The project will be carried out in Maythaloun, Jalbun, Faqqu’a, Jalamah, Burqin, Anza and Deir Abu Da’if, in the Jenin Governorate (West Bank, Palestine), whose geographical location has led to biological diversity in agri-food production.

Taking advantage of this casuistry, the project’s objective is to promote the labor rights of rural women – key actors in achieving the economic, environmental and social changes necessary for sustainable development in Palestine – in these regions.

Empowering rural women in Jenin economically not only contributes to their well-being, that of their families and their rural communities, but also to the economic productivity of the area, given their high presence in the agricultural labor force.

Therefore, their equal access to productive employment will be favored, with a living wage, in a safe working environment and with guaranteed equal treatment, as well as their right to associationism, through these activities:

• Raising awareness among the population, both men and women, of the need to maintain the struggle to achieve their socioeconomic rights. The support and active participation of the municipalities is a necessary link.

• Strengthening cooperatives, given the difficulty of Palestinian rural women to carry out a remunerated occupation in the formal sector, under satisfactory conditions and in dignified spaces, without suffering any discrimination and receiving a fair benefit for the same.

• Guaranteeing a future for young Palestinians, so that they can access the labor market, accompanying them to acquire the key skills required, is an indispensable condition for the exercise of their rights and feel that they are also contributing to the economic recovery of Palestine.

This is expected to improve:

• Organizational and participatory capacities of Rights Holders (RD), Responsibility Holders (RR) and Duty Bearers (OD) to ensure decent job creation and entrepreneurship among rural women in Jenin.

• The productive, marketing and financial management capacities of women’s cooperatives in Jenin.

• The professional skills of young female university graduates in Jenin aimed at improving opportunities for access to quality employment.