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Employment Initiative Empowers Arab-Israeli Women to Become Successful Entrepreneurs
Nahi, a Druze woman from the Galilee village of Yarka, is the 47-year-old mother of seven children. As a traditional Druze woman she had never worked professionally. But when her husband’s business went bankrupt, Nahi needed to find a way to support her large family. "I did not have any choice but to find a respectable way to help my husband and children," she explains.
Before the Employment Initiative — a joint effort of JDC and the Government of Israel — Nahi’s professional prospects were very limited. She had no formal training in any specific field and no proper work experience. Furthermore, as Druze communities have traditionally frowned upon women who work outside of the role of homemaker, lack of community support would have made a difficult situation that much harder. Minority women in Israel are one of the target populations of the Employment Initiative, which seeks to break the cycle of poverty that exists for nearly 750,000 "chronically unemployed" individuals in Israeli society by helping to address the cultural, social and other barriers that they face to employment. Through the Initiative, custom-tailored programs are being designed to provide five target populations shown to have the greatest need for supported assistance in entering the workforce — immigrants, people with disabilities, ultra-Orthodox, Arab-Israelis, and young adults — with both the soft and hard skills required to help them find and keep decent jobs. When Nahi heard about a program at her local Community Center to train women in hairstyling and basic business skills, she was determined to give it a try. The program was run by the regional MATI Small Business Center, which through the Employment Initiative provides vocational and entrepreneurship courses specifically designed for women from minority populations. Nahi signed up for the course, and in fact completed three courses in parallel over a period of eight months: a 400-hour professional training course, a 64-hour business entrepreneurship course, and 30 hours of "Personal Empowerment" training. Upon the completion of her studies, Nahi was able to set up a hairstyling business, based out of her home. She was so impressed with her training experience that she also sent her 20-year-old daughter to a makeup artistry course, run by the same program. Today, mother and daughter now function as a beauty team and the family breadwinners. Their success stems directly from the guidance, support, and practical skills gained during their training. Without the highly subsidized and culturally sensitive training Nahi received as a participant in the Employment Initiative, she would not have the resources or even the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to get to where she is today — running her own business and supporting her family. And since the Employment Initiative is being developed in partnership with target populations and with full regard for cultural norms and sensitivities, the courses received a stamp of approval from the local Druze community. For Nahi and her daughter, this means that they can work with honor to maintain their family’s independence. Some 267,000 Arab-Israelis of working age currently do not participate in Israel’s workforce — and those who do are predominantly male. Nahi is among only 17% of Arab-Israeli women who are in the workforce. Over 500 Arab-Israeli women are taking part in the Initiative’s entrepreneurship and vocational programs in 2005-06. As these programs bring greater access to employment opportunities for Arab-Israeli women, they will contribute to an ever-growing level of financial independence and success for themselves and their communities. January 2006 |
