“For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment” is the motto for this year’s International Women’s Day 2025. On another March 8th, our Foundation joins in the celebration of this day to emphasize the absolute necessity of continuing to work to promote women’s rights and equality.
This is one of the objectives that motivates a large part of the actions we carry out in many countries around the world, through which we work to guarantee and expand equality of rights and opportunities. Thus, we work diligently to ensure that many girls and women can improve their lives and those of their communities through quality vocational training and access to the labor market.
Women-led cooperatives
As a clear example of our commitment to promoting the empowerment of women and girls, this year we celebrate International Women’s Day by sharing the achievements of Palestinian women involved in the project we are developing in Jenin, in collaboration with our local partner, the Rural Women’s Development Society (RWDS), and with the financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana.
By strengthening the Jenin Governorate’s Women’s Cooperative Platform, these women have found this initiative to be an opportunity to improve their education and socioeconomic prospects, so they have not hesitated to take advantage of it!
Thus, within the framework of this Project, these agri-food producer cooperatives are strengthening their organizational and management capacity, while having the necessary space and equipment to develop their activities. They are also boosting their productive and financial skills through the exchange of experiences and knowledge, while acquiring essential training in marketing and commercial visibility, which is already allowing them to sell their products, even through digital channels.
An inspiring example
With their effort and determination to train and develop their work, these cooperatives are an inspiring example of how female empowerment and women’s access to work are key for societies to achieve equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development.
In this way, not only are these Palestinian women gaining access to the labor market, but progress is also being made in local communities’ acceptance of their right to work.
They are harvesting and producing various foods themselves for sale. For example, this women’s cooperative explains how it has managed to transition from making maftoul, a staple and typical product of Palestinian cuisine, exclusively at home, to professionalizing its production for sale. Don’t miss it!