Home - General
Arabeh: A Space of Their Own
Each week in Arabeh, a village of over 20,000 residents, a small group of women can be found conducting their regular meeting to discuss how to improve the lives of women and other disadvantaged members of their community.In April of 2009, the group inaugurated their own Women's Club with the support of Kayan. Over 250 people attended the club's opening, which was organized in partnership with Kayan and the Municipality. They hold their weekly meetings in this space, invite others to join them for monthly lectures, and host workshops and trainings. A married woman and mother of five, Bushra Awad has been active in the women's group in Arabeh since its initiation in 2007. She acts as co-leader and attends the "Forum of Arab Women Leaders" at Kayan's office in Haifa. With regard to Arabeh, Bushra notes, "there is nothing to do here, no place to go, no groups. Just school, working, sleeping."
The Women's Club opens up a world of opportunities for the group to organize activities so that the women in Arabeh have a space to do and to be. The group of women in Arabeh have organized aerobics and walking classes, which are the first of their kind in Arabeh. Bushra says that she has seen changes in the group participants. She says "... they are happy ... we are working together. Coming, knowing a lot of things." She says of Kayan, "they trust us, and we trust them."
Read more about JUSUR projects:
