Did you know...
...Women in Israel bear a disproportionate share of the economic burden in society-leading the vast majority of single-parent families and earning proportionately less than men. The absence of educational or professional training further limits their options.
Shatil's efforts in the sphere of women's empowerment overlap with its initiatives in the Ethiopian and Bedouin communities and reach beyond those cultural frameworks into the areas of social justice and religious pluralism.
Shatil works with women in Israel through:
• The Forum to Promote Micro-business Initiatives (formerly the Food for Thought Forum) which promotes policy and legislation, and fosters social and community economics through advocacy, legal action, and media attention.
• Economic Empowerment workshops for organizations and individual women from Bedouin and Ethiopian communities
• Capacity-building to religious pluralism organizations and coalitions, dedicated to advancing feminist ideals within religious movements and fighting for the status and rights of Muslim and Jewish women left without recourse in their pursuit of divorce from recalcitrant husbands.
• Northern Exposure, a Shatil-led initiative to assist micro-business owners in northern Israel, some 70 percent of whom are women. The project includes capacity-building to partner organizations and their affiliated businesses; a state of the art website (www.nes.org.il) featuring 200 small businesses; and tourism opportunities.
