UNDP backs Gaza women entrepreneurs to rebuild livelihoods amid war devastation

Among the women receiving UNDP assistance, 35‑year‑old Nidaa runs a small livestock farm in Khan Younis, raising chickens, ducks and rabbits. After her home was destroyed she rescued part of the stock and relocated, but she now faces winter shelter needs, safe water and costly feed. A grant from UNDP, delivered through the local Chamber of Commerce, provided new animals, equipment and training to improve production. In Gaza City, 49‑year‑old Hanaa rebuilt a family dairy after losing her husband and a son. With the same grant she resumed making cheese, milk, labneh and laban, despite frequent power cuts that threaten spoilage.

Hanin, 36, illustrates the shift toward new trades. She travels from Khan Younis to Deir al‑Balah for an 80‑hour carpentry course, followed by entrepreneurship and business‑planning workshops. Carpentry is in demand because many households lost furniture during the war and wood supplies are scarce. Hanin is one of more than 200 trainees slated to acquire skills in sectors such as textiles, recycling, compost production, data science, graphic design and digital marketing, creating a pool of potential entrepreneurs who can generate income even as traditional markets remain disrupted. She hopes to start her own workshop, providing affordable furniture while creating jobs for other displaced residents.

UNDP’s broader response links individual enterprises to community recovery. Since October 2023 the agency has created 6,000 emergency‑employment positions and, through its Gaza Neighbourhood Approach, is supporting 30 women‑led businesses with grants, equipment and skills training. The Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People extends similar aid to micro, small and medium enterprises, while the REVIVE housing project has already built homes for displaced families. With over two million Palestinians displaced, reliable energy, water and market access remain critical constraints; UNDP stresses that financing and systemic services are essential for women‑run ventures to grow and for Gaza’s productive capacity to be restored.