LOCATION: Idhna Municipality, Hebron Governorate
West of Hebron, the Idhna Society for Higher Education secures scholarships for economically disadvantaged university students. The Idnha Society ranks in importance second only to Idhna’s municipal government, serving 400 people daily. A 2009 CLEP award of furniture and equipment for a meeting hall, library and administrative office set the stage for the organization to double its ranks to 1300, all of whom hold university-level degrees. The Community Leadership Empowerment Program strategic planning process, led primarily by the Idhna board of directors, had the organization’s leadership assess the needs of the town of Idhna and engage the community in order to ensure that the strategic plan is adopted by the newly elected board. The society’s leadership realized that the center’s most urgent need is to revamp its facility and to create the internal mechanisms to ensure ownership and responsibility of its young members. Accordingly, the board repainted and repaired the facility and through the second Community Leadership Empowerment Program award, refurnished all the classrooms and delivered a new facility to the incoming board.