Circumventing formal aid channels, BuildPalestine connects needy communities directly with individual donors.
Ramallah, occupied West Bank – In a light-filled office in Ramallah’s first technology park, a group of sleep-deprived youth in their mid-20s are discussing the next steps to promote and develop their newly launched start-up.
BuildPalestine is a crowdfunding platform that aims to reshape the relationship between donors and the Palestinian cause by connecting supporters from around the world with local grassroots initiatives.
The platform, officially launched this week, aims to establish an alternative aid paradigm for Palestine, which has received more than $23bn from the donor community since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. Palestinians are among the largest per capita recipients of international development assistance in the world, yet critics believe that the aid industry has distorted Palestinian economic development, and that international donor agendas haveinterfered in internal political matters.
Source: Start-up aims to reshape aid structure for Palestine – News from Al Jazeera
