Economic Growth Palestine Project #15042

Build a Rural Women's Restaurant in Palestine

by Rebuilding Alliance

Project Report | Dec 30, 2015
Let's raise funds to build the Restaurant

By Donna Baranski-Walker | Founder & Executive Director, Rebuilding Alliance

Al Aqaba's remarkable park - restaurant needed!

Mayor Haj Sami has completed a wonderful park in Al Aqaba Village. When I visited this month, as we traversed the park, Mayor Haj Sami explained, "Over 100 people, families with children, are coming here each night. During the day, the afterschool program is running a youth fitness program for boys and girls, funded by the British, and Anera just put in a new playground. We need the restaurant now more than ever!"

The Restaurant's Marketing Plan is completed, and thanks to Fawz Abuhijleh at the Middle East Investment Initiative, the Al Aqaba Accounting system has been moved to project based accounting, with all accounting staff fully trained.

Rebuilding Alliance has yet to secure the Political Risk Insurance we've requested for the project, but our request is getting good attention. We pointed out to the US State Department and the National Security Council that they need not wait for Israel to take a bold step for peace -- they can show that Americans care by unilaterally providing risk insurance for Palestinian construction in accordance with their master plan. Construction of our Rural Women's Restaurant is at the top of the list.

Meanwhile, Rebuilding Alliance has nearly completed all the set-up details to provide a revolving construction loan to Al Aqaba's Rural Women's Association so that they can build the restaurant. Our lawyers at Ittqan Law are standing by to register Rebuilding Alliance's Branch Office and all the paperwork is complete. In December, I met with the General Manager of Quds Bank who has offered to administer the construction loan on our behalf, in compliance with the requirements of the Palestinian Monetary Authority. By making it a revolving loan, the Rural Women's Association can borrow again in the future to secure seed-funding for their next construction projects.

We look forward to entering this project in the upcoming matching grant competitions and, with your support, launching the Green Building construction in the months ahead!

With sincere thanks for your wonderful support,

Donna

100-200 people visit each night!

Attachments:

4 Attachments

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Mar 17, 2015
The project is climbing to see the light

By Ayat Omran | Communications and Outreach Coordinator

The survey results are in!

The Rural Women’s Association of Al Aqaba is making good progress in their development of a business plan for the Rural Women’s Restaurant, yet to be built. Last month, I visited Al Aqaba village and joined the Rural Women’s Center’s board in a meeting with youth from the entrepreneurs club of Al Aqaba. We discussed how to implement a survey of potential customers, created by the Middle East Investment Initiative (MEII) team to determine how many people would come to the future Rural Women’s Restaurant.

The MEII Technical Assistance Program team has come to Al Aqaba to hold discussions with Al Aqaba Rural Women Association, Al Aqaba village council and Rebuilding Alliance.

Rebuilding Alliance had introduced the MEII Technical Assistance Program to the Al Aqaba Rural Womens Association to help plan their income-generating enterprises, specifically their restaurant, guest house, and wedding hall. They start with a restaurant that would serve different groups: (1) the community of Al Aqaba village and surrounding area, (2) students at the kindergarten and elementary school, and maybe also schools nearby, (3) governmental and non-governmental visitors attending workshops and meetings in Al Aqaba (there is a vibrant conference center) and (4) internationals delegations and visitors.

The survey targeted three areas; Al Aqaba village, Tayaseer village and Tubas town. We were delighted to have the help of the youth of Al Aqaba in this task. 12 volunteers attended the meeting; 4 from each area. Based on the population of each area, they completed 120 surveys for Tubas area, 50 for Tayaseer and 50 for Al Aqaba. Ibn Rush’d Librarian Kefah Taleb (who is also the coordinator for the Ibn Rush’d Youth Entrepreneurship program) helped in planning and tabulated their results.

"There's a lot of local enthusiasm about building a Rural Women's Restaurant in Al Aqaba," said Librarian and Entrepreneurship coordinated Kifah as the survey results came in. I translated the survey results so you can take a look (click on it below).

The MEII TAP team recently completed their financial analysis and shared their suggestions and perspective with Al Aqaba Rural Women Association. They thought the Rural Women's Restaurant is just viable -- we still have a lot of questions and are meeting with the Rural Women's Association and the TAP team in ten day's time to move the business plan forward. We look forward to raising funds for construction of the restaurant!

Thank you for your faith in us and in this project.

Sincerely,

Ayat

P.S. On Wednesday, March 18th you can stretch your donation the Rural Women's Restaurant in Area C! It's a Global Giving match day and all donations up to $1,000 will be matched by 30% starting at 9 a.m. EST. Please set your alarm!

Good words from Mayor Haj Sami

Getting ready to survey potential customers

Attachments:

The young people surveyed 200 potential customers (XLSX)

4 Attachments

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Dec 23, 2013
Dreams Made Real

By Donna Baranski-Walker | Founder and Executive Director

Imagine 300 women dancing in RWA Wedding Hall!

Dear Friend of the Rural Women's Center,

The Rural Women’s Association (RWA) in Al Aqaba dreamt of building a community center to generate jobs. Imagine 300 women dancing in the wedding hall, with the RWA preparing the banquet! In August, Australian Designer Hana Hakim, Palestinian architect Renad Shequerat, and the RWA worked with us to finalize plans for the Rural Women’s Center — and our designs touched your heart. Together we won GlobalGiving’s Regional Bonus Day!

Your support on the Bonus Day led to a big surprise. That win resulted in an offer by the Catholic Church to lease the Rural Women’s Association a vacant 15th century convent in nearby Tayasir, and RIWAQ Center for Architectural Conservation offered an 80% matching grant for restoration! The Rural Women’s Association is interested and the designers and architect are delighted. Next step: a site visit by the RWA and RIWAQ with the Office of the Latin Patriarchate to explore restoration, discuss terms, and decide how to protect the 3rd Century mosaics there.

Generous donor, what do you think? The new proposal is to transform an abandoned 15th Century century convent into a thriving community center run by the remarkable Al Aqaba Rural Women's Association, the group that has been our partner for nearly 10 years now. It is still very much a green building, but now instead of $200K in project costs, we'll see a significant reduction in costs as well as matching grants and good alliances. Does this work for you?

I look forward to your reply. Feel free to give me a call at (650) 440-9667 if you have any questions or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Here is the 15th Century Convent in Tayasir!

Inside the Convent

From the rooftop

Another view inside the convent

One of the concepts by Designers Hakim & Wheib

Links:

Here is the RIWAQ Center for Architectual Restoration

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