MoSD Discusses Institutionalizing a Support Services Network for Persons with Disabilities with Stars of Hope and the Belgian Agency for International Cooperation
Ramallah – Minister of Social Development and Acting Minister of State for Relief Affairs, Dr. Samah Hamad, met today with Stars of Hope Society, the Belgian Agency for International Cooperation (Enabel), and a number of organizations working in the disability sector to discuss ways to activate and institutionalize a network of support services for persons with disabilities. The network aims to strengthen their access to protection, justice, and health services and ensure the accommodations and facilitation needed for communication and access to services on an equal basis with others.
The meeting was held as part of an initiative proposed by Stars of Hope Society to address the challenges and gaps faced by persons with disabilities in accessing services. The initiative is based on a policy paper and a proposed protocol to regulate the work of a network of support service providers and define mechanisms for coordination, referral, communication, and case follow-up among the relevant entities.
The meeting discussed mechanisms for organizing the network and linking support service providers with institutions and entities that work with persons with disabilities. These services include sign language interpreters, communication facilitators for persons with intellectual disabilities, and mobility facilitators, in addition to utilizing the developed electronic application to facilitate access to these services, particularly in cases involving protection, violence, emergencies, and situations requiring rapid and specialized intervention.
Dr. Hamad stressed the importance of transitioning the network from a project-based framework into a sustainable institutional system and linking its services to the Ministry of Social Development’s case management system, through clear referral and follow-up mechanisms and clearly defined responsibilities. This would ensure continuity of services beyond a specific timeframe or the funding period of a particular project.
The meeting also discussed the proposed structure of the network, the formation of a steering committee, and mechanisms for membership and coordination among participating entities. Participants also emphasized the importance of engaging relevant government institutions and clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of each entity, with the aim of establishing an institutional and legal framework that regulates the network and strengthens its sustainability.
Participants stressed the importance of organizing support service providers within accredited institutions and associations to ensure professionalism, accountability, and the protection of beneficiaries, while adhering to privacy, confidentiality, and information security requirements when handling cases or exchanging data among relevant entities.
The meeting also addressed the costs associated with service provision and mechanisms for ensuring the network’s financial sustainability after the current funding ends. Participants emphasized the need to clearly estimate needs and annual costs to help develop a sustainable framework for maintaining these services and expanding their scope in the future.
The meeting was attended from the Ministry of Social Development by Akram Al-Hafi, Assistant Undersecretary for Family Care and Protection; Amin Assi, Director General of Planning; Hiba Jebat, Head of the Women and Gender Unit; and Ajaj Al-Jariri, Director General of the General Directorate for Persons with Disabilities, alongside other Ministry staff. Representatives also attended from Stars of Hope Society; Aswat Society for Supporting Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation; the Belgian Agency for International Cooperation (Enabel); and the General Union of Persons with Disabilities – Ramallah Branch.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Ministry emphasized the importance of completing work on the proposed protocol and the necessary steps to institutionalize the network, in a manner that strengthens integration among government institutions, civil society organizations, and partners and ensures that persons with disabilities can access support services in a more organized, effective, and sustainable manner.
Latest News
On the International Day for the Elimination of Child Marriage, MoSD Affirms: Protecting Girls Begins with Education, Protection, & Family Empowerment
Ramallah – On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that child marriage cannot be addressed in isolation from the broader social protection system, as it is linked to multiple factors, including poverty, school dropout, domestic violence, loss of parental care, displacement, and weakened protection networks. The Ministry explained that its role includes protecting children and girls at risk, providing case management, family interventions, psychosocial support, and referral services, and connecting families with assistance, essential services, and economic empowerment programmes. It also coordinates with relevant authorities when the safety of a child or girl is at risk. The Ministry places the best interests of the child and protection from exploitation and abuse at the heart of its child protection services. The Ministry stressed that preventing early marriage also requires protecting families from poverty and economic shocks, supporting girls' continued access to education, raising awareness of their rights, and strengthening families' ability to cope with pressures without resorting to practices that may expose girls to long-term physical, psychological, and social risks. The issue is particularly concerning in the Gaza Strip, where the Ministry warned that the loss of parental care, displacement, extreme poverty, and the declining capacity of extended families to provide care and protection increase children's vulnerability to various forms of exploitation, including early marriage. In this context, the Ministry continues to work with local and international organizations involved in child and women's protection to strengthen early intervention, referral pathways, alternative care, and psychosocial support, alongside assistance to the most vulnerable families to reduce the risk factors that may contribute to early marriage. The Ministry called for child marriage to be addressed as a child protection and human rights issue requiring coordinated action among families and social, educational, health, and legal institutions. It also called for increased investment in girls' education, protection, and empowerment to safeguard their right to grow, learn, and make decisions about their future freely and safely.
On World Children's Day, MoSD: Palestinian Children Face Harsh Realities of Loss, Displacement, Violence, & Deprivation
Ramallah – On the occasion of World Children's Day, observed annually on 20 November, the Ministry of Social Development emphasized that Palestinian children are facing extremely harsh conditions amid the continuing consequences of the Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip and escalating attacks, displacement, home demolitions, and movement restrictions in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. These conditions have deprived children of their lives, families, shelter, education, care, and safety. According to available United Nations data, at least 21,700 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip, while approximately 45,000 have been injured, including more than 11,000 children who have sustained life-altering injuries. Meanwhile, thousands of families continue to experience repeated displacement and deprivation of essential services. In the West Bank, including Jerusalem, children continue to face attacks, forced displacement of families, and damage to schools, homes, and infrastructure. More than 1,700 children have been displaced since the beginning of 2026 as a result of settler violence, movement restrictions, and demolitions. The Ministry stressed that the consequences of war and occupation extend beyond immediate casualties to include bereavement, family separation, hunger, school dropout, child labour, violence, exploitation, acquired disabilities, and psychological and social distress. These risks require a comprehensive and long-term child protection response. The Ministry explained that child protection is a central pillar of its work, implemented through Child Protection Departments in its directorates. These departments receive reports, assess levels of risk, provide case management and family follow-up, facilitate referrals to specialized services, and intervene in cases of violence, abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Their responsibilities also include protecting children engaged in labour or begging, children who have dropped out of school, and children in conflict with the law, in coordination with relevant government authorities and partner organizations. In the Gaza Strip, children's protection and care needs have intensified significantly, particularly among orphans, children deprived of parental care, separated and unaccompanied children, and those requiring psychosocial support. In cooperation with its partners, the Ministry is working to provide alternative care, social follow-up, sponsorship programmes, psychological support, and food, health, and in-kind assistance, while strengthening and restoring child protection services across the Gaza Strip. The Ministry emphasized that protecting children is inseparable from protecting their families. Accordingly, child protection services form part of a broader social protection system encompassing food, cash, and non-food assistance, health insurance, education, school bags and stationery, psychosocial support, services for persons with disabilities, and family economic empowerment. These interventions aim to reduce the risks associated with poverty, displacement, loss of income, and family instability. The Ministry of Social Development called on the international community, United Nations agencies, humanitarian organizations, and donors to provide sustainable support for the Palestinian child protection system. It urged continued funding for alternative care programmes, orphan sponsorship, psychosocial support, education, nutrition, and rehabilitation, alongside support for Palestinian national institutions capable of reaching children and families and ensuring sustained follow-up. The Ministry concluded by emphasizing that World Children's Day cannot be merely an occasion for celebration while Palestinian children are deprived of their most fundamental rights. It stressed that protecting children begins with safeguarding their right to life and extends to ensuring their rights to family care, shelter, food, education, healthcare, protection, and social support.
