Assisting low-income women to achieve economic independence.
ASSET BUILDING
Economic Empowerment for Women—EEW (2008-2010)
Saving for the Future: An Asset-Building and Management Program promotes asset development among low-income women who manage microenterprises, based on the U.S. model of the Individual Development Account (IDA). The elements of the IDA include (a) targeted savings amounts (b) a “match” through charitable or government funds (c) savings held over time (d) restricted use of savings (e) financial literacy and
(f) individual support. The Hadassah Foundation provided the initial grants to establish EEW and support A Business of One’s Own and Access to Markets, the first microenterprise programs in Israel run by and for women (2000-2006).
BUSINESS TRAINING & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development—
CJAED (2007-2010)
Jasmine: Association of Businesswomen in Israel is a national umbrella organization that represents Israeli businesswomen of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Jasmine promotes cooperation among existing organizations and exposes businesswomen to the larger market through tours, conferences, and exhibitions.
Supportive Community (2007-2010)
The Economic and Social Empowerment Project was founded by immigrants from the former Soviet Union to help women in their own and other population groups. They promote social integration and community involvement by assisting women in creating and developing businesses by providing empowerment programs, microenterprise loans, business forums and networking, and direct business consultation and guidance.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING & JOB PLACEMENT
Mahut Center (2010)
Women Open Doors to Employment offers training and job placement for low-income women in Haifa, many of whom are single mothers and/or survivors of domestic violence. They guide women to jobs in demand by local employers and provide long-term, personalized follow-up and support for participants.
Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Development—NISPED (2009-2010)
The Economic Empowerment for Negev Arab Bedouin Women trains and certifies women to become dental assistants to meet needs in their community.
LEGAL AID
Center for Women’s Justice (2008-2010)
The Public Interest Litigation Project pursues precedent-setting litigation and legal advocacy on behalf of women who have suffered unjust treatment, discrimination, or whose basic human rights have been infringed upon when seeking a divorce.
Itach-Maaki—Women Lawyers for Social Justice (2005-2010)
Access to Justice for Low-Income Working Women provides legal assistance and information concerning women’s rights and privileges under the law. It helps women to file employment-related law suits and form peer support groups, and educates the public about issues affecting women.
The Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center, Bar Ilan University (2007-2010)
The Clinic for Legal Aid for Women in Family Law provides legal counsel to women seeking a divorce. They work proactively to improve policy and practice by educating future family lawyers to safeguard women's rights and advocating for changes in Israeli family law.
POLICY EDUCATION & COALITION BUILDING
Adva Center (2006-2010)
The Women’s Budget Forum analyzes the budget of the State of Israel using a gender lens. Along with a coalition of organizations, Adva educates about the role of gender in the Israeli national budget. They focus on issues such as women’s business development, job training for low-income women, and childcare assistance for working mothers.
New Israel Fund, Shatil (2007-2010)
Advancing Economic Empowerment for Women is a multi-faceted project that includes support for microenterprise initiatives, business training courses for low-income women, and technical assistance to not-for-profits. Through its capacity building workshops and individual consulting, Shatil addresses the specific needs of organizations working in the social-economic arena on behalf of women, including many Hadassah Foundation grantees.
