WATC's programs and projects
WATC offers skills training for both men and women in human rights, elections law, assertiveness, leadership, campaign management, and a range of other topics. In a context where men have lost jobs in Israel, families have lost land which sustained them economically, salaries go unpaid and nearly 10,000 men languish in Israeli prisons, women have been forced to assume new roles as heads of households and income earners whether they like it or not. For women who have lived a traditional life within the home, having to enter the job market, start an income-generating project, or negotiate the needs of her family within the society can be daunting. Becoming empowered with the skills offered through WATC's programs not only equips her to sustain her family, but to actively engage her vision for her community and for her nation.
WATC's projects and programs prioritize marginalized women from rural areas, as well as refugees. WATC also prioritizes empowering young women as leaders in social transformation and the national struggle.
On the local level, WATC equips women with skills to assess their needs and assists them in organizing together to meet their needs and realize their goals. WATC's impact on women's involvement in the political process spans right from the level of ordinary women in rural village, whom WATC empowers as voters as candidates for local council elections, and as local councilwomen, to the national level where WATC has campaigned successfully for legislation establishing a 20% quota for women in local councils and on national party lists for the Palestinian Legislative Council. WATC works actively to provide feedback to the PLC on the impacts of draft legislation on women, an initiative which has been well-received by the PLC. WATC has played a prominent role in raising the society's awareness of women's issues and achievements through campaigns, radio and TV programs, theatre, and through the bi-monthly newspaper supplement distributed by Al Ayam newspaper for which WATC is perhaps best known, Voice of Women.
WATC currently pursues its objectives through the following programs and projects:
Advocacy and Capacity Building for Reform
In partnership with the Norwegian Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority
Empowerment of Women in Local Councils
In partnership with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Empowering Young Leaders for Democracy & Good Governance
In partnership with DIAKONIA
Sanabel: Empowering Rural Women
In partnership with the Ford Foundation
Voice of Women newspaper
In partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Empowerment of Leaders
In partnership with the Learning Partnership for Human Rights, Development and Peace (WLP) using the Leading to Choices curriculum.
Empowerment of Young Women for Community Awareness
In partnership with Movimiento por laPaz (MPDL).
Empowering Young Women Lawyers and Social Workers
In partnership with the Welfare Association
Advocacy and Capacity Building for Reform
This program, which is supported by the Norwegian Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority, has worked for nine years to enhance the participation of women in reform and nation building, by empowering women from different regions of Palestine for community leadership and advocacy, by ensuring that the principles of human and women’s rights guide the drafting of laws and policies, by working to unify the agenda and coordinate the efforts of organizations working to expand the national role of women and by educating the community on the gender gaps in the law.WATC plays an active role in building consensus among organizations on gender sensitive legislation and policies of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), giving input from a gender-sensitive perspective on draft legislation and on the application of existing laws. Wherever debate arises within society or policy is being formed which can impact women’s participation in society, WATC participates actively. This includes topics such as participation in political life, education, right to employment, violence against women, legal age for marriage and emancipation, procedures for elections, party law, and the independence of the judiciary. WATC's legal consultants monitor gender issues during PLC meetings.
Empowerment of Women in Local Councils
This project, a partnership with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, works to empower women local council members in the West Bank and Gaza by equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed for effective leadership.
Empowering Young Leaders for Democracy & Good Governance
This project, also supported by DIAKONIA, seeks to develop young people, particularly women, as active participants in nation building and reform and as leaders engaged in advocacy and community awareness work in their communities. The project focuses on building knowledge and skills and supporting the young leaders to apply what they have learned in advocacy and awareness work in their communities. The project also seeks to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations of the women’s movement.
Sanabel: Empowering Rural Women
This project is supported by the Ford Foundation and also received support from the National Endowment for Democracy in the past. WATC launched Sanabel in 1997. Sanabel’s goal is to empower rural women to lead reform and to advocate effectively for policies and legislation which do not discriminate against women by raising their awareness of their rights, equipping them with skills, and mobilizing them as agents of change in their communities and in their own lives. Sanabel provides training for awareness and skills in areas such as leadership, gender, independent decision-making, self confidence, conflict resolution, problem solving, communication, effective outreach, women's rights, networking and advocacy. The project also aims to mobilize women during elections as voters, organizers and candidates for local and national leadership. Sanabel also encourages rural women to participate in the projects and reform and advocacy work conducted by WATC and other women's committees.
Voice of Women newspaper
Voice of Women (Sawt An-Nissa), a bi-monthly periodical which is also published as a segment of Al Ayam newspaper, has been supported by Konrad Adenauer Stiftungsince1997. Its mission is to promote justice for women and encourage them to participate fully and effectively in society. Each issue features the concerns, accomplishments, experiences and perspectives of women in various communities and sectors of Palestinian society. Voice of Women has had the longest circulation of any publication devoted to women in Palestine. It provides a platform for free expression for all Palestinian and Arab women and has attracted many distinguished writers. It has gained a reputation as a reliable resource for research on women's issues.
Empowerment of Leaders
This project is a component of the Women’s Learning Partnership for Human Rights, Development and Peace (WLP). WATC is the regional partner within this international partnership. The Leading to Choices curriculum uses a participatory approach to building the leadership skills of Palestinian women, using a manual which was developed through a collaborative effort spanning five countries, including Palestine.
Empowerment of Young Leaders for Community Awareness
This project, supported by Movimiento por la Paz (MPDL) works to empower 50 young women from Ramallah and Gaza to become leaders through training in Rapid Participatory Assessments, gender reading of laws and budgets and a participatory leadership approach to community intervention. During the project the young women conduct focus group discussions in their communities and network with youth and women's organizations for planning and advocacy.
Empowering Young Women Lawyers and Social Workers
In this project, supported by the Welfare Association, WATC has trained 60 women social workers and 8 lawyers in communication skills, human rights and gender analysis, counseling skills and psychological support, gender analysis of law, networking, advocacy and lobbying, women's health rights, women's economic rights and skills for negotiation and dialogue with additional legal training for lawyers.
