Association of Bedouin Women to Promote Education

HA-AMUTA L'KIDUM HASKALAT NASHIM BEDO'IYOT

GOALS
Encourages and assists Bedouin girls and young women in pursuing higher education.

BACKGROUND
The Association was founded in 1997 by a group of Bedouin and Jewish women and men with the goal of promoting higher education and community involvement among Bedouin high school girls and young women. Young Bedouins in the Negev are one of the most unempowered population groups in the field of education. Only about 26% of high school graduates are eligible for matriculation (compared with over 50% in the Jewish population) and only 12% of those eligible meet the threshold requirements for admission to institutions of higher learning. The situation among young Bedouin women is far worse.

Since the organization's inception about 50 Bedouin women have completed their B.A. degree each year (compared to seven in 1995). The organization still faces a high dropout rate among female Bedouin students at institutions of higher learning and a difficulty among these students in choosing a suitable profession.

STRATEGIES
Programs for high school girls to achieve higher matriculation scores, thus gaining admittance to university; scholarships for women students at institutions of higher learning; and consciousness-raising within the community.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Preparatory program to raise the academic level of achievements of high school girls.
• About 35-40 students participate each year.
• Scholarships (51 in the past year) for women students in institutions of higher learning.
• Volunteer community involvement of women students.
• Workshops for boys and girls on higher education; pilot program for 25 teenage girls; and other activities to raise awareness in the community regarding the importance of education for women.