Bank of Palestine, represented by Mr. Hashim Shawa, Bank of Palestine’s Chairman and General Manager, and Dr. Tafeeda Jirbawi, General Manager of Welfare Association, signed an agreement to support the fishing sector in Gaza Strip and enable fishermen to continue with their work and maintain provision of food for them and their families. The signing ceremony took place in Bank of Palestine’s General Management Head Office in Ramallah, in the presence of a number of Deputies and Assistants General Manager, and department and division heads from both the Bank and Welfare Association.
The signing of the agreement is due to the Bank’s support to fishing and fishermen in Gaza, under the difficult conditions that Gaza Strip lives through and the seasonal conditions of fishing. The value of the agreement is around 105 thousand dollars for a period of one year; the Bank will contribute with around 50 thousand dollars and Welfare association will contribute with around 55 thousand dollars.
The project aims to support building the capacity of the fishermen’s children in the field of building and maintaining fishing boats, and provide vocational training for building boats, which will preserve this profession. This is due the risk of extinction of the fishing profession due to the various obstacles imposed by the Israeli occupation on fishermen, in addition to internal difficulties related to limited capabilities to perform maintenance on boats, higher prices of spare parts and lack of needed technological means on the boats for fishing,
Mr. Hashim Shawa, Bank of Palestine’s Chairman and General Manager, stressed the importance of empowering and advancing the fishing sector in Gaza Strip, through direct support, indicating that the Bank provided great support for this sector, especially during the recent Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip. Shawa added that this initiative is due to the Bank’s social and national role and its understanding to the needs of various sectors.
Shawa added that the Bank, through its partnership with the Welfare Association, puts great efforts to reach various sectors in need, through sustainable developmental and humanitarian projects; he expressed his pride for this partnership that has lasted for years, under one goal of empowering our society in all its sectors.
Dr. Tafeeda Jirbawi thanked Bank of Palestine for the provision of this grant, which will greatly contribute in supporting the fishing sector in Gaza Strip and in providing needed supplies and capacities in different forms, indicating the importance of making this sector productive rather than dependent on external support and help. She expressed her appreciation and pride for Bank of Palestine’s contributions through its social responsibility programs, which contribute in supporting and empowering the Palestinian people. She praised the strategic and professional partnership between Welfare Association and Bank of Palestine.