Needs assessment report with a special focus on older people in the Gaza Strip

The objective of this report is not simply to add to the already detailed
evidence base on the impact and consequences of the on-going conflict
and exposure of the population to political violence in the Gaza Strip.
Instead HelpAge International wants to contribute to local and international
actors understanding of the profile of Gaza population, their needs, and
the constraints they face in accessing assistance and meeting their basic
needs. To achieve this objective the following report focuses on
addressing a key evidence gap: the situation facing older people.
While the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt) is still predominately young,
in line with global trends the older population is growing. In 2012 those
aged 50 and above account for 8.9% of the total population with estimated
life expectancy now standing at 75.95 for females and 72.48 for males.
The growing number of older people, combined with the existing youth
population places increasing strain on the middle age group as illustrated
by the dependency ratio in the Gaza Strip which already stands at 80%.
Despite the growing numbers of older people the existing response to their
needs resulting from the chronic crisis in Gaza illustrates the degree to
which both Governmental institutions and humanitarian / development
actors systematically overlook the needs of this specific vulnerable group.
Official data is rarely disaggregated by sex and age making it difficult to
profile the population, and misconceptions about how societies respond to
vulnerable groups contribute to increased gaps in assistance.
Furthermore, the predominance of standardised, vertical response models
often result in a failure to deliver responses which are inclusive and (where
necessary) adapted to specific age group’s needs. The explanation for this
situation lies largely in the lack of evidence and technical expertise
amongst partners around what the needs of vulnerable groups are, and
how to address them.
This report provides the necessary evidence to understand the broad
needs of older people in the Gaza strip, and gives recommendations to
ensure their inclusion in assistance delivery. The ultimate aim is therefore
to support the delivery of inclusive, impartial, needs based response that
covers all other vulnerable groups.