NEXEM KARACA

Gaza- Roles for Social Change Association (ADWAR) is a non-governmental Palestinian organization founded in 2010. The association aims to empower women in every part of life by developing projects and programs for them. We spoke to ADWAR's general director Dr. Sahar Yousef AlKawasmeh about their projects in 2022.

All programs are for women

Stating that their association was founded in 2010 in the Hebron governorate of Palestine, Dr. Sahar Yousef AlKawasmeh said, “We have carried out activities in many cities. Our main aim is to work for Palestinian women, empower them and ensure their participation in every part of life. We, as the association, have developed projects and programs for women to provide economic, social, and political support to them. In 2022, we will develop our fourth program about the environment and climate change. Our society cannot have stability and health without women.”

Developing women’s professional skills

Underlining that they solve problems faced by women in society through their projects and programs, Dr. Sahar Yousef AlKawasmeh continued to talk as follows: “Our aim is to support the social empowerment of women and provide psychological support to them so that women can play a leading role in Palestinian society and reduce gender-based violence. We develop economic projects to empower women economically, to be active in Palestinian society, to meet their needs, and participate in the economic development process. We try to develop women’s professional skills to provide job opportunities. To support women’s participation in politics, we pressure on the Palestinian government to implement laws that protect the rights of Palestinian women.”

Psychological support to women affected by war

Fida Abu Darabi, the coordinator of ADWAR in the Gaza Strip, told us that the association was founded by a group of students from different universities in the Hebron district, “Our main aim is to support women in all aspects.” The association started a project called, “We stay here” in Gaza. “The aim of this project was to provide psychological and social support to women affected by the war. In November, we organized computer courses to teach women how they can effectively use computers. More than six thousand women have already participated in our projects,” Fida Abu Darabi told us that they will continue to develop projects and programs for women in 2022.