IOD PARC is currently participating in a rapid research project led by Bath University with the European University Institute in Florence that seeks to better understand public health messaging on Covid-19 in refugee camps in Gaza. The project is funded by ELRHA and DFID.

The project has been designed with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as the main health, education and sanitation service provider in the camps.

More information on the project can be found in the ELRHA website here.

This research project aims to fill gaps in evidence about how communities in refugee camps respond to Covid-19 public health directives in Gaza. The project will also explore the consequences of lockdown measures in densely populated and impoverished communities that are additionally under threat of conflict-related violence.

Data collection will include a series of qualitative interviews, conducted remotely via Skype and other online platforms, as well as the use of social media platforms to engage with refugee communities directly.