Every day, we publish a photo to show the Red Cross at work accross the country or around the world. Do you have a photo to share? Let us know!
Unemployment dropped in recent months in the Gaza Strip but remains worryingly high at 28 percent. Many people rely on coping strategies to protect and sustain their livelihoods. Export and import restrictions by Israel continue to affect the economy, in spite of improvements over the last year and a half. Some sectors of the economy have literally disappeared over the past years, such as the textile sector.
To help people cover their essential needs and to bring other lasting benefits to the community, the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) runs cash-for-work projects. One of the cash-for-work projects developed by the ICRC was to create and to install mural arts. Clay murals are an art form used in Gaza to provide a visual expression of messages intended for the community.
During 2011, the ICRC assisted more than 12,000 impoverished people in the Gaza Strip through these projects. It also helped 85 households (680 people) through the distributions of essential household items.
In this photo Palestinian artists Rania Abou Zeid and Cheema Al-Helh are sculpting clay murals with health, educational and social messages for the community in Hashem school in Gaza old city. The artists use a mixture of clay and white cement to produce the messages. People understand the messages more readily when they are conveyed through art.
More photos of these artists and their works have been posted on our Facebook page.