| This thesis addresses the deficiencies in the current approach to planning and evaluating the delivery of essential services to Gaza's Palestinian Refugees. A new methodology is presented that systematically evaluates the various factors affecting the Gazans' ability to address their chronic and dire needs. The goal of this study is to identify and explain the factors that influence the ability of Gazans to address their basic needs in three areas: education, shelter, and hygiene (sanitation and water). The word influence reflects the broad scope of the factors involved in the issues faced by Gazans, including politics, knowledge, skills, and attitudes. This goal is met by considering two objectives: (1) to develop an overall capacity assessment of the response readiness of the refugee camps to address their living conditions, with respect to the three areas mentioned above and (2) to conduct institutional mapping of Gazan attitudes, to further understand the systemic barriers that residents face in improving their living conditions. Institutional mapping, as defined by the World Bank, is a visual tool for identifying and representing perceptions of key institutions (formal and informal) and individuals, inside and outside a community, and their relationships and importance to different social groups.The proposed capacity assessment methodology is completed through a model that maps the entire community, based on five indicators of sustainability (institutional, human, social, economic/financial, and natural). This approach identifies the strengths and weaknesses of the Gazan communities, which is important, because a community is only as strong as its weakest link.Data collected from online surveys and existing data from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, UNRWA, and Fafo, were combined and analyzed toward meeting the objectives of this paper. Findings from the data analysis suggest that complicated institutional frameworks and border closures exacerbate the chronic economic conditions. This weakest link stands in the way of Gaza's ability to properly respond to the needs of its residents. For Gaza to break the cycle of development/destruction/redevelopment, so that its residents can create self-sustaining development, such community weaknesses need to be addressed. |
