MIFTAH
Thursday, 28 March. 2024
 
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Ramallah -- MIFTAH completed the third phase of its project “Developing communities in the Jerusalem and Jordan Valley regions through small income-generating projects for rural women". The third project phase commenced beginning of 2013, funded by the Arab Fund.

This project phase worked with 79 women in 13 villages northwest of Jerusalem and in the Jericho and Jordan Valley. Women were supported with 13 small income-generating projects including: sheep-raising and chicken-raising projects, a home utilities shop, a food manufacturing project, dry cleaners, a perfumer, a soap-making project and a handiwork and embroidery project.

The project areas

The project villages northwest of Jerusalem included: Jabaa’, Beit Sourik, Bir Nabala, Biddu, Beit Dukko and Sur Baher. As for the Jericho and Jordan Valley villages, these included: Bardala, Froush Bet Djan, Jiftlik, Ein Bayda, Dweik and Nuaima.

MIFTAH CEO, Dr. Lily Feidy, said: "in light of MIFTAH’s interest in developing and empowering women leaders, particularly in marginalized areas through income-generating projects, and in order to achieve the goals of the project, the project team formulated a training plan following a needs-assessment study for the beneficiaries. Based on this, the plan was put into effect in response to these needs".

The specialized courses, training workshops and visits contributed to empowering the beneficiaries in administrative, financial and economic management of their projects, equipping them with tools and skills needed to make their projects a success. The women were able to learn new information, were offered the space to meet and exchange experiences, thus learning from each other, and became acquainted with new methods related to their projects. Not only did this give the women an opportunity to break away from their ordinary and routine lives, it also boosted their self-confidence and belief in their own abilities to accomplish their dreams, one step at a time. They realized that women do not have to be dependent but could be productive and self-reliant.

The two abovementioned areas were selected because of their dire economic, social and political circumstances. The villages northwest of Jerusalem and its suburbs for example, are isolated, and their residents subject to expulsion and the land to Judiazation due to the illegal practices of the Israeli occupation against Jerusalemites such as: the separation wall, home demolitions, ID revocation and the imposition of high taxes on Jerusalem residents. Jerusalem institutions have also been closed by Israeli authorities, which have also resulted in a rise in unemployment rates. Furthermore, these areas face the problem of marketing local goods and projects to and from villages that are inside the wall, thus threatening these products’ market stability. Also, there is no Palestinian security jurisdiction in these areas because they fall in Area C, which undermines the residents’ safety and security.

As for the Jericho and Jordan Valley regions, they are extremely marginalized. Although they are categorized as Area B, they are within Israel’s clutches because of the fertility of the land and the abundant water resources. There is around 280,000 dunums of arable land of which Palestinian farmers only have access to around 50,000. Meanwhile, 27,000 dunums of land have been confiscated for the 31 settlements in the Jordan Valley for agricultural purposes, according to 2010 latest statistics provided by the Ministries of Local Government and Agriculture.

Rural women in these areas work in nearby settlements as farmers over and above their work in their own land and in sheep and cow herding. Additionally, health and education services offered by PA institutions are sorely lacking, compounding the poor conditions they live under. In addition, all the water springs in this agricultural area are controlled by Israeli settlers.

Activities and achievements in Phase Three

MIFTAH coordinator, Hanan Saeed, says one of the most important achievements of the project is that it offered a new outlook on the lives for the women and boosted their own self-worth and the confidence of their communities in them. “It helped them let go of their fears about their own abilities and the possibility of success, which is mainly because of their lack of experience and knowledge,” Saeed says. She adds that the economic benefits were the most rewarding. “The fact that the women now had their own income contributed to their independence; that they do not need others to live. This also meant that they refused to fall prey to those who tried to exploit them.”

MIFTAH also held meetings with members of the advisory committee of the project in its third phase including: the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, Pal Trade and the Palestinian Center for Health and Social Development. The committee met three times throughout the third phase to offer consultations on technical and theoretical issues pertaining to the project.

The team also coordinated with the gender unit at the Ministry of National Economy to introduce the 32 beneficiaries to the ministry’s procedures vis-à-vis their projects and build up their capacities. The ministry conducted a workshop for the beneficiaries in the Jordan Valley and Jericho regions in which the women were shown methods of marketing and production. A health expert was assigned to hold workshops for the women in this area, especially for the beneficiaries with food-oriented projects.

Follow-up with beneficiaries from Phase I of the project in 2012

Throughout Phase 3, MIFTAH’s team continued to follow up with the group of women who were supported with income-generating projects during Phase 1 of the project in 2012 in the three villages: Qalandiya, Fasayel and Jeeb, all in the Ramallah and Al Bireh area. The team made field visits to the women running the projects and offered advice and counseling to the beneficiaries, providing them with additional support to develop their projects.

Follow-up and Evaluation

MIFTAH organized a final evaluation visit to the project’s beneficiaries in the Jordan Valley areas and villages west of Jerusalem along with one agricultural engineer and one small-projects expert. The visit was aimed at pinpointing the challenges and difficulties the projects faced and also so the women could speak about their experiences and network amongst each other.

The project had a major impact on improving their abilities and potentials and also in raising their awareness of their rights as women, empowering them economically and socially. Now, the women are more able to make various decisions for themselves and on behalf of their families in addition to running their income-generating projects. This has also given them more freedom of movement and a wider social network with other women and institution.

The project further helped the women to overcome the obstacles and hindrances imposed on them by family, traditions and social norms. For example, when at first many of the women’s nuclear families were opposed to them working on these projects outside the home, now they are their number one supporters.

Jaheda, from the village of Jiftlik, said there was also a shift in the community’s perceptions towards women. “The women proved they could succeed at what they do and stand up to the challenges they faced. This had a big impact on how they were understood and appreciated as women.” Not to mention that, “We also proved wrong all those who bet on us falling on our faces.”

The project provided job opportunities for the women and an income for 79 families. It helped them meet their needs and those of their families (health, education, supplies, etc.), which meant that some of them were able to leave their jobs in Israeli settlements, especially in Jiftlik and Froush Beit Djan in the Jordan Valley. What’s more, these women’s experiences have encouraged other women in their communities to also look for job opportunities outside of the settlements.

 
 
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