Women Projects:

Karama organizes numerous events for women of the refugee camp on a regular basis. Here are some examples:

Education project

Over two years, Karama provided seven women from Deheishe with lessons in subjects like e.g. math, arabic, english and science, to prepare them for their high school diploma. Six out of those seven women already successfully took the exam, and are now admitted to study at the university. This is a very big step for each of the women, and for the community as well. For the women, being in their forties, being married, having up to seven children and living under very difficult economical conditions, studying for and taking the diploma did not only mean to defy all those additional difficulties but also to break with their traditional role as housewives. Thus proving their strong will to make a difference and to get involved in the empowerment of women, for which education is an unconditional foundation, and setting an example for and giving hope to other women as well. It was and still is a hard way to go for them, and being worried about how to ensure the satisfaction of the basic needs of their families, it was often difficult to stick with it. But they did. And Karama is proud and happy to be able to congratulate those women on their great achievement!

Education program for Karama Women
The women in the Palestinian society have less access to education and this is the main reason why Karama started to make educational programs for women. The goal is to teach women and give them a highschool degree. During 3 years 12 women was taught 3 lessons a day by an educated teacher paid by Karama. These women were between 27 and 38 years old.

The first step was to teach the women how to read and write
The second step was to prepare them for secondary school level. All 12 woman passed these exams.
The third step was to prepare them for the high school exams (Tawjehi). 9 out of 12 women passed the high school level and 2 of them got high results and good grades (83% and 87% which equals A). 5 out of 9 woman are now students at the university.

Why is this beneficial for women?
1. It makes a difference in their family lives because now they can teach their children and help them with their homework
2. When the women finish school they can have a job, which will help their family economy and improve their life condition.
3. In general it will increase the women's influence and position in the Palestinian society.

Woman computer course

The subject (women's voice)
Introduction: this subject is a part of Karama educational project.
The benefits sector: the university girls students (from 18 years old and above).

The aim (objectives) :

1. to know the importance of women in the society .
2. to develop  some abilities and skills to the young  girl to enable them under take important position in the society.
3. to operate the young girls participation in various activates which are being  held in Karama and other societies.
4. to discuss many issues concern with the problems that the women suffer from, and obstacles they face in the society .
5. to know all the positions that women take place procedures.
6. to gather a number of young girls to participate in this issues.
7. to know the important subject that they want to discuss.
8. to present many issues by supervisor and discuss with young girls
9. to try to meet women in effective positions in the society, and to take advantage from their experience.
10. to try to help some young girls to be able to be a leader in the society as the others.
11. to participate in any lectures or discussions or festivals held by any society  or organization concern  with the women issues.

subjects:

1. some problems that they face such as early marriage , a limited opportunity to take a decision, and regulations expose on them.
2. work  dominated to men but they can do it as trade, drive and other jobs that  the society refuses to give the women an opportunity to work in it.

Lectures
Since September 2003 a social worker (Amal Abu Sa'da) is giving weekly lectures to women from the camp. The lectures deal with problems these women face in their daily lifes including health, education and psychology.


English Classes
In February 2003, Karama has started activities by arranging English classes for women. In the following four months the Swedish volunteer Nina Gren gave lessons for about ten women twice a week. Currently, very few women in the camp speak sufficiently good English to give interviews to foreign journalists, to speak with international volunteers on their own or to contact the western world in any other form. The courses offered by Karama improve the women's possibilities to communicate and provides them with better options at the universities as well as at work. Women who have not used their English for a while have the possibility to refreshtheir knowledge.

 
Democracy Project
Karama will give courses to women on human rights issues, especially concerning women's rights and needs. During this project Karama will collaborate with Palestinian and international human rights organizations that will be invited to lecture and discuss about these issues. The aim is to empower women and raise their awareness for their rights, since they are facing threefold suppression - as women, Palestinians and refugees.