Ikhilia Women Cooperative” in Jordan Valleys: Model for Healthy Food, Land Protection and Economic Empowerment
Ghadeer abu Zainah is a young Palestinian woman living inTubas in the Jordan Valleys. Ghadeer wakes up every day to join other 10 young women to work in their cooperative they established. They named it with “Ikhailia Cooperative” for a well-known herb in their area that is used for strengthening immune system.
(photo of a Palestinian Young Woman, Ghadeer Abu Zainah in “Ikhilia Women Cooperative” she established with other 10 women in the Jordan Valleys)
“Ikhilia Cooperative is a women cooperative that has been established in 2021. Women wanted to use their leisure during COVID-19 in utilizing their land to grow vegetables and produce organic and health products. Women also purchase vegetables that are sold with cheap prices in local markets to produce pickles and dried herbs that are used for medical purposes.
(photo of a member of “Ikhilia Women Cooperative” while they were processing vegetables in the Jordan Valleys )
Through ActionAid Palestine (AAP)’s program of “Civil and Democratic Participation of Palestinian Youth”, these women could establish their cooperative and purchase equipment for processing food products. Women membership of agricultural cooperatives teaches women how to manage the cooperatives and provides leadership skills that enable them to voice their opinions in all aspects of civic life. Not only do women take roles as leaders of the community, but they also establish their self-sufficiency by supporting themselves and their families through the permanent income generated through the cooperatives.
The creation of a small, female-led cooperatives serve as an incremental step for women participation in public life and process of making decisions in social and political fields and provides a way to protect the land. Walaa’ Bani Odeh is a young woman who is a member of this cooperative said: “for being an occupied country, planting the land strengthens our existence and stops confiscating it and contributes in empowering women”.
Ghadeer Abu Zainah who is the founder of “Ikhilia Cooperative” had a piece of land that she wanted to benefit from it and benefit others said: “we established this cooperative to assist my family and fulfill food needs of my community”.
The cooperative sets up a model for sustainable livelihoods by providing communities with healthy food and women with access to employment.
Background Information
ActionAid in Palestine (AAP) is a part of global federation working for social justice and gender equality and eradicate poverty in more than 45 countries around the world. AAP 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 Palestine
Mobile:
+972 (0) 595242890
Office:
+972 (0) (2) 22 13 137
Email:
Riham.Jafari@actionaid.org