On Tuesday, 5/4/2012, Bank of Palestine and CHF International signed an agreement worth $200,000 to rehabilitate and construct 40 houses that were destroyed during the last war on Gaza in 2009, to be implemented by CHF during the next three months. Employees of BoP and CHF will organize voluntary working days to contribute to the restoration of the houses.
The agreement was signed by Hashim Shawwa, Chairman and General Manager of BoP, and Lana Abu Hijleh, Country Director of CHF International and is part of BoP's corporate social responsibility commitments, and within the bank's social development plan in the Gaza Strip. BoP's donation to CHF marks the first time that a private sector institution donates to CHF International in Gaza.
CHF International is an international development and humanitarian aid organization that operates in approximately thirty countries per year. The non-profit organization was founded in 1952 as the Cooperative Housing Foundation and provided affordable housing for low-income families in rural and urban America. CHF began working abroad in the 60s, and today, the organization implements a variety of programs in the areas of global health, economic development, housing and infrastructure, emergency response, and democracy & governance.
Bank of Palestine (BoP) is the first and largest bank with a well-diversified branch network of 47 branches in the Palestine, and a paid up capital of $120 million and assets of over $1.65 billion. Established in 1960, BoP has successfully expanded its presence and operations throughout the country and now has 1,100 employees serving more than 500,000 customers. BoP has around 20% market share of deposits and credit facilities in Palestine. Operating as a universal bank, BoP is engaged in retail, corporate, SME and Micro banking operations, with the largest card processing operations in Palestine. BoP is the sole agent for issuing and acquiring Visa and Master Card in Palestine with over 5,000 Point of Sale stations nationwide.