Country: Palestinian Territories: Gaza Strip, Governorate of Gaza and Rafah.

Donor: Emilia-Romagna Region

Period: 1st September 2015 – 16th May 2017.

Thematic Area: Social politics, economic and local development/self-employment.

Local partners: El Amal - Rehabilitation Society – Rafah; S.D.F. Social Developmental Forum; Gaza District Chamber of Commerce, Trade, Industry and Agriculture.

Italian partners: Municipality of Ravenna, Municipality of Rimini, Municipality of Riccione – International Cooperation Service; AIFO; Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Craftsmanship of Rimini; Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Craftsmanship of Ravenna.

Overall Objective: Promotion of social inclusion of women with disabilities in the Gaza Strip, according to the UN Convention of Persons with Disabilities.

Specific Objective: Socio-economic empowerment of women with disabilities in the Gaza Strip

Beneficiaries:

- 100 Palestinian people from Gaza (among whom business people, human resources managers, DPOs and CBOs operators, volunteers) take part in conferences about the possibility of employment for women with disability.

- 15 private businesses and no-Profit organizations managers are made aware on work inclusion of women with disabilities;

- 150 unemployed women with disabilities from the Gaza strip benefit from individual job counselling activities for working orientation and will have the possibility to get in contact with businesses;

- 100 unemployed disabled women or with low wages (less than 1000 Nis per month – about €200), aged from 18 to 40 years old, participate in professional training activities on basic skills

- 40 unemployed women with disabilities will participate to communication and secretary training, which is necessary for employment in private sector;

- 40 unemployed women with disabilities get training on management and communication, aimed at increasing their employability for the No-profit sector

- 24 unemployed women with disabilities, who have participated in professional training, receive a three-month work grant in order to promote their employability

- 15 start-up businesses, selected from the 34 started and financially supported by the projects INCLUDE DCI-GENDER/2012/301-155 and managed by Palestinian women with disabilities, get a consultation on management and communication from an expert of FISH and a local expert;

- 2000 people from Emilia-Romagna and Gaza Strip are involved in the final event and sensitized on the life conditions of people with disabilities (in particularly women) living in the Gaza strip

Project Summary:

In the Palestinian territories, women with disabilities are living a strongly stigmatized condition, both in private and social life. The society they live in is, in fact, dominated by male power and incapable to respond to their specific needs. They are usually excluded from every decisional process, as well as from the job market; moreover, the Palestinian disability law 4/99 considers only medical aspects, despite the modern connotations introduced by the UN convention of People with Disabilities. The recent ratification of the mentioned convention, signed by Palestinian National Authority President on April 2 2014, represents an important opportunity for developing an inclusive approach to disability.

The aim of the project is to promote the empowerment and socio-economic inclusion of women with disabilities in the Gaza Strip and to support their active emancipation in society. As reported by recent analysis of the Birzeit University and the MOSA, Ministry of Social Affairs, one of most important barriers for women with disabilities is represented by the difficulty to get a job, especially in the Gaza Strip.

The project involves three local partners and six Italian partners and includes the following activities: the opening of two helpdesks providing job orientation and networking support for the employment of women with disabilities; training courses on job market access and non-profit competences; sponsorships in private and Non-Profit sector; consultancy for businesses and start–up to support the self-employment of women with disabilities; sensitization, networking and sharing best practices concerning working rights for WWD in Italy and Palestine.