today, the programs in Palestine focus on long-term youth development and advocacy through the Quaker Palestine Youth Program (QPYP) and to provide emergency relief as needed.

Since its establishment in 1996, the Quaker Palestine Youth Program (QPYP) has worked closely with local NGOs, educational institutions, international organizations and Palestinian Ministries in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to enhance opportunities for marginalized Palestinian youth. The Program is managed through AFSC’s Ramallah and Gaza offices with support from the Middle East Regional Office. In 2003 a civic engagement model called Public Achievement was introduced in AFSC's Youth program in Palestine.

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