IRADA

Background:

 The IRADA project, officially established under the direction of Asala, was established in 2008 as an answer to a strong need. It is logical to provide clients with the financial capacity necessary to start or develop their income generating projects while simultaneously securing training and counseling for the clients related to financial management, administration, and marketing. Therefore, Asala insisted on the necessity of providing Palestinian women with custom tailored, community based peer training; and IRADA was launched.

Of course, Irada is not just about training and counseling. Irada encourages women to join business clubs in their areas of residence. These business clubs enable women to benefit from one another's experiences, enjoy the strength of bargaining and negotiating as a group, enjoy recreational activities and trips, and benefit from lectures and group discussions of their choice. Irada also contracts local technical experts to provide women with ongoing income generating projects support and advise.

It cannot be denied that business development services are just as important as financial capital. One cannot survive without the other. If a project is managed successfully, one or two loan cycles may be all that is necessary to start or expand the project. However, if a project is poorly managed, a micro entrepreneur may never actually enjoy the financial security that is supposed to result from income generating projects! Therefore, it is crucial that Irada survive and flourish. For its pilot phase, 2008-2010, Irada received donor support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

Mission:

 Enabling and empowering all Palestinian women micro entrepreneurs to manage their income generating projects in a successful and sustainable manner.

Objectives:

• Providing all Palestinian women with the training services and opportunities they need to ensure the success of their income generating activities.
• Establishing Business Clubs that will enable Palestinian women to meet in their communities and exchange their business experiences with one another. Business Clubs will also organize and host social and recreational activities.

Programs:

• Providing community based peer training in marketing, management, and finance in order to ensure the success of Palestinian women's income generating micro enterprises
• Providing the technical and vocational training and technical field consultancies necessary to ensure the success of Palestinian women's income generating micro enterprises and to enhance the quality of their products.

Irada is Unique: Irada provides custom tailored, community based peer training to Palestinian women who have or want to have income generating projects. All training is delivered by professional Palestinian women trainers, in Arabic, and as close as possible to the trainees' homes.

Goal: To provide Palestinian women micro entrepreneurs with relevant training in marketing, management and finance that is reflected in the success, development, and  sustainability of their income generating projects.