The Vocational Training Unit

1- Empowering eighty (80) Palestinian women from the central area of the West Bank and Jerusalem funded by the Arab Economic and Social Fund: The project initiated in June of 2009 and will go on until March of 2011. With an investment of 70K Kuwaiti Dinars, the first phase trainees are from the areas of Kalandia Refugee Camp, Beitunia, Jaba’a, Jeeb, Bir Nabala, Ram, Kufor Nama, and Deir Ghassana.


2- Empowering 100 Palestinian women from the central area of the West Bank and Jerusalem funded by the UNRWA, the Al-Aqsa Fund at the Islamic Bank, and with participation of the Palestinian Authority / the Ministry of Social Affairs and Planning. With an investment of 274,017 USD for the period between September 2007 and August 2009, participants come from the following areas: Kalandia Refugee Camp, Jaba’a, Ni’lin, Midyeh, Beit Sira, Beit Ur, Saffa, Qibya, Beit Ijza, Beit Surik, Qatanna, Ama’ari Refugee Camp, Jdeira, Janya, Beit Rima, Mazara Nubani, Beitillo, Kufor Nama, Deit Ghassana, Kufor Ein, Bi’lin, Deir Bzi’, Arura, and Kharbatha Bani Hareth. The first and second classes have already graduated.

The first graduation ceremony was attended by Dr. Sa’adi Karnaz, secretary general of the Ministers’ Council. The second graduation ceremony was attended by Dr. Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Prime Minister.

3- Empowering forty (40) Palestinian females through enhancing their capacities in the Art of sewing and industrial details funded by the Palestinian Telecommunications Company (PalTel) with an investment of 51,630 USD, for a period that span between the 19th of February of 2007 and the 19h of December of 2007. Trainees came from the following areas: Kalandia Refugee Camp, Beit Rima, Mazara Nubani, Arura, Qibya, Shiqba, Midya, Rantees, Jaba’a, and Deir Bzi’. Women graduated on the 30th of March of 2008. On the 1st of April, 2009, sewing machines were distributed around 21 women after having met with them in order to determine who needed the machines to improve the income of their families.
4- Empowering forty (40) Palestinian females through enhancing their capacities in the Art of sewing and professional details. Funded by the Advocacy for Democracy and Civil Society program, with an investment of 141,685 USD, for a period that span between the 1st of July, 2004 and the 30th of June, 2005. Trainees came from the following areas: Biddu, Beitillo, Kalandia Refugee Camp, Ramallah, Ein Areek, Deir Qiddis, Beit Liqia, Kharbatha Bani Hareth, and Silwad. The project included the development of women society leaders in order to enhance the relationship between the cooperative and the local society (in hopes of delivering services to these areas with facility and efficiency). The Cooperative carried out practical training and provided lectures to the “leaders” during three consecutive days by skilled trainers. All participants were tested after training and those who fulfilled the requirements were chosen as the “leaders”.
5- Empowering forty (40) Palestinian females through enhancing their capacities in the Art of sewing and professional details. Funded by the Advocacy for Democracy and Civil Society program, with an investment of 100,000 USD, for a period that span between the 1st of October, 2002 and the 30th of September, 2003. Trainees came from the following areas: Deir as-Sudan, Kalandia Refugee Camp, Beitunia, Deir Qiddis, Umm Sharayet, Ama’ari Refugee Camp, and Biddu. Of those who benefited from the project were the wives of the political prisoners and the martyrs; also, the widows, divorcees and young women. A good citizen donated one machine for each one of the widows of the martyrs, and wives of the prisoners. The graduation ceremony took place on the 15th of August, 2003.
6- Training and enabling 26 young marginalized Palestinian females, in the art of sewing and industrial details. The project was funded by the Welfare Association with an investment of 51,000 USD. The project period was the 1st of July, 1999 until 1st of July, 2000. Trainees came from the following areas: Deir Sudan, Kalandia Refugee Camp, Bireh, Imm Sharayet, Ama’ari Refugee Camp, Kufor Aqab, Ein Areek, and Ram.

Cosmetics and Hairstyling:The Cooperative carried out the following projects: The project to enhance the roles of forty (40) females and marginalized young women through training them in civil education and hairstyling. The project was funded by the Welfare Association for Administering the Palestinian civil Institutes in the value of 107,209 USD for the period between the 1st of April, 2004 until the 31st of May, 2004. Fifty (50) Participants graduated from the following areas: Deir Ammar, Ein Areek, Beitillo, Qatanna, Aboud, Jalazone Refugee Camp, and Jerusalem. The graduation ceremony took place on the 26th of February, 2004. The Cosmetics Project, which was funded by the Arab Fund for Economic&Social Development in the value of 29267 Dinars, the project was initiated on the 1st of January, and will proceed until the 30th of July, 2010. The project aims at economically empowering 30 women through professional training, to enable them to start up their own small projects in their areas of residence, hoping to provide for honorable livelihood for themselves and their families





Professional training with wool: The Cooperative started to carry out these projects in order to promote producing wool sweaters and knitting. The products were distributed around school students, and provided work opportunities and income for the participating women, in order to improve their economic situations. These projects are: The Wool Sweater project for the benefit of the Kalandia Refugee Camp Girls School. The project was funded by the Jerusalem Unit in the value of 8000 USD. The project aimed towards 365 Students distributed as follows: Seventh graders, 125 students Eight graders, 120 students Ninth graders, 119 Ten impoverished women were employed to finish the project, and provided them with income.




Warm Winter Project for the benefit of the students and the residents of the Kalandia Refugee Camp. The project was funded by PalTel, in the value of 45,000 USD. The projects aimed at providing work opportunities to women and provide blankets and warm winter clothes for students and impoverished families at the Kalandia refugee Camp. The number of beneficiaries from the project was 1575 individual. Wool Sweater to the benefit of the marginalized schools in remote villages and in the refugee camps in the West Bank. The project was funded by the Welfare Association in the value of 25,000 USD for the period of the 1st of February, 2005 and the 31st of July, 2003. 56 women and girl were hired to knit sweaters, which included women who worked at similar projects in the past. The sweaters were distributed among 2064 students in the elementary and the pre-school ages at the school in Kalandia RC, Ama’ari RC and Jalazone RC.



Campaign for the Wool Sweaters for the benefits of school students, a two-part project: the first part consisted of distributing sweaters among students from the schools of the Kalandia Refugee Camp, 373 sweaters were donated to the girls, and 322 sweaters were


donated to the boys. In the second project, sweaters were distributed among students at the school of Arroub and Fawwar. 644 sweaters were distributed around the students of the Arroub girls and boys schools. 635 sweaters were distributed around students of the Fawwar girls and boys schools. Beneficiaries of both projects were students from the seventh, eighth and ninth grades. The project was funded by the Welfare association in the value of 48,000 USD. The project span was the 1st of April, 2003 until the 31st of March, 2004. It provided work opportunities to 250 women. 36% of the total value was paid to labor. 30 women were trained in the art of Tricot lacing, in order to enable them to produce and generate higher income.
Handcrafts and Embroidery: Embroidery has been part of the history of the Cooperative ever since it was established. This section is considered one of the cooperative’s most productive units, with five employees to do the finishes on the embroidered pieces, and 500 women who create the embroidery.

This unit has carried out few projects including:



Providing emergency employment opportunities for women in Palestinian embroidery at the Refugee Camps and areas in the Central West Bank: The project was funded by the Welfare Association in value of 30,000 USD from the 7th of January 2001 until the 15th of April, 2001. 84 women were hired to work with an operations rate of 60%. Embroidered pieces were used as operational capital in order to sustain aid to impoverished families. Income was provided to the women laborers which encouraged them to continue working. Women with limited experience in the field were trained and employed. Communication and contact with various areas were provided through agents who were hired to distribute work around women and to insure that goods were ready for the cooperative to receive. Emergency Employment for Women Working in Palestinian Embroidery: Funded by the Welfare Association in the value of 25,000 USD, for the period between the 12th of March, 2001 and 31st of March, 2002. 102 women were employed at this project, directly benefiting their families.