Norway seeks more aid from donors to help Palestinians fight coronavirus
April 4, 2020, 3:57 pm

Norway seeks more aid from donors to help Palestinians fight coronavirus

A young man wearing a mask looks on as members of Al-Quds Brigades, spray disinfectant in the streets of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 26, 2020, during a campaign aimed at slowing down the spread of the coronavirus. (AFP)

Norway, which chairs the international donor group for Palestine, on Friday called for more aid to support the territory’s struggling economy as it tackles the coronavirus crisis. Palestinians fight coronavirus

So far, only 12 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in the Gaza Strip, an impoverished Palestinian territory under an Israeli blockade with just below two million inhabitants.

Experts fear that this figure may be much lower than the actual number, as testing capacity remains limited.

They warn that an uncontrolled spread would be disastrous in the densely populated area which has more than 5,400 inhabitants per square kilometer and inadequate health infrastructure.

In an appeal to other donor nations, Norway said the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, which coordinates international aid to Palestinians and the Palestinian Authority, had to cancel a meeting in Brussels earlier in the week for coronavirus. Palestinians fight coronavirus

“A significant drop in revenues to the Palestinian Authority as a result of the coronavirus crisis will have dramatic consequences for the Palestinian economy and for living conditions in Palestine,” Norway's foreign minister Ine Eriksen Soreide said in a statement.“I am particularly concerned about the possible spread of the coronavirus in Gaza and in the Palestine refugee camps. The international community must provide support to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus crisis on an already vulnerable population,” she added. levant

source: AFP levant

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”