With MIFTAH’s support over a long journey that began in 2001 and continues until this day, Naela Awad from the village of Jbara in the Kafriyat region near Tulkarm, finally achieved her goal of becoming a village council member along with one other woman and nine men. The council now runs all of the village’s affairs after it broke away from the Kafriyat local council and claimed its independence. Today it is facing several challenges that need tackling in order to get Jbara back on its feet.
The 2017 election experience
For Awad, the elections on May 13, 2017 reflected the importance of her role in the community, which is why she decided to run and, fortunately, win. Her victory was a victory over the marginalization of and inferior attitude towards women in her community. This attitude, she maintains, did not change overnight just because she won a council seat. But it is a challenge she faces head on, ensuring that she now participates in the council’s decision-making process. Awad says she believed in herself and was confident in her determination and leadership abilities, which she adds, are products of MIFTAH’s training and workshops.
Relationship with MIFTAH
Awad acknowledges MIFTAH’s part in her role as community activist and now council member, a position she won by acclamation. She says she won the support of her community, especially the women, in a village with a population of approximately 200. She says she considers herself one of “MIFTAH’s women”. Awad continues: “The support I received from MIFTAH was essential and key to me; it strengthened and empowered me through all of the meetings and training workshops I attended on leadership, planning and action.” She said its role was essential in softening the policy of marginalizing women, which is exercised in many matters and in most institutions and decision-making positions. “After all this, I can truly say that I can now demand what I want and specify the needs of the village and its women; I can contribute to changing the hardships under which all of Jbara’s resident’s live, especially its women.” Awad explained that her village suffers from a sort of siege because of Israel’s separation wall and an army checkpoint at its only entrance in addition to being marginalized by official institutions. “This marginalization is partly due to the fact that we were a village within the Kafriyat council,” she explains, adding that this has now changed with their independence. “One of my first priorities was to make Jbara’s voice heard loud and clear and to press officials, especially the local government ministry to pay attention to our needs as a marginalized community. As for us women, we suffer from double marginalization.”
Challenges and solutions
Awad says there are many challenges, many of which she is willing to face head-on. She says he hopes MIFTAH can be a catalyst and tool for helping the women of the village and the Jbara community as a whole to improve its conditions and overcome the problems it faces. She cites the psychological pressures on the village’s youth because of the occupation’s siege as one of the most significant problems, saying it has deprived them of their freedom of movement and of enjoying their lives.
The solutions, according to Awad, begin with official institutions responding to her demands as a local council member, a call she makes every day. “Extend your hands to Jbara, to its youth, its women, to everyone,” she says, adding that she will never stop demanding rights for her fellow villagers or making efforts to alleviate the burdens in their lives.
Hope for a better future
Becoming a member of the inventory committee in the Jbara village council was a huge deal for Awad, something she was able to achieve largely because of the empowerment and leadership training by MIFTAH. The impact of this has strengthened her status within the council, she says, maintaining that she now in council meetings, she is part of the discussions and decisions. “I am no longer just a table leg,” she quips. This newfound confidence also meant her influence on other women in the council has grown and has prompted them to attend all of its meetings and become part of the decision-making process. “I never miss a meeting and I always participate,” Awad says. “This is my right. As long as I was able to reach this position with support from my village and its women in particular, it is my duty to do my job well.” She realizes, of course, that it is not an easy task. “I am aware that there are many major challenges and that our village needs a lot of work. It needs institutions and associations that offer assistance to women and also community centers and youth clubs.”
Big aspirations
Despite, and perhaps because of these challenges, Awad is even more determined to overcome them so that Jbara can rise above its difficulties and look to a better future. Awad wants the village’s women to have a more active role in the future of the village. As for herself, she dreams big, saying her aspiration is to become head of the village council. “I have absolute faith in the ability of women to reach their goals,” she says, citing her own goal as defending women’s rights and making their voices heard. Awad also maintains that she wants to promote a positive image of the role of women and to encourage respect for them, recognition of who they are and of their equality with men.
نائلة عوض: ترشحت للانتخابات وفزت بها ودعم 'مفتاح' كان أساسيا
تاريخ النشر: 09/08/2017
بقلم: مفتاح
بدعم من "مفتاح"، وعبر مسيرة طويلة ابتدأت منذ عام 2001 ولا تزال متواصلة حتى اللحظة، حققت نائلة عوض من قرية جبارة – منطقة الكفريات - بمحافظة طولكرم طموحها في الوصول إلى عضوية المجلس القروي إلى جانب زميلة لها، وتسعة أعضاء آخرين، يقودون اليوم دفة الأمور في قريتهم التي تفككت من عضوية مجلس الكفريات، وبات لها مجلس قروي مستقل تنتظره كثير من التحديات جلّها يتعلق باحتياجات القرية وأولويات النهوض بها.
تجربة الانتخابات الأخيرة ايار 2017
بالنسبة إليها، فقد عكست تجربة الانتخابات الأخيرة والتي جرت في 13 ايار من العام 2017 أهمية دورها في مجتمعها، وقد قررت أن تخوضها، إلى أن فازت بها، وكان فوزها فيها انتصارا على حالة التهميش الممارسة، والنظرة الدونية للمرأة من قبل مجتمعها. وهي نظرة لم تتغير حتى بعد وصولها للمجلس، لذا فهو تحد واجهته بقوة، وتمكنت من أن تفرض نفسها في المشاركة باتخاذ القرار، إيمانا منها بقدراتها ومهاراتها، وما تتمتع به من تصميم وعزيمة، وقدرة على القيادة، والتي كانت نتاج ما رسخته "مفتاح" فيها من خلال تدريباتها وورشات عملها.
علاقتها ب"مفتاح"
تعترف عوض، بفضل "مفتاح" عليها كناشطة مجتمعية، وكعضو مجلس الآن فازت بمنصبها كما زملائها الآخرين بالتزكية، بعد ما حصلت عليه من دعم من مجتمعها المحلي ومن النساء فيه، حيث لا يتجاوز عدد سكان جبارة المائتي نسمة، وهي تعتبر نفسها واحدة من نساء "مفتاح".وتضيف:" كان دعم "مفتاح" لي أساسيا وجوهريا. أعطتني " مفتاح" القوة والتمكين من خلال إشراكي في جميع لقاءاتها وورشاتها التدريبية في كل ما يتعلق بالقيادة والتخطيط والعمل. وكان دورها مهما في التخفيف من سياسة تهميش المرأة التي تمارس في كثير من الأمور ولدى معظم المؤسسات ومواقع صنع القرار. بعد كل هذا أستطيع أن أقول وبكل صراحة، أنه صار بإمكاني أن أطلب ما أريد، وأن أحدد احتياجات القرية ونساءها، وما يمكن أن أساهم فيه كي أغيّر من واقع المعاناة الصعبة التي نعانيها نحن جميعا سكان قرية جبارة، وخاصة النساء، فالقرية التي تعاني من حصار الاحتلال لها بسبب جدار الفصل العنصري، ووجود الحاجز العسكري على مدخلها الوحيد، تعاني أيضا من التهميش لدى المؤسسات الرسمية، وهو تهميش كان ترافق مع وجودنا كقرية ضمن مجلس الكفريات. أما الآن وقد تحررنا من عضوية الكفريات، فقد باتت أولى أولوياتي إسماع صوت جبارة عاليا، والإلحاح على المسؤولين خاصة في وزارة الحكم المحلي للالتفات إلى احتياجاتنا كمجتمع يعاني التهميش، بينما النساء فيه تعاني تهميشا مضاعفا".
التحديات والحلول
التحديات كثيرة، كما تقول عوض، وهي التي أخذت على عاتقها جانبا مهما من التصدي لها. وهي تطمح بأن تكون "مفتاح" سبيلا ووسيلة لمساعدة نساء القرية، ومجتمع جبارة عموما على النهوض بواقعه للوقوف امام مشكلاته الكثيرة، ومن أبرزها الضغوط النفسية التي يرزح تحتها الشباب، بفعل الحصار المفروض عليهم من الاحتلال وحرمانهم من التمتع بحياتهم وبحرية حركتهم وتنقلهم.
تبدأ الحلول بالنسبة لعوض، من تجاوب المؤسسات الرسمية مع مطالبها كعضو مجلس في أن تلبي تلك المؤسسات نداء الاستغاثة الذي وجهته وتوجهه كل يوم بأن "مدوا يدكم إلى جبارة وشبابها ونسائها.." وهي لن تكف عن المطالبة بحقوق الناس في قريتها، وفي التخفيف من أعباء الحياة عنهم، وتحقيق إنجاز ملموس لمواطنيها".
أمل بمستقبل أفضل
كان وصول عوض إلى عضوية لجنة الجرد في المجلس القروي لجبارة إنجازا هاما بالنسبة إليها، وقد تحقق لها ذلك، بفضل تدريبات التمكين والقيادة التي كان ل"مفتاح" إسهام وتأثير كبير فيه. وقد انعكس هذا أثرا في تعزيز مكانتها داخل المجلس القروي، وإثبات حضورها في اجتماعاته وقراراته، حيث لم تعد مجرد "رجل كرسي" كما قالت. بل أن ذلك ضاعف من تأثيرها على زميلتها في عضوية المجلس لحضور جميع الجلسات، وأن يكون لها حضورها ورأيها، لتساهم في صنع القرار. أضافت:" لا تفوتني جلسة اجتماع للمجلس إلا وأشارك فيها. هذا حقي، وطالما أنني وصلت إلى عضوية المجلس مدعومة من أهل قريتي، وتحديدا من نسائه، فمن واجبي أن أؤدي الأمانة، وأن أتحمل مسؤولياتي جميعها، وأنا أدرك أن التحديات كثيرة وكبيرة. قريتنا تحتاج الكثير. هي بحاجة لمؤسسات وجمعيات تعمل من أجل المرأة، وتقدم المساعدة لها. بحاجة إلى مراكز وأندية للشباب".
طموحات كبيرة
المهام كثيرة، كما هي التحديات، لكنّ عوض، أكثر تصميما على مواجهتها والتغلب عليها، كي تنهض جبارة من واقعها الصعب، وتواجه المستقبل بأمل أفضل، يكون لنسائها دور فاعل، وهو ما تطمح إليه عوض أولا وأخيرا. أما طموحها للمستقبل، فيتمثل في رئاسة المجلس المحلي لجبارة، حيث تؤمن إيمانا مطلقا بقدرة النساء على الوصول إلى هدفهن، وبالنسبة لها، فإن هدفها هو الدفاع عن حقوق النساء، وإيصال كلمتهن، وتعزيز النظرة الإيجابية لدور المرأة واحترامها والاعتراف بكينونتها ووجودها وكرامتها ومساواتها مع الرجل.
'Cake and Vanilla': One story of success
Date posted: May 05, 2022
By MIFTAH
Ramallah – In the village of “Jadeera” northwest of Jerusalem, Sally Suleiman and a group of friends chose an old abandoned building as a launching point for their project “Cake and Vanilla”. Since then, they have consistently increased the sale of their date and nut cookies, first in their village and then later, in areas around and beyond Ramallah and even inside the Green Line. The women now create a quality, well-marketed product after honing their online marketing skills, creating and running their own website and being part of other similar websites to display their baked goods.
MIFTAH: Financial and technical support
Sally and her project partners admit that their success would never have been possible if it were not for MIFTAH’s support, providing them with the necessary equipment and appliances and working to develop their financial administration and marketing skills.
“MIFTAH was a huge support,” Sally says. “It gave us material and technical support, which motivated us to push forward and reach as many people as possible. Today, ‘Cake and Vanilla’ is a household name, not just in Jadeera but in areas in and around Ramallah and all over Palestine.”
Challenges and Obstacles
Sally mostly cites marketing challenges due to competition and gaps in the market in places they have difficulty accessing. She also points to the interminable problem of funding the website. MIFTAH, she says, helped them with ways to tackle this issue through providing them with training in online marketing, website management and funding with the goal of reaching a broader public.
Socio-economic impacts
Sally maintains that the project has tangibly improved their social and economic statuses and has allowed them to become more acquainted with society. She also says it boosted their confidence and their ability to depend on themselves and that their newfound economic empowerment had a positive impact for them within their own households and communities.
Community development project
MIFTAH project coordinator for community development and income-generating projects, Hanan Said, said these interventions with young female university graduates are part of MIFTAH’s efforts to empower women and integrate them in the labor market. The projects also give them the opportunity for financial independence and for developing their personal and professional skills. This, Said maintains, will allow them to carry out an effective role by reflecting the positive impact of women’s economic participation, in addition to elevating women’s statuses in their communities.
The tale of three female university students and their construction materials project
Date posted: February 09, 2022
By MIFTAH
Ramallah – Sarah, Rimah and Aya are three young women from the villages of Beit Iksa and Beit Dukko, northwest of Jerusalem, who ventured into an innovated project like no Palestinian women before them.
The first step on their road to success was MIFTAH, which has and continues to work towards supporting Palestinian women in the West Bank and in the Jerusalem district in particular, by providing small income-generating projects.
Sarah and Rimah are still university students while their colleague, Aya, is already graduated and works full-time with the project. The women tapped into their local communities’ needs, seeing how construction projects were mushrooming in their area. This, they realized, meant they could easily obtain construction materials if they had the means, including jacks and winches.
For Sarah Liqyaniyeh from Beit Ikas, who graduated with a degree in design and décor, their project to rent out construction materials and equipment was a way of fulfilling the needs of their communities. “No other woman or girl has ever thought up this idea before,” she says. “The project entails renting out construction supplies and equipment – jacks and iron elbows and other materials. This is a project that girls and women are probably not used to hearing about, whether in our villages or in other areas. Projects for women almost always revolve around food or embroidery. My colleagues and I wanted to do something different, something only for us, which would allow us to depend on ourselves. So we chose a project that no one has ever done before.”
She continues, “I studied and worked in design and décor and I have also worked in the field at construction sites. During discussions and conversations with my family and others in my village, I heard them talking about buying construction equipment and renting it from outside the village. This is when I had the idea for our project. I said to myself:
Why shouldn’t I be doing this? It’s a sure thing.” So, I pitched the idea to my two colleagues and they were both enthusiastic about it and thought it was a great idea. Our families were also supportive and even our local communities, which helped us find an easy and quick way to obtain the necessary construction equipment and materials. We have reaped profitable financial returns too, and hope one day we will be able to expand. Hopefully, MIFTAH will continue to support us; after all, it was the one that put us on this path.”
Supporting vital projects such as this one for Palestinian women in several West Bank districts has been a MIFTAH intervention for years. It is part of its “Women’s Empowerment” project, which supports small-income generating projects in cooperation with the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.
MIFTAH project manager, Hanan Said maintains: “The success story this project was able to achieve, whether in terms of impacting or changing the realities of over 400 Palestinian women and their families in rural areas, cities, or marginalized areas, is that these projects empowered and improved the social and economic lives of women. MIFTAH’s interventions have succeeded in reaching women, particularly the marginalized, in over 70 locations in Jericho and the Jordan Valley, the Ramallah/Al Bireh and the Jerusalem districts,” she says. Said continues that MIFTAH works on an almost annual basis, in cooperation with the Arab Fund, to reach new groups of women in various areas and offer them the necessary support to contribute to their economic participation in Palestinian society, with a focus on Jerusalem and its suburbs.
Through its support for women, MIFTAH seeks to increase opportunities for young women especially, to enable them to participate in the labor market and assume an active and influential role in creating positive patterns of economic participation for women, ultimately elevating their status in their respective communities. MIFTAH takes into consideration the needs of marginalized women by economically empowering underprivileged women through small grants.
