LOCATION: Kharas Municipality, Hebron Governorate
Located in the mountains outside Hebron, The Kharas Charitable Society has long enjoyed an outstanding reputation distributing food to the poor. The organization used a 2009 Community Leadership Empowerment Program award to open a computer lab and began providing the Kharas townspeople with computer literacy training. The Kharas Charitable Society’s strategic planning process, spearheaded by Barakat Seiyara, demonstrated to townspeople the importance of identifying their own needs. Doing so enabled the Kharas Charitable Society to tap into readily available solutions. Eager to raise the rate of employment, the organization found that there were women in the town who had begun to support their families with part-time jobs using their new computer skills. Interested in improving local healthcare, the Kharas Charitable Society applied for and received support under USAID’s flagship healthcare program. The strides the Kharas Charitable Society has made are so remarkable that the Kharas Local Council and several villages in the western Hebron governorate are now turning to Mr. Seiyara to learn how to create and execute their own strategic plans.