Need Statement

The Bedouin neighborhood, in Taibeh, is both one of the largest neighborhoods in Taibeh and one of the poorest and most neglected. Despite their right and guarantee to basic services as both Israeli citizens and as victims of a government-forced displacement, the people of the Bedouin neighborhood of Taibeh suffer continuously from the lack of basic infrastructure, including running water, a sewage system, proper housing, dependable electricity, local educational services, and basic health care services. Women are especially affected by the lack of resources and services. Almost 90% of women in the Bedouin neighborhood of Taibeh are illiterate. Research by the Association has revealed that teachers treat Bedouin students with neglect, carelessness, and contempt, keeping Bedouin students from integrating within the school system. For many Bedouin girls and women, the educational system does not provide knowledge which seems relevant to their lives. In addition, social attitudes which stress female protection cause parents to refuse to send female adolescents to far away schools along unsafe routes. Illiteracy affects all aspects of a woman’s life. Socially, it is harder for women to travel or act independently due to their inability to speak, read, or write Hebrew. Even if a woman does manage to travel to Kefar Saba or Netanya to receive medical care for example, she will find it difficult to communicate with the doctor or nurse. Lastly, women, the primary caregivers within the Bedouin family, are unable to help their children with homework, resulting in generational gulfs and continued difficulty in educational achievement. Due to their lack of formal education and a social environment which discourages Bedouin women from working outside the home, most are financially dependent on husbands and fathers. The lack of infrastructure in the Bedouin neighborhood discourages local business initiatives and deters any outside businesses from entering the neighborhood. As a result 40% of the neighborhood population is unemployed. Many women feel emotionally and socially displaced in an environment which does not value or need the nomadic household skills which previously allowed women to be productive members of the family and economy. Today, many women are thought of as burdens to their families. Domestic violence and even the murder of women are common and polygamy, although illegal under Israeli law, is on the rise. The population suffers from very difficult socio-economic situation. Parents also suffer from lack of awareness in modern education systems, so some of them prevent their girls to go ahead to high school. They are very interested that their girls and sons get higher education but they do not have the means to make their girls dreams to get academic degree come true.