Israel / PalestineProviding opportunities for the women and youth of East Jerusalem
Facts & figures
- Middle East
- Education, Women's Empowerment
- 2015
- 55,000 residents of Silwan
- Madaa Creative Center
More than half of Silwan’s residents are under 18, and 75% live under the poverty line. The school dropout has reached 60%. In 2021, Palestinian sources reported that 2,788 East Jerusalemites were arrested, including 707 minors.
Goals:
Foster social, cultural and economic opportunities for Palestinian women and children in East Jerusalem.
Objectives:
- Youth engagement: Create safe spaces across East Jerusalem where children can engage in supervised extra-curricular activities, access support services, and learn new skills.
- Women's empowerment: Provide job training and placement opportunities, including literacy, language, and computer courses.
- Psychosocial support: Support the mental health of Palestinians living in Jerusalem through counseling, psychosocial services, and educational initiatives focusing on vulnerable groups.
- Strengthen cultural identity: Support Palestinians' sense of belonging in their Jerusalemite community, by providing opportunities to celebrate their history and culture, including Dabka (dance) classes and creation of a public library containing books in Arabic.
Description:
The Madaa Centre in East Jerusalem fosters community well-being by creating safe spaces for children's activities, empowering women through job training and literacy programs, offering mental health support, and preserving cultural identity.
In the last year, the Madaa Centre has increased its engagement in neighbourhoods outside Silwan by collaborating with NGO’s in A-Tour, Al-Essawyeh, and Jabal Al-Mukaber.
Madaa prioritizes support to women in precarious financial circumstances (widows, separated and divorced women, wives of prisoners) and their dependents.
