Stand With Her Palestine Pilot

How the Program Works 

We’ve adapted our proven Stronger Women, Stronger Nations model to support women in Palestine through a tailored, context-specific eight-month pilot. Our local team will be delivering the program for women in the West Bank, while trusted local partners will deliver our program in Gaza.  

Each participant will join a group of 25 women and receive a monthly stipend to support her and her family throughout the program. With your support, women will gain: 

• Practical skills and business training to earn an income 

• Knowledge about their health and rights  

• A strong peer network for support and healing  

As a supporter, you’ll be matched with a participant — your sister.  

You’ll learn her name, details about her family, and if security permits, we will also share a photo with you. 

Throughout the program, you’ll receive regular updates on the impact of your support. You can also send messages of encouragement, which our teams will translate and share with women across the program. 

Important Things to Know About this Pilot 

This is the first time we are matching supporters with women in Palestine.  

Given the complex and rapidly changing context, we have adapted the Stronger Women, Stronger Nations program for this pilot. If you have a sister already in another country (or have been matched with a sister previously), you may notice that experience will be a little different — both for your sister and for you as a Stand With Her supporter: 

• The program length has been adjusted from 12 months to 8 months to accommodate the realities for women in Palestine.  

• You will still receive regular updates on your sister’s progress through our program, but all communication will be digital. Please make sure you are opted in to receive email from Women for Women International.

• Rather than sending your messages of encouragement to your sister directly through our Supporter Portal, you’ll use a new, simple platform and our teams will then translate your messages and share them across participants in the program. This will ensure all women receive heartfelt support, which can be an emotional lifeline. 

• Participants will not be able to send replies to you during this pilot.   

These adaptations allow us to deliver support safely and effectively, while navigating the instability and still maintaining meaningful connection and support. The learnings from this first pilot will inform how Stand With Her in Palestine evolves for future cohorts, so that we can reach even more women. 

After The Program

By the end of the program, your sister will have gained valuable skills, knowledge, and confidence to help her rebuild her life. 

More than three decades serving women affected by war have proven that with the right support, women have the power to transform their lives and strengthen their communities. Your sister will pass her newfound knowledge and skills to her friends, neighbors, and children — creating a ripple effect of change.  

Your monthly support will continue after your sister graduates and we'll match you with another sister — so she, too, has the opportunity to rebuild her life.  

We will do our best to match you with another woman in Palestine. However, if that is not possible (for example, due to changes to the security situation in the region), you’ll be matched with a woman living through conflict in one of the other countries we serve: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, Rwanda, or South Sudan.

Prefer a different Stand With Her experience? 

If you would prefer the standard Stand With Her program – including a 12-month match and the opportunity to exchange letters directly with your sister – you can choose to be matched with a woman in one of the other countries where we work.

Sign up for out Standard Stand With Her giving program here >>

What Will Your Sister Learn?

How to Earn and Save Money

When you Stand With Her, your gift helps women survivors of war learn a vocational skill such as tailoring, brickmaking, or agriculture. These skills are highly prized in their local market, enabling them to earn a stable income and become more independent. Your sisters also learn business skills like bookkeeping and budgeting, as well as literacy and numeracy skills which help them earn money to support their families. 

Many women in our program are engaged in small-scale farming, micro-businesses, and trading. Since the majority of women do not have access to formal financial services, we help them establish Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), small informal groups for saving and loaning money.

In 2021, sisters in our program grew their average daily income from $1.90 at enrollment to $5.29 at graduation.

Human Rights Knowledge

Women have fundamental rights that are often overlooked. Even women themselves are unaware of these rights. But throughout the countries we operate, women have the right to vote, to own land, to divorce, and to inherit property. With your contributions, your sisters will learn about gender equality, their human rights, and the laws that protect them from violence and discrimination.

In 2021, 70% of women at graduation said they'd discussed community issues such as: domestic violence, sexual assault, legal rights, and intimate partner violence with other women compared to only 46% at enrollment.

Health & Wellbeing

If women aren't physically and mentally healthy, how can they be expected to thrive and contribute to their community? Your sisters will learn about family planning, hygiene, disease prevention, resilience, and nutrition to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy.

In 2021, 79% of women at graduation said they'd feel more prepared and confident about having another child, compared to 46% at enrollment.

Support Networks

War and conflict leave women deeply isolated, feeling unsafe to leave their homes and without a safe place to meet other women who have experienced the horrors of war. Your sister will join a class of 24 other women like her. She will make friends, regain her confidence, and build a support system.

Over the course of the year, your sister will also receive support from a friend that she has never met – you!
 

“The program has picked me up from the dust and placed me on a pedestal of hope and economic strength. It has enhanced my life beyond my wildest dreams.”

–Naomi, graduate in Nigeria

What Our Supporters Say

“Your contribution makes a difference! Don’t hesitate to send a short note, a long story, a picture, or a word of encouragement. Your sister appreciates contact from you more than you know. I know because that’s what Stephanie shared with me.” 

—Beverly Thompson

“I can honestly say getting involved in the Women for Women International global community has helped me stay positive and hopeful!” 

—Mira Borggreen