• Centers

The WEP encompasses four women's centers, one in Gaza City, the second in Rafah, the third in Beach Camp and the fourth one is located in the middle area of the Gaza Strip to provide services in 4 refugee camps. Facilities are provided in all women's centers to care for the children of both participants and community development leaders. The provision of childcare facilities, staffed by specially trained workers, ensures that the women are relaxed, knowing their children are well cared.

There are eight refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, and the WEP plans to establish women's centers in all camps to serve the needs of the women in these areas. At the present time local organizations offer only limited services for women. Self-development, legal and health awareness, educational activities, psychological counseling, and social issues, for the most part, are not addressed.




• ACTIVITIES IN EACH CENTER

Psychotherapy
Counseling ( social, psychological, legal)
Legal rights and awareness
Follow up of cases
Court representation
Vocational training
Training of Trainers
Weekly lectures covering topics raised by participants
Educational/awareness lectures
Physical fitness
Workshops conducted by local professionals covering issues of concern within the community
Community meetings conducted by the community development leaders
Coordination/liaison by staff with other professional, local/international organizations/institutions
Child care
• STAFF

Staff of the WEP includes the project coordinator, lawyers, psychologists, social workers, and a training coordinator.

• COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT LEADERS

Apart from the professional staff, the project relies on specially trained community development leaders, who are responsible for running the WEP centers. Having completed a year long training course these leaders now have the basic understanding of human rights, leadership, basic counseling, conflict resolution, communication, and public health issues. They receive ongoing specialized training in areas that become apparent in the course of their daily work.

As residents of the refugee camps in which they work, they are aware of local issues and problems as they arise, and appropriate methods for their solutions. Developing these key positions within the community ensures that the leaders will reach groups who may otherwise be indifferent or reluctant to intervention.

• PARTICIPANTS

• Participants are recruited according to specific selection criteria, the target group being women victims of violence. Many potential participants access the WEP centers individually. Others are referred by the GCMHP clinics or local organizations. Selection is based on personal interviews, in conjunction with visits by staff psychologists to the homes of candidates to determine their broader social and economic circumstances. Each group ( comprising between thirty and forty participants) attends lectures, discussions, and is involved in training for the total period of six months. The staff psychologist conducts follow up of participants within three months of completion of the course, and outstanding legal and psychological issues are continued where necessary. The WEP focuses on the training of trainers approach in most courses, so that those participants who show special aptitude for the training can carry out subsequent courses under supervision. In this way the participants take the ownership of the training.

  The vocational training which is provided at the WEP centers include: sewing, hairdressing, makeup/beauty, knitting, glass paintings, silk paintings and ceramics. As well, video and photography, computer training courses, first aid and other activities are provided.

• PUBLIC AWARENESS AND COORDINATION

Since its establishment, the WEP has focused on a community approach. The philosophy of the WEP is that women should not be considered simply as separate entities, but as an integral part of the family unit, and of the wider community. With this in mind workshops, public meetings and support groups are regularly organized, together with lectures from within or outside the center. Data collected by staff shows that violent acts against women and children are becoming more widespread. Equally disturbing is the fact that this issue is often not treated with the seriousness it deserves. In order to highlight this situation the WEP focuses on public education for women to raise awareness concerning violence against women, together with its different forms of dealing with it.

• COMMUNITY TRAINING COURSES

-Female Police Force Training Course:
According to ongoing communication between community development leaders and policewomen, it has become clear that the training of policewomen in areas related to women's issues is necessary in order to provide them with the skills to deal with women's problems in particular and community problems in general It is anticipated that this kind of training will change attitudes of policewomen towards women, as well as enhance their professional role in the community.

-Child Care Providers:
The goal behind this training is to improve the quality of child care services by providing professional training opportunities in areas of child development and well-being. Since 1996, two training courses are organized every year. This kind of training will help create jobs and also develop the standards of services provided by local kindergartens in the Gaza Strip.



-Vocational training for women prisoners:
Visits were made by community development leaders to women prisoners in order to find out their needs. As a result, a vocational training course was designed. The course includes sewing, ceramics, and flower arrangement. Women prisoners were also provided with counseling sessions.

The strategy will also include:

• Designing and developing a training manual to be used as a basis for future training courses.

• Women's legal and social issues will be incorporated into all courses

• Gender awareness training will be incorporated into all courses

• Educational and awareness campaigns through workshops and public meetings

• Child care providers training courses

• Income Generating Projects

  The idea of starting the new income generating projects came as a result of internal evaluation of the WEP vocational training sections and a needs assessment study. The findings of both showed that there is a need to develop the vocational sections by presenting new activities and develop the already existing sections. Broadly, the WEP strategic focus in income generating activities is to relieve distress and eliminate poverty among the women victims and their families through involvement in entrepreneurial activities. Through income generating projects the community educators bring women together not only to earn money but also to provide educational forums on a variety of issues.
  Beyond helping the women generate income, the goal of WEP is for them to take control of their lives and become aware of other issues affecting them as women. This includes budgeting, following economic trends, and for them to know what is happening in many arenas that also affect them.

  The following are the specific strategic goals for WEP income generating activities and projects:

• Mobilizing women victims into co-operative groups that are run by them on a democratic and efficient basis for the benefit of the members.