At 2008, QADER for Community Development was officially registered at the Palestinian Ministry of Interior. It was founded through a joint and collaborative effort by a group of Palestinian professionals who have remarkable experiences in fields related to development, disability, health, and rehabilitation. The founders’ main concern was to serve and enrich the disability sector from new perspectives derived from the social model of rehabilitation and the principles of equality and human rights. There was no doubt that the Palestinian civil society organizations have done substantial effort to develop the sector and serve persons with disabilities during the last two decades, but still there were several aspects in the sector that need to be addressed from a development perspective with the focus on the rights of persons with disabilities.
The founders concluded that services provided to persons with disabilities are almost limited to medical and rehabilitation services which only focus on the persons with disabilities; however, they ignore the importance of working on the constraining environment. Further to that, these services have never been allocated fairly in terms of geography and intensity of population. On the other hand, there has also been a lack of coordination among the various service providers, especially in the last decade.
Based on that, QADER funders agreed on the importance of creating a new criterion of intervention which primarily encourages on the effective participation of persons with disabilities. They started holding meetings and have sequential brainstormings which were the first step towards establishing QADER of Community Development. QADER has a philosophy that is based on a comprehensive work. It believes in the full partnership with persons with disabilities in the planning and implementation of strategies and policies that affect their lives so that they can live in dignity and in suitable living standards.
As a Palestinian independent, non-governmental and developmental organization, QADER will work with all relevant stakeholders to “Develop an enabling and supportive environment inducing positive change in the lives of persons with disabilities, in accordance with the principles of “Social Justice” that incorporates the elements of Equity, Access, Participation and Human Rights; utilizing tested models of Empowerment, Capacity Development, and Advocacy, while influencing the national policies and raising public awareness on issues of relevance to persons with disabilities”.
"Give Gaza" was born out of the suffering of Gaza women and children during the years of the Intifada and the Israeli invasion and siege of Gaza. During these years, Gazans were in grave need of immediate relief. The Palestinian Authority and International donors did their best. But, the needs were much greater than the available means. There were a lot of children, and women-specific needs. Nobody thought of diapers, skin treatment and baby milk formulae needed after a two week siege and occupation of a refugee camp, where people were deprived of water and electricity. Few thought of the trauma of kids going to school without uniforms, school bags, and winter pullovers.
We, a group of Gaza men and women felt the need for resident volunteers, and Diaspora Palestinian donors to create a civil society run organization capable of responding to these needs. Give Gaza was created in 2003. Palestinian individual donors living abroad responded quickly. Resident volunteers, mostly young men and women gave their time and effort studying needs in the crowded, and devastated refugee camps, and delivering aid packages to those in real jeopardy.
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