ActionAid Palestine Supports Women’s Participation in the 2026 Grape Days Festival in Hebron

Occupied Palestinian Territory – Hebron – ActionAid Palestine supported the participation of Palestinian women from the closed areas and the Old City of Hebron in the 2026 Grape Marketing Days Festival. The festival is organized by the Hebron Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Old City of Hebron, in partnership with ActionAid Palestine and a number of relevant local organizations, with broad participation from farmers, business owners and local initiatives.

The festival aims to provide participants with opportunities to market grapes, as well as other Palestinian agricultural and handmade products, during the grape season.

Women’s participation in the festival comes as part of the strategic partnership between ActionAid Palestine and the Hebron Chamber of Commerce and Industry, through the “Basala – Empowering Women in the Old City of Hebron” project. As part of this initiative, 25 women were supported to participate in the festival through a dedicated space where they could display and market their products during the festival, held from 26 to 28 September 2026.

Women’s participation in the festival reflects the importance of creating economic and marketing spaces that enable women to directly reach customers, introduce their businesses and products, and build new relationships with the community and private sector. These opportunities can contribute to the sustainability of women-led small businesses.

Women’s participation goes beyond simply displaying products. It provides an opportunity to strengthen their visibility as entrepreneurs, producers and active participants in the local economy, while highlighting the products and businesses developed by women in the Old City and surrounding areas despite the economic and social challenges and restrictions that affect daily life and economic activity in the city.

ActionAid Palestine emphasizes that women’s economic empowerment requires more than training or financial support. It also requires creating meaningful opportunities for women to access markets, build economic networks, market their products and participate in spaces where economic opportunities are created. Supporting women economically also means strengthening their resilience, recognizing their contribution to the local economy, and creating greater opportunities for them to participate and shape economic opportunities.

ActionAid Palestine implements the “Basala – Empowering Women in the Old City of Hebron” project with support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Through the project, and in partnership with local organizations, ActionAid Palestine supports women to develop income-generating opportunities and strengthen their access to markets, contributing to their economic independence and their role within their communities.

The project also includes awareness-raising activities and collective action initiatives that aim to strengthen women’s resilience and their ability to respond to the challenges and difficulties arising from the ongoing emergency situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

About ActionAid International  

ActionAid International is a global federation working with over 41 million people living in more than 72 of the world's poorest countries. We envision a world characterized by justice and sustainability, where every individual has the right to a dignified life and freedom, and a world free from poverty and oppression. We strive to achieve social justice, gender equality, and eradicate poverty.  

ActionAid Palestine began its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of the Palestinian people, believing in their right to enjoy freedom, justice, and self-determination. ActionAid Palestine implements several programs through its engagement with Palestinian communities and youth and women’s groups, aiming to empower women and youth and enhance their active civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective action to address the rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation, in addition to improving their leadership capacity and practicing their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers accountable. 

For more information, please contact:  

Riham Jafari   

Communication and Advocacy Officer at ActionAid Palestine   

Email: Riham.Jafari@actionaid.org