Knesset Prize Boosts Educational Endeavors for Israel’s Arab Women

March 4, 2008

Last week, two NIF grantees were awarded the Knesset Speakers Prize for Quality of Life: The Association for the Promotion of Bedouin Women's Education in the Negev, which gives college scholarships to Bedouin women, and Awareness For You, which provides health workshops and empowerment courses for Arab women.

Since 1981 the Knesset Speaker's Prize has been awarded annually to encourage and act as an incentive to grassroots initiatives working to improve the quality of life for Israelis. Many previous winners over the years have been members of the NIF family including Yedid: The Association for Community Empowerment and the Jewish Arab Center for Economic Development.

Success for Bedouin Women
When The Association for the Promotion of Bedouin Women's Education in the Negev was formed in 1995, only one Israeli Bedouin woman had ever graduated from university.

"The number of Negev Bedouin women who graduated from higher education institutions between 1998 and 2007 grew to more than 700," observes the Association's Director Rulla Elatauna, who herself holds a Masters Degree in Education from Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and was able to enroll at the university thanks to a scholarship from the Association.  "At BGU alone, over 120 Bedouin women have graduated."

Three students at Ben Gurion University who have received grants from the Association for the Promotion of Bedouin Women's Education in the Negev.

Some 550 of these Bedouin women have received scholarships from the Association and an additional 150 are currently receiving scholarships to study in the university preparation program (mechina).

"We stand wholeheartedly behind the belief that it is the right of women to acquire education and with it, to change their lives and the life of the Bedouin community," added Elatauna. "As for me, the receipt of the prize shows respect and recognition for our work and for its importance not only for Bedouin women, but for the advancement of a more equitable society in Israel."

The Association has long been recognized by social change organizations for its work in transforming Bedouin society. The Knesset Prize will not only enable the Association to disburse more scholarships, it also lends legitimacy and facilitates raising funds from government organizations.

Empowerment Underpins Social Evolution
Amna Kanaana was able to double the number of women who enrolled in her health workshops and economic empowerment programs in 2007. Founder and Director of Awareness For You, Kanaana was able to broaden the scope of her operations in Kfar Kana near Hadera largely because of the award she received from NIF's Yaffa London-Ya'ari Scholarship Endowment Fund for grassroots women's leaders in disadvantaged communities. Now the Knesset prize will also make it easier for her to receive government funding.

"We are trying to change society and empower women without sacrificing traditional Arab values," explains Kanaana, who is an Orthodox Muslim. "By emphasizing topics like health and economic empowerment we are able to maintain a social consensus, while making an enormous impact on the role of women in our society."

Kanaana has the full support of her husband Walid and their three sons, who helped transform the ground floor of their Kfar Kana home into classrooms for Awareness For You's activities. During 2008 Kanaana hopes to start organizing workshops for women in neighboring Arab villages.