Ala Ar-Raseef (On The Pavement)
Brief Description of the Project: As part of the Civic Hackathon project, which is implemented by the Community Development and Continuing Education Institute in partnership with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Family Health International (fhi360) within the framework of the Civil Participation and Community Engagement Project (CPCE) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Civic Hackathon project aims to contribute to strengthening the role of social accountability committees and youth councils in decision-making processes by implementing community initiatives to address obstacles to social inclusion and gender equality in the less fortunate communities in the southern West Bank. Responsive community initiatives have been implemented to address community needs identified and agreed upon by active stakeholders in the local community, and this initiative was one of them.
Initiative Summary:
- Location: Al-Karmel
- Implementation Date: May 25, 2023- July 15, 2023
- Executors: Social Accountability Committee/ Al-Karmel
- Problem and Intervention: The town is facing a general transportation deficiency, resulting in a weakened public transportation system, difficulty in movement, increased accidents, chaos, and a lack of waiting seats for passengers. To address this issue, pressure campaigns and advocacy efforts were initiated, involving communication with relevant authorities to provide shelters and waiting seats for passengers in the town center. This was achieved through meetings with decision-makers to urge them to take responsibility for the issue. Social media and media channels were also utilized to focus on the area and its needs.
Main activities/outputs:
- Conduct a dialogue session with stakeholders such as the municipality, Ministry of Transportation, public drivers’ union, town institutions, parents’ committee, etc., to discuss the transportation problem and devise solutions.
- Launch a pressure and advocacy campaign utilizing social media platforms, sharing 7 posts on social media pages to raise awareness about the issue and mobilize support.
- Take action to provide shelters and waiting seats for passengers in strategic locations to improve the waiting experience and address the transportation challenges.
