Our Partners
PALESTINE
With a total population of approximately 4 million, Palestine suffers from high unemployment officially estimated at 27% but likely much higher and marked poverty with 57% of its population below the US$ 2 a day poverty line, of which 45.7% in the West Bank and 79.4% in Gaza Strip. The population is very young, the median age being 20.9 years in West Bank and 17.5 years in Gaza, and near 45% of the population is below 14 years old.
Various surveys estimate that microfinance demand extends to 800,000 households. Of this demand, near 6% is being met by the microfinance institutions (MFIs) serving Palestine.
Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC): PARC was founded in 1983 as a NGO focusing on integrated rural development, including technical assistance to farmers, the creation and support of rural savings and credit groups, and other activities to assist the agricultural sector. In 2000, it formed a union of its credit and savings cooperatives and formalized its procedures and regulations for borrowing and saving.
As of June 2010, PARC serves 8,244 clients and has a Gross Loan Portfolio of US$ 4 million.
Although Grameen-Jameel began a formal partnership with PARC in December 2008, it has supported PARC’s work since 2005, helping PARC develop a business plan providing scholarships to attend regional microfinance conferences and supporting PARC’s attendance at the Grameen Dialogue in Bangladesh. Grameen-Jameel has also coordinated a six-month technical assistance to help PARC build its operational capacity.
For further information on PARC, please refer to their website: www.pal-arc.org