Faise ElAtamin

Faise ElAtamin is a shy, charming 22-year-old single woman from the unrecognized Bedouin village of El Asam. Through her contact with SHATIL, Faise grew from being her mother's helper to working for the good of her community.

Faise has an eighth grade education and speaks softly, looking down and constantly smiling. She originally attended SHATIL's Dialogue in Education course after seeing an ad in the paper. Today, she is taking a leading role in the SHATIL-led Bedouin Women's Forum for Early Education, advocating on a local and national level for improved preschool conditions in the Negev.

Faise got her first taste of activism when she led her field class of women in a demonstration against substandard conditions in a local kindergarten, an effort that got the attention and backing of  local officials. Faise has also recruited new women to join the Early Childhood Forum.

Faise, who takes care of her 12 brothers and sisters when her mother is not home, says that before participating in SHATIL's courses, she was even shyer and more introverted.  “Now I feel stronger and more able to do things,” she says. “I am doing something for myself. I am developing a separate personality. I want to do this. It’s important for me to do this.”