Jerusalem-(BNEWS)- U.S. Agency for International Development West Bank and Gaza Mission Director Amy Tohill-Stull announced three new grants under the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA) Partnership for Peace Fund (PPF) today in Jerusalem. These grants, totaling over $7.8 million, will support people-to-people peacebuilding effort of MEPPA, bringing together Palestinians and Israelis to work on issues of common interest.
The $1 million, two-year Making Peace activity implemented by Reut USA will connect Israelis and Palestinians and leverage engineering innovations and additive manufacturing tools, like 3D prosthetic printing, to create and disseminate affordable solutions for the elderly and disabled. Making Peace will help both societies and the region create foundations for strong people-to-people relations, and build deep personal, professional, and institutional connections, all of which are essential for policy change and a two-state solution.
The Palestinian-Israeli Specialist Nursing Hub, to be implemented over the course of three years by Project Rozana, includes a $2.3 million dollar nursing program that uses a systematic approach to cross-border cooperation as a form of health diplomacy and a way to improve health delivery. The project will engage nurses from leading Palestinian and Israeli healthcare institutions as practitioners and trainers. Through seminars, real-time consultation, and regular case-sharing between participating Israeli and Palestinian nurses, the program will improve health care for patients at facilities in the West Bank and Israel and build crossborder relationships between nurses.
Finally, an award of $4.5 million will be given to Our Generation Speaks to support the three-year Next Generation Accelerator activity. This program will create a generation of Israeli and Palestinian leaders from the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel with the skills, motivation, and networks to build an entrepreneurial community committed to shaping a peaceful shared future. This activity offers an intensive three-month entrepreneurship training and follow-on support for over 120 Palestinian and Israeli youth fellows who will build personal connections through their work together.
