Micro Economic Projects For Women in Palestine

1. Micro Economic Projects For Women in Palestine Riad Elsolh Hamad EDTC 6340 Professor: Janice Butler, M.Ed

2. 1) Why Microeconomic projects in Palestine2) Who are the targeted groups 3) Types of proposed programs4) Projected benefits of the projects on income and sustenance Introduction

3. Objectives • Employ 100 men and women who will earn at least 150 dollars a month • Provide access to international markets for the men and women farmers and artisans to distribute their products and receive fair wages.

4. Our plan 1) One capable computer with internet access, monitor, printer and a digital camera in every village.2) 1000 dollars worth of thread, material and designs for the women to use in producing embroidered bags and dresses.3)Training young boys and girls to read, write and speak English4) Fruit and olive trees with a water well for irrigationand some animals if available

5. Target cities The program will involve the Palestinians villages surrounded by the wall built by Israel on Palestinian land in violation of international law and the decision of the International Court of Justice in the Hague. Some of these towns and cities are: Beitlehm, Jayyous, Jenin,Nablus,Alfaraa, Beit Sahour

6. Summud/sustenance support packages 1) Each family will receive 50 olive trees, fruit trees and 250 dollars worth of agricultural tools2) A water well to hold at least 5000 gallons of water3) 250 dollars worth of embroidery material including thread, cloth and chisels to carve olive wood crafts.4) Each family will be assigned a case worker who will receive the olive oil and wood products for export5) Each family will be give access to the internet for two hours a week at the local village cultural center to communicate with clients and family abroad.For a sample project please click here and view the Jayyous project on the right side of the page

7. Cost of package per family The cost of the items recommended for each family: • 50 trees at 10 dollars a tree. • Water well: 2400 dollars • Thread and material 250 dollars • Two milk goats and six chickens: 800 dollars • Gardening and irrigation tools: 250 dollars

8. Financial facilities • A website will be set up to allow the families market their product online throughout the world • A pay pal account will be set up to allow the women and the families financial facilities to send and receive money for their goods • A bank account will be set up in the United States to collect the money for the sales and transfer to Palestine on weekly basis. • Profits from the sales will be reinvested in the towns and villages where the families live through the distribution of tools, trees and educational material for the children. • A portion of the profits will be used towards expanding the number of families who benefit from the project.

9. Affiliated organizations • The following organizations work in the same area of development and can be relied on for research and assistance • http://www.pal-arc.org/corda/rwds/publications/news-2002-factsfigures.html • http://www.afsc.org/israel-palestine/learn/fair-trade.htm • http://www.grassrootsonline.org/weblog/palag.html • http://www.pal-arc.org/media/press30.html • http://www.pafu.ps/enjazat-eng-2004.htm • http://palestinianembroider.tripod.com/ • http://www.palestinecostumearchive.org/refugee_camps.htm • http://www.tatreez.net/ • http://www.shira.net/videorevws/palestinian.htm • http://www.dheisheh-ibdaa.net/

10. * Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund will send volunteers to train and assess compliance with plan.* Specialists in the field of education, art, marketing and distribution will be sent to Palestine to train the men and women on the most efficient means for manufacturing and distribution.* A quarterly statement will be published online to declare sales, profits and achievements for the quarter.* An annual financial plan to be announced and published online to encourage the public to participate and support the project. Assessment and evaluation * Advertising and marketing for the products and the objectives of the program to be handled by http://www.pcwf.org* New families interested in joining the project are to be evaluated by a team of volunteers from the United States who visit Palestine on regular basis.* No political, religious or militant organizations will be involved in this purely humanitarian project

11. References 1)WikipediaMicrocredit, Macro Problemsthenation.org 2)Microcredit Summit CampaignMicrocreditsummit.org 3)"500 millions de pauvres disposent d'un microcrédit", Le Monde, January27, 2006 (in French).4)Microcredit, microresultsThe Left Business Observer #74, October 19965)Goetz, A.M. and R. Sen Gupta. "Who takes the Credit? Gender, power and control over loan use in rural credit programmes in Bangladesh." World Development Vol. 24, January 1995. 6)Large NGOs Becoming Rockefellers.The Financial Express, November22, 2005 link titleRetrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microcredit"