Palestine

Dana graduated from An-Najah University with a degree in education methods in 2015, but was unable to find a job in her village of Sabstyia in the West Bank due to the high level of competition for teaching positions. To keep her skills sharp while seeking employment, Dana decided to volunteer at a local school where she introduced new teaching methods through creative activities and games for children.

When she learned about the Near East Foundation’s Palestinian Women’s Microenterprise Development (PWMD) project funded by the Rangoonwala Foundation, she saw an opportunity to turn her passion and experience into a business endeavor—an alternative teaching center. She submitted an application and completed the project’s five-day training course.

“After the training, I became more confident in marketing my business concept,” Dana said. “I could communicate to the parents the value of teaching children through fun activities and games in order to achieve results.”

Dana’s business was selected by the project's steering committee to receive a grant to help her launch her innovative education center for children. With the grant, Dana was able to recruit and hire another young woman to help her open the learning center, which she aptly named Fun to Learn.

Initially Dana faced challenges in launching the center. Some parents were resistant to the new and unconventional methods it was implementing. However, after they saw the improvements in their children’s performance, the value of the center became clear. Parents have reported that their children have shown an increased commitment to their classes and improved grades, and have demonstrated a stronger desire to learn. Students are now encouraging their friends to join Dana’s center.

“The grant from the project allowed me to cover some needs at the learning center,” Dana said. “I was able to continue and to not be afraid to implement any new ideas that contribute to the development of our society and awareness for our generation."

Dana and her colleagues continue to make improvements to the center and are determined to show that one person can make a difference in many lives. Enrollment has steadily increased, which will allow Dana to hire on two or three recent education graduates over the next year.

NEF, in partnership with the Rangoonwala Foundation, has trained over 300 Palestinian women in entrepreneurial and business development, and has helped launch over 140 businesses in the region.

 

Fatmeh, a 48-year-old woman from Ramallah city, went from being a chef at a university cafeteria for 14 years to owning a small catering business and expanding it into a café. When she first opened Em Sameer Kitchen Fatmeh could only provide food for pickup orders because her store’s location didn’t include a sink, chairs, tables, or a refrigerator.

Four years after opening her café, still determined to grow her business, Fatmeh applied to NEF’s program. “I participated because I felt that I needed some managerial support,” Fatmeh said. “I have enough experience in making food; however, I was really in need of business and management training.”

After receiving training in marketing, product development, branding, and financial management, Fatmeh submitted her improved business plan and was awarded with a grant and loan of $3,400. She purchased refrigerators and raw food materials helping her to increase production.

After making these improvements to her business model and with the profits she made from the café, Fatmeh opened a dine-in restaurant where people could enjoy her specialty pastries and homemade Palestinian dishes. “Every woman should have a specific goal and vision,” Fatmeh said. “And depend on herself to achieve her goals and dreams.”

Fatmeh still continues to participate in NEF’s project—but this time, she works as a mentor for a different group of women entrepreneurs who want to see their businesses flourish. Through the improvement of her business model, Fatmeh’s business has substantially grown requiring her to hire additional employees to keep up with the café’s demand.

Today, Fatmeh reflects on her experience as a women entrepreneur:

“If a woman starts her business and she fails, that does not mean she should give up, she should learn from her experiences and become stronger to start again.”

When Jameela’s husband unexpectedly died at a young age, she was left to single-handedly provide for her four young sons. Jameela, from Al-Azaa refugee camp north of Bethlehem, decided to turn her embroidery hobby into a small home-based business as a solution to support her family.

Jameela’s reputation and recognition for embroidery work quickly grew in her community, creating a higher demand for her products.

With a desire to expand her business to meet her increased demand, Jameela signed up to receive six months of NEF’s business development trainings and one-on-one coaching. She received training in business and financial management, branding, and marketing. Although she had owned her own business for several years, this was the first business development training Jameela had received.

Through the program, she was able to participate in local Bazaars to market her products and network with other people who were also a part of a similar line of work. At the Bazaars Jameela gained the attention of a large number of tourists every day—increasing her profits by 30 percent.

Today, Jameela’s business is well known in Hebron and Bethlehem. Along with improving her and her family’s life by turning a small home-based business into a successful embroidery shop, she also employs 15 women—mainly widows—providing them with sustainable income as well.

“My dream now is to expand my business more and more and to create more jobs for the women in need,” Jameela said. “The project not only impacted my business, it has also had an impact on my personality. I was living as a widow and only needed money to pay my

Fadia, a university student from Hebron City and a divorced mother of three, created her own small home-based business—Wonder of Paper—which repurposes scrap paper into art pieces such as sculptures, toys, accessories, and various decorations.

For Fadia, the challenge of being a single parent and soul provider for her family made establishing her business that much more difficult. Despite this, Fadia succeeded in starting her business while completing her studies in “graphic design”.

A few years after the launch of Wonder of Paper, Fadia heard and signed up for NEF’s program. As a result of the trainings, Fadia developed an improved business plan, which led her to later receive a project supported grant. Through this grant, Fadia was able to invest in equipment that more efficiently met the demands of her business and shortened the time she spent handcrafting her products. She was also able to hire four female university students to help her, which in turn allowed them to embark on their own path to financial independence.

With extra time and help on her hands, Fadia has expanded the variety of products she sells to include hair accessories, school supplies for children, medals, and photo albums. She said, “Because of this experience, I have expanded my business. My work has increased. My business capital was 300 NIS (less than $100/month) and now it is 800 NIS (more than $250/month).”

Today, Fadia’s business has grown to the point where she is able to support her family and pay her university loans. She hopes to continue to expand Wonder of Paper, and soon host a summer camp at her store to teach children different forms of art.

It was only September of 2013 when a young student finishing a Computer Programming degree became inspired to change her future. Carmen Dweikat always loved making henna artwork and took every opportunity to practice and perfect her abilities. She never considered starting her own business to do it full-time.

 

“I was scared in the beginning,” she said. “I was just practicing my skills as a hobby. I never had the motivation to turn it into a business, but the Near East Foundation (NEF) opens the door for us to participate.”

 

Carmen approached NEF through a local association, the Bita Womens’ Association for Development, where she volunteers. She liked the idea of a plan to support women’s business plans by first raising most of the capital and then receiving a grant from NEF and its UK-based partner, the Rangoonwala Foundation, which shares NEF’s mission of empowering communities through long-term sustainable development.

 

“I really liked the idea of the woman and NEF contributing to the total amount in the business plan.” Carmen remarked. “It makes a woman  take her business more seriously and provides a sense of belonging.”

 

In total, NEF is providing training to 200 Palestinian women entrepreneurs. The effort, which began in October 2012, aims to support the creation of 150 new businesses. On average, women entrepreneurs provide 75% of the start-up capital and NEF contributes the remaining 25%. The program allows Carmen and women entrepreneurs like her to make plans for the future.

 

“I hope NEF continues to include more women so they can benefit from this program as I have benefitted. And I hope NEF keeps following up with us to help improve and expand our microenterprises,” she said. “For example, I am planning on expanding my microenterprise into face painting.”

 

Other women participating in the project are pursuing businesses in a range of areas including small farming, baking, and retail shops.

A few months ago, Latifa Qasim saw a great business opportunity in her West Bank village of Haris.

She and other local women were traveling a few kilometers to a neighboring village every time they needed to buy spices for cooking. Latifa realized that there was a demand for these products in her community – and that she had the potential to meet this need. Less than five months later, Latifa turned her idea into an operational business with support from the Near East Foundation (NEF).

Latifa applied to an NEF program that helps Palestinian women in the West Bank achieve financial independence and security by starting their own small businesses. NEF conducts regular training workshops for women in microenterprise development and business management, then assists them in creating their business and marketing plans. The women submit their own market studies, feasibility analyses, and budgets for consideration to receive start-up funding.

Latifa testified to the effectiveness of the training sessions, saying “Learning accounting and marketing was so helpful.” With her skill of mixing spices and her new business training, Latifa started a spice trade from a small room in her house. She buys spices in bulk and repackages them for sale.

In a short period of time, word about her spices and their high quality spread. Village women now save time and invest in their community by supporting Latifa’s locally owned business. Because of her hard work in market research and her own financial contributions, Latifa received a project start-up grant of $300 to launch her business.

Latifa’s life has changed in many ways. “I am more self-confident now,” she remarked. “It means a lot for me to be self-sufficient and to have my own money from my own business.”

In total, NEF is providing training to 200 Palestinian women entrepreneurs like Latifa. The effort, which began in October 2012, aims to support the creation of 150 new businesses. On average, women entrepreneurs provide 75% of the start-up capital and NEF contributes the remaining 25%. This work is made possible by funding from the U.K.-based Rangoonwala Foundation, which shares NEF’s belief in empowering communities through sustainable, long-term economic development.

Just because Latifa finished the program doesn’t mean her affiliation ends. Some of the most effective help NEF provides women is ongoing business coaching and continued support through its growing network of entrepreneurs. This fosters peer advising and mentoring among small business owners to help women like Latifa address emerging challenges and stay in business well into the future.

Forty Palestinian women living in the Jordan Valley - each the sole income provider for her family - have increased their income by an average of $300 after receiving agricultural management training and support from NEF since January 2012. We helped the women launch their own businesses growing thyme, a traditional herb used across the region, in home gardens that provide a sustainable source of income while also allowing women to care for their families.

Amneh is one of the women whose life has changed dramatically since starting her new business. She is raising her brother's children by herself and has used her earnings to buy school supplies and toys for her nephews.

When Israeli olive oil producer Ayala Noy upgraded her mill to improve the quality of her oil, she never dreamed that one day it would serve as a model for Palestinian producers. However that is exactly what happened when she joined a USAID and Near East Foundation project to promote cross-border cooperation in the olive sector.

Ayala – an entrepreneur and woman business owner – recently invited seven Palestinians to her home in Nazareth. There she led fellow producers on a tour of her mill so they could see first-hand how she implemented simple, low-cost techniques that could also help dramatically improve their olive oil production.

These technologies include cold pressing techniques, hygiene standards, quality testing, storage in nitrogen-sealed stainless steel containers, and organic certification.

When the tour concluded, the Palestinians extended an invitation to Ayala and other Israeli producers to visit their mills in the West Bank.

As project participants, 12 Palestinian and Israeli mill operators will receive support from USAID and the Near East Foundation to make similar upgrades that will increase the quality and quantity of their oil production.

In the short term, these improvements will result in an increase in income for olive oil producers, greater market access for olive farmers, and increased opportunity for cross-border business initiatives.

“While olive oil production is a critical economic industry for both Israelis and Palestinians, Palestinian producers have lagged behind because of barriers to the transfer of supplies and technical expertise,” said Salah Abu-Eisheh, Near East Foundation Director for the Palestinian Territories.

The mill exchange is just one example of many similar project activities that are successfully helping to close this technology gap. By providing opportunities where people from both sides can gather to share their knowledge, the project offers industry leaders a way to build mutually beneficial relationships grounded in economic cooperation.

NEF and USAID aim to work directly with more than 1,400 people over the course of the three-year project. This work will stimulate the economy in dozens of villages throughout the West Bank and Israel, as well as strengthen the regional olive oil industry.

The Balata Women’s Society, located in the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank, is one of 10 women’s associations in Palestinian that NEF trained and coached to create small businesses in 2011. By the end of 2012, these women’s associations had set up 57 school canteens, which collectively created 168 jobs and generated $130,000 in revenue. The canteens generates income for association members, support the associations’’ charitable work, and sell healthy snacks to children in their local primary school, where many kids arrive hungry and malnourished every day. NEF is now working with an additional 16 women’s associations in the West Bank with the aim of creating 150 new businesses over the next 4 years.

After 25 years as a refugee, Mohammad Sholi returned to his home in the Palestinian village of Asira to tend the olive grove he inherited from his father. Now 50 years old and with a successful career as a pilot behind him, Mohammad has distinguished himself as the producer of the finest olive oil in the West Bank.

Mohammad first became involved in the Near East Foundation's olive sector work in 2007, one of 450 farmers who worked closely with NEF to improve and expand Palestine’s burgeoning olive oil industry. As a participant in the program, Mohammad attended workshops and training to learn how to derive the highest possible olive oil yield from his crops. He also benefitted from the equipment and tools that NEF distributed to farmers to control parasites, which often infect olive fruits during the harvest season.

Mohammad applied the techniques he learned during training and quickly learned that they were capable of producing extraordinary results. The olive oil he produces has been certified by the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture as possessing the lowest levels of acid and peroxide among the oil samples they have tested. He also increased his production by 25 percent compared to famers who did not participate in the NEF program.

"I produce oil for distinct consumers who take care of their health," Mohammad says. The fame that his olive oil has received for its high ratings has allowed him to sell it throughout the area at very competitive prices, and to continue to expand his business and crops.

NEF’s work in the olive sector in Palestine has focused on six clusters of West Bank villages, including Asira, that collectively produce approximately six percent of the annual Palestinian olive crop. Many international and local organizations have worked in the Palestinian olive sector, but NEF has been particularly successful due to our unique strategies, building on long-standing partnerships with local communities. NEF has targeted all aspects of the olive oil value chain, including pre- and post-harvest procedures and marketing, in order to give the Palestinian oil producers the competitive advantage they need to succeed in international markets.