ActionAid Palestine to Promote Women’s Economic Empowerment in H2 During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Supporting their Agricultural and Commercial Enterprises
Hebron-West Bank-Through project “Valiance “Basala”-Empowering women in H2” funded by Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade(DFAT), ActionAid Palestine(AAP) supported 22 economic enterprises including generating income agricultural and commercial enterprises aiming to economically strengthen the resilience of women and their families and promote their presence in their local communities. Those enterprises will be a source of income that will enable women to provide their families under the deterioration of economic conditions of their families and exacerbation of their suffering due to full lockdown resulting from the outbreak ofCOVID-19 and loss of livelihoods. In addition, this area permanently suffers from protection threats including settlers’ violence and existence of Israeli checkpoints.
A woman in H2 standing in her agricultural greenhouse funded by project of “Valiance “Basala”-Empowering women in H2”
Supporting those enterprises aims to achieve the strategic goals of “Valiance’s project of improving women’s status in H2 through economic empowerment and collective action and enhance their access to economic resources. In addition, their active agency will be built to address the structural causes of discrimination and violence against them through their collective work to analyze the social, economic, and political context that affects all aspects of life. Women will identify all skills and experiences they need to overcome difficult situations and create positive change for women within their families and communities.
A woman in H2 standing in her small commercial enterprise funded by project of “ Valiance “Basala” Empowering women in H2”
AAP supported those start-ups by providing 22 women with agricultural items and equipment needed for planting vegetables and livestock farming and other commercial items to establish their own businesses. Those items were delivered to women under state of full lockdown with close cooperation with Hebron Governorate. “Valiance’s project” contributes in establishing economic and productive enterprises targeting young entrepreneurs and low- income marginalized women. Those women were trained by AAP on how to manage start-ups through the use of modern techniques of management and marketing. Their competitive capacities in markets were enhanced to facilitate their control over and access to different resources of start-ups and gender sensitive productive assets in the local markets.
A young woman in H2 receiving agricultural materials and equipment for her agricultural start-up funded by project of “ Valiance “Basala”-Empowering women in H2”
Khadijah is a young woman living in H2 and benefiting from project. She is now managing her household saying: “I dream that I can develop my project and produce an organic healthy product as an alternative to unhealthy food invading the market. I also dream that I contribute in sustainable development and later in decreasing in unemployment rate .This enterprise helps me in mitigating the economic burden which continues to be a source of a great concern for all under the continuous state of lockdown. As a result, working in this enterprise will decrease tense and mitigate the psychological impact of pandemic and current stresses as well as it will help me in utilizing my time and energy properly”.
Background Information
ActionAid
ActionAid is a global federation working for social justice and gender equality and eradicate poverty. ActionAid works worldwide to empower people living in poverty and exclusion with focus on women’s rights .ActionAid works directly and closely with communities, civil society organizations, women movements and social groups and movements and other allies to tackle root causes of poverty and oppression. ActionAid deliver grassroots programmes to utilize efforts of global struggle movements working for a just, fair and sustainable world. Based on human rights-based approach and women rights’ principles, ActionAid seeks to fairly re-distribute powers through solidarity, empowerment, awareness campaigns and creating alternatives to ensure that everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from oppression.
ActionAid in Palestine (AAP) is a part of that federation which started its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian People as ActionAid believes that they should enjoy their rights to freedom, justice and self-determination. AAP implements a number of programs through its engagement with communities and women and youth groups seeking to empower them and enhance their influential civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective activism to address the protracted rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation of Palestine. AAP works simultaneously to enhance their leadership capacity and knowledge to practice their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers to account.
For more information, please contact
Riham Jafari
Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication in Gaza Strip and West Bank
Mobile:
+972 (0) 595242890
Office:
+972 (0) (2) 22 13 137
Email: