Women’s Program
- Women’s Program
Given the multitude and overwhelming nature of the problems facing the region, residents’ frustration and feelings of powerlessness result in a sense of alienation and indifference. The situation of women reflects the general problems plaguing the region, in addition to challenges specifically faced by Arab women in Israel. Indeed, Arab Palestinian are doubly marginalized; first as Arab Palestinians in a Jewish country and secondly as women in a patriarchal society. While some women from Taybeh have beaten the odds and have obtained relatively high levels of professional and economic achievement, the vast majority of local women remain marginalized. Most of them – few of whom work outside the home – are consigned to the confines of their homes with few opportunities for meaningful public interaction or involvement.
The situation of grassroots organizing of women in Taybeh and the triangle region reflects the overall situation of civic activism locally: initiatives tend to be poorly managed, ineffective and unsustainable. Taybeh lacks an organized framework whereby women can receive the support, mentoring and professional advice they require in order to develop their own personal visions of change and bring those visions to fruition. Today in Taybeh and the Triangle region, the potential of women with the motivation and requisite commitment to contribute to their community is left unrealized.
- Women Leadership Program (Women’s Network):
We believe that the situation can and should be different. Consistent with Tishreen’s strategy of initiating public dialogue about issues of concern to local residents and mobilizing citizenry to become agents of change, we aim to create a skilled, highly motivated, committed and active group of women activists who will serve as a local force for change. Our multi-year strategy includes recruiting a diverse group of local women, educating them about social issues, training them to identify and define local problems, providing them with the skills to successfully implement grassroots initiatives for change and supporting them in their activities. We envision the creation of a network of women activists, first in Taybeh, and eventually within the Triangle region as a whole.
- Women’s Economic Empowerment:
This project’s overall goal is to improve the economic and personal status of Arab women within their families and in their communities through entry into the job market. It is being conducted jointly with Naamat: Movement of Working Women and Volunteers. In 2016, we brought to this project 26 women aged 18-40 of low to middle income levels. All of them are Conservative Muslims from the Southern Triangle region. In general, the women married and became mothers at a young age and this prevented them from entering the job market.