Making Space for Women

This week we have been putting together the beginning of a funding application for the grassroots organisationTubas Charitable Society (TCS). TCS have identified a need for a playground and community hall to be built in Tubas exclusively for women and children. At present, the isolated town lacks public spaces to allow women and children to interact and play, negatively impacting their social and emotional wellbeing. The conservative nature of the town means it is unacceptable for most women to socialise and do sports in the available spaces as men who are not family members will be present. Many of these women are mothers and if they are prevented from using the spaces then their young children are negatively impacted as a result.

Other towns in the West Bank, such as Ramallah, are less isolated and often referred to as ‘cosmopolitan’. Women are often seen alone or in groups enjoying coffee or aguila in upmarket cafes dotted along the street. While writing the concept note for TCS I began to notice the dispersion of women around Ramallah. Walking through the main square of Al-Manara at night, some families pass by but the crowd is largely men standing in groups. The more common and affordable coffee and aguila shops surrounding the square are dominated by men during the day and into the night. There are few visible spaces for women to congregate without having to pay over the odds for a coffee in an exclusive café.

To allow women of all backgrounds to enjoy socialising, I believe that free and safe spaces for women must be made available. Throughout the West Bank, the brutal impact of the occupation can be lessened if women are allowed to interact and support each other. TCS already brings women together through vocational training in their centre in Tubas: if the proposal for a community playground and hall is successful, TCS would be able to improve the situation of a wider range of women.