Building Opportunity Amid Adversity: MA'AN's Employment for All Project in 2025
When conflict forced MA'AN Development Center to relocate its flagship employment program from Gaza to the West Bank, the organization faced a choice: pause or pivot. It chose to pivot - and 2025 became a year of tangible, hard-won results.
The Employment for All: Promoting Employment for Youth and Women in the oPt project, funded primarily by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), targets unemployed young people aged 18-29 across the occupied Palestinian territory, with a minimum 40% female participation and a strong emphasis on persons with disabilities (PWDs). Following the destruction of the original Gaza Hub in the 2023 conflict, a new Innovation Hub was established in Ramallah - and by May 2025, it was fully operational.
Supporting businesses, driving employment
Against a backdrop of 22% GDP contraction in the West Bank and 31% unemployment, the project launched a co-investment support model targeting small and medium enterprises (SMEs). A call for applications drew 105 businesses, with 49 shortlisted and 9 ultimately selected to receive either matching grants or business support packages. The Arab European Foundation for Training and Consulting (AEF) conducted structured needs assessments for 16 enterprises, identifying operational gaps and tailored recommendations. The selected enterprises - in agriculture, manufacturing, and related sectors - will receive equipment, infrastructure upgrades, and advisory services, with a shared commitment to creating jobs for female youth and PWDs.
From classroom to career: the Wazzefni program
The Wazzefni employability program proved to be one of the year's standout achievements. A public call in April 2025 generated 844 applications; 216 youth were confirmed for the program. Participants completed a 36-hour curriculum covering CV writing, personal branding, soft skills, AI tools, and interview techniques.
The Career Day on August 26, 2025 brought together 700 participants and more than 45 companies from across the West Bank, with 250 youth transported from Nablus, Hebron, Jenin, and Tulkarem. Following the event, 150 youth were placed across 54 companies - 90 through internships and 60 through apprenticeships. A further 31 youth secured independent employment. Private sector partners covered 50% of internship costs, providing monthly stipends of $200 for interns and $300 for apprentices.
Entrepreneurs, green economy, and inclusion
The Intaleq B Fikritak (Launch with Your Idea) entrepreneurship program attracted 435 applicants, with 223 eligible. Participants received 28 hours of green economy and entrepreneurship training, with pitch days, mentorship, and pre-seed funding to follow. The program built on the strong foundation of 53 startups that received seed funding in previous cycles, 32 of them women-led. Inclusion was central: sign-language interpretation was provided for deaf participants, and accessible venues ensured PWD participation throughout.
One participant whose story encapsulates the program's spirit is Rawan Jamal Hindiyeh - a young deaf woman from Deir Jarir who secured a permanent position with Jawwal through the program, while also serving as a sign language bridge between participants and trainers during her time in training.
The Hub: a permanent home for opportunity
The 466 m² MA'AN Innovation Hub in Ramallah became the operational backbone of all three project outputs. Equipped with two training rooms accommodating 50-60 trainees per cohort, workstations, meeting rooms, and audio-visual tools, the Hub represents a long-term investment in Palestine's entrepreneurship ecosystem. Its digital portal (maanhubpal.org) is set to consolidate applications, workspace rental, mentoring, and training services into a single platform.
Despite persistent challenges - military checkpoints, economic contraction, staff turnover, and a compressed timeline - the project maintained momentum through adaptive planning, hybrid delivery, and deepened private sector partnerships. With the project extended until June 2026, the remaining phase will focus on disbursing SME grants, scaling the entrepreneurship incubation program, and ensuring that the results achieved in 2025 translate into lasting employment for Palestinian youth.
