WUNRN
Sidreh is a nonprofit organization
established in 1998 to empower, representI
and improve the socio-economic condition of Bedouin women living in
Israel's Negev.
Sidreh is named by the tree growing
in the Negev and mentioned in the Koran, being used as a metaphor, for women
survival and strength.
The Negev
(Hebrew:
נֶּגֶב, Arabic:
النقب al-Naqab) is a
desert and semidesert
region of southern Israel.
Israel - Bedouin Women in the
Background
Despite
One of the most fundamental factors contributing to the poor quality of life of the Negev Bedouin is the failure of the government to grant official recognition to the “unrecognised’ villages where 80,000 of the 160,000 Bedouin Negev live.
They are subject to an absence of basic infrastructure services, such as running water, electricity and sewage systems. Most villages lack schools, health clinics and access roads. The community has the highest rate of unemployment in the country, and the worst school retention and matriculation record. The Negev Bedouin struggle to cling to their traditional way of life, one that entails living in extended family and tribal structures and the herding of livestock for their sustenance, while the government seeks to herd them into pre-planned and inadequate urban townships that destroy the social fabric of their community. Nearby Israeli towns, however, have all facilities, underlining the disparity in official recognition of citizens’ rights.
With the
highest birth rate of any community in
The government has been waging a determined campaign over the past number of years to dismantle existing Bedouin communities and villages and move the Bedouin to limited number of urban townships, a move that would bring about the disintegration of the social fabric of the community and prevent them from pursuing their traditional way of life. The government has claimed ownership of huge tracts of land that have been in the hands of Bedouin families and tribes for generations, almost always without the documentation that would enable the families to prove historical ownership. The government has employed hostile tactics to bring about their transfer to these townships, including demolishing hundreds of homes they claim were built illegally, and even demolishing a mosque that served as the place of worship for thousands of residents of the surrounding area.
In addition to the deplorable conditions into which
these figures translate, the government invests the majority of resources in
law enforcement bodies and personnel that will further advance the state
campaign to move the Bedouin into the townships that will undermine their
culture and way of life. Statistics show that the recognised villages bring only
marginal benefits and that the Negev Bedouin remain
Strengthening the awareness of Negev Bedouin women and men of the necessity and feasibility of bringing about change through efforts of the community, its leaders and local organisations will build the foundation for sustainable change and enhanced equity.
Palestinian-Arab
women in the country are most marginalized.
Their life quality is undermined.
Their living space is extremely limited.
Their mobility is heavily restricted.
Their political involvement and representation, if at all, is very
narrow. Their health is poor, for
example, 45% of the
Our concern here is the Negev Bedouin women and
girls lack of equal and qualitative access to education or to development
opportunities, despite Israel’s law for Free
Compulsory Education to all enacted in 1947, and the Women's Equal
Rights law from 1951 which is not implemented in education; the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights of Dec. 1948, article 26 stating free
compulsory fundamental education shall be available to everyone, and "shall
be directed to the full development of the human personality", while
"parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall
be given to their children"; and the CEDAW from 1979 article 10, fully ratified by Israel, "to ensure women's equal rights with men in the field
of education, in rural as well as in urban areas, this equality shall be
ensured in pre-school, general, technical, professional and higher technical
education, as well as in all types of vocational training. The same opportunities for access to programmes
of continuing education, including adult and functional literacy programmes,
particularly those aimed at reducing, at the earliest possible time, any gap in
education existing between men and women.
Attention has not been given to the reduction of female student dropout
rates and the organization of programmes for girls and women who have left
school prematurely. Access to specific
educational information to help to ensure the health and well-being of families,
including information and advice on family planning has also not been easily
available". In reality,
all this is barely respected. Even after the Or Commission from 2003,
calling to resolve the disparities between Arab and Jewish citizens, and
specifically recommendation # 12
regarding the education of Bedouins it is clearly stated: "In this context, the State should
initiate, develop and activate plans to resolve the disparities, with an
emphasis on budgetary items related to all aspects of education, housing,
industrial development, employment and public services. Special attention should be directed to the
living conditions and privation of the Bedouins. Ignoring or marginalizing this issue cannot
longer be justified. Through its senior ranking officials and agencies, the
State must take clear decisive action to eliminate the differences as soon as
possible, by setting clear, tangible goals and specific timetables.” Despite
this resolution, the Negev Bedouin women and girls' access to
education did not improve much.
Sidreh
Sidreh is a Bedouin women association in the Naqab, formally registered
in 1998 as a non profit organization.
Sidreh was established by women from all over the Naqab realizing the
acute need for change in the Naqab Arab women situation.
Sidreh is named by the tree growing in the Naqab and mentioned in the
Koran, being used as a metaphor, for women survival in the Naqab.
Vision
Arab woman in the Naqab have full ownership over
herself and her decisions. She fully enjoys her rights. She is an active member
in her society. She enjoys safety and stability. And, she is proud of her
cultural heritage.
Support the Arab woman in the Naqab in her
pursuit of the full realization of herself and of her rights as well as of
those of her own community.
Goals
- To support the women interested to participate in
the labor market in their pursuit of ensuring their employment rights.
- To support women in their pursuit of overcoming
the various types of illiteracy, of ensuring access to continuous education,
and of reclaiming their right to education.
- To urge women to take an active role at the
community level in the pursuit of the rights, services as well the state
recognition of their historical land rights.
- To enhance woman's visibility in both the private
and the public spheres, to enhance her self confidence, as well as her
pride in her cultural heritage.
Challenges
- Poverty and high unemployment rates among women.
- High level of illiteracy, and high rates of
drop-outs of girls while at the elementary education.
- Lack of basic services (education, health,
infrastructure, etc.).
- Women's isolation and limited mobility within the
private and public spaces.
Principles
- Equality.
- Respect for women and men.
- Building equal and mutual relationships without
any sort of superiority.
- Understand and respects the environment and the
traditions.
- Keeping the confidentiality of both each
individual, both men and women.
- Accountability and transparency.
- Interventions based on systematic identifications
of the local community needs.
- Developing appropriate plans to launch
interventions in new locations while liaising with the local leadership.
- Respect for the employees rights.
- Cooperation and partnership.
- Building sustainable capacities.
- Belief in self.
- Commitment to reach the goals.
- Commitment of each team member to perform her job
and fulfill their responsibilities.
Strategies
- Empowerment (through economic and educational
programs).
- Awareness raising and education (health, women's
rights, etc.)
- Service provision (education programs,
employment)
- Community organizing.
- Advocacy.
Programmes
- Education
- Economy
- Community building
Projects
|
Projects |
General |
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tnomical
developemenoEc
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Social empowerment |
Capacity building and staff developement |
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Current
projects
|
Future Projects |
Current
projects
|
urture
projectsF
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Tour guides training course |
Micro Credit for women in the unrecognised villages |
Literacy Education classes for women Developing eudcaional models and special
educational materials Teachers training center |
Esatblihing regional training entre for
literacy Establishing a forum for all the local NGO and
orgnization working on literacy in the Negev |
Networking national and international |
|
Adaptation and support for individual enterprises |
Suplemaintarry income gernarting projects for
women |
Community organizing for women |
Women leadership training and promotion |
|
|
Weaving project |
Bedouin women Buisness forum |
Fun activities for women |
Advocacy and lobbyt |
|
|
Alternative toursim and Bedouin hots |
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Women Health and environment promotion |
Women and Media |
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Regional and international cooperation
projects |
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Housing rights protection |
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Communtiy reselinece and emergency respons
projects |
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