What is MA'AN?

• MA'AN's Vision

• MA’AN’s Values and Principles

• MA’AN’s Mission

• Development Goals and Strategies

• MA’AN’s Programs

• MA’AN’s Structure

• MA’AN’s Funding

• MA’AN’s Training Philosophy

 MA’AN Development Center is an independent Palestinian development and training institution established in 1989, registered by law as a non-profit organization.  The main office is located in Ramallah and the three branch offices are located in Gaza, Jenin, and Salfeet.  MA’AN's work is informed by the necessity of creating independent, self-reliant initiatives that lead to the development of human resources for sustainable development, which incorporate values of self-sufficiency and self-empowerment. 

MA’AN’s Vision

 MA’AN Center seeks to be a pioneer developmental and training organization through the quality of its programs, professionalism and transparency; as well as its quick response to the urgent developmental needs of the Palestinian society.

Through the true one team spirit and persistent work of its staff to build and develop the Palestinian organizations and human resources, MA’AN also seeks forward to lead the development of the national society and its infrastructure.

MA’AN is very interested in contributing to the development of the Palestinian society after achieving liberation, returning of refugees and establishing the Palestinian independent democratic state with Jerusalem as its capital. With MA’AN’s diverse and accumulative experience and its commitment to the Palestinian development priorities, it looks forward to participating in building an active democratic civil society based on plurality, rule of law and social justice in order to accomplish sustainable human development in a society that is free of all types of violence, racism and abuse.

MA’AN’s Values and Principles

The center believes that:

• The human being is the essential basic element, target, and focus of the developmental process

• Learning is a right, a human need, and a life-long continuous process

• Community development means the right of people to identify their economic, social and cultural needs; humans are partners in the developmental process

• Developmental programs must be based on the social, economic, political, and cultural needs and priorities of the local communities, and must take into consideration their aspirations, traditions and values; there is no one global developmental model

• Development is a means to not only economic prosperity but also to human dignity, peace, justice, equal opportunity, and non-discrimination

• Cooperating with the community is a learning process; all parties in it are equal; no party has a monopoly over knowledge

• International donors must be partners within the developmental process, offering their support with no preconditions

• The recognition of gender differences is an integral part of all our programs and activities

• The woman is a basic partner in the developmental process; developing women’s attitudes, skills, knowledge will ensure sustainable human development

• Professionalism, transparency, credibility and accountability are among the most important elements for success and sustainability

• Enhancing self-reliance and increasing independence at every level of our work are features of a leading institution

• Commitment to team-work, collective participation, commitment, and cooperation

• NGOs contribute to the struggle for liberation and to building a civil and democratic society.

MA’AN’s Mission

MA’AN’s mission is to work towards sustainable human development in Palestine through:

•  Building the capacities of Palestinian NGOs, CBOs, and grassroot organizations.

•  Improving the food security situation of the poorest and most marginalized    sectors of the Palestinian society.

• Enhancing community development and decreasing poverty in rural and most disadvantaged areas.

•    Protecting the Palestinian environment.

• Advocating for and educating the Palestinian community on its rights at the local, national and international level.

Development Goals and Strategies

 First Goal:  Institutional Building and Development

To develop and enhance the capacities of the Palestinian NGOs, CBOs and grassroots organizations to be able to fulfill their missions and goals so as to contribute to building a Palestinian civil and democratic society based on political pluralism and respect of human rights through the implementation of the following developmental objectives:

• To develop Palestinian human resources with special focus on the NGOs staff and board members
• To build up and strengthen the self-reliance, efficiency, professionalism, and effectiveness of PNGO`s CBOs and grassroots through the following strategies:
  1. Developing their infrastructures
  2. Developing their operation systems
  3. Providing them with the necessary equipment and tools
  4. Enhancing the level of coordination, networking, cooperation and complementarities 

• To contribute to self-reliance through creating income-generating projects and enhance their management level

Second Goal: Social Development

To enhance community development and decrease poverty in rural and the most disadvantaged areas via the following strategies:

• To develop the inappropriate infrastructure
• To implement projects that is labor intensive
•   To enhance youths’ and women’s competencies (skills, knowledge, and attitudes) necessary for the local labor market
• To enhance cooperation and coordination with all stakeholders
• To provide support and basic needs for the poorest in emergency situations

Third Goal: Food Security

To contribute to the improvement of the food security situation at the family and community levels through the implementation of the following:

• To develop the agriculture sector productivity
•   To increase water harvesting for agricultural purposes
• To design and establish home gardens
• To introduce new species and plants which has better income for the farmers
•  To create sustainable agricultural and environmental models and techniques
• To enhance the Palestinian awareness of sustainable and friendly agricultural and environmental practices
• To decrease the agricultural external inputs
• To encourage farmers to use organic farming and organic pest control
• To produce healthy agricultural production free from chemicals and pesticides

Fourth Goal: Developmental and Environmental Information

To protect and develop the Palestinian environment and the agricultural sector through the      implementation of the following developmental objectives:

• To enhance and raise public awareness on sustainable and friendly environmental and agricultural best practices.
• To contribute to developing appropriate policies
• To contribute to applied research in the field of agriculture and development
• To advocate and lobby for the achievement of its objectives, particularly in   the agricultural and environmental sector
• To improve information accessibility by developing MA’AN’s resource center and enhancing and keeping up-to-date the organization website

Fifth Goal: Advocacy and Mobilization

To educate and advocate the Palestinian community on their national rights at the local, national, and international level through the implementation of the following strategies:

v  To enhance MA’AN’s advocacy efforts at the community, national, and international levels

v    To support and defend the rights of the marginalized groups at all levels.

v  Develop relations between local, Arab and international networks and unions.

v   Build the capacity of civil society institutions in the fields of media, lobbying and advocacy.

v  Reinforcing collaboration, integration, unifying the efforts of the Palestinian organizations to strengthen lobbying and advocacy for the sake of the Palestinian case locally, regionally and internationally; which will empower the Palestinian people to achieve their goals in independence, building a democratic state and sustainable human development.

v  Utilizing projects and programs to serve the poor and the marginalized areas.

v  Give priority to projects that meet people’s needs and assist then in withstanding to the occupation and its repressive practices. 

v  Participate in developing comprehensive development plans as well as sectional strategies that puts the poor and the affected at top of priorities.

MA’AN’s Programs

The center seeks for achieving its goals and strategies through carrying out the following development programs:

1.      Institutional building and administrative development program:

This program focuses on developing human resources through specialized training programs that cover 33 administrative fields aiming to enhance the skills of the top management, supervision and executing staff; develop information, financial and administrative systems of the Palestinian organizations and assisting in their strategic planning to face the ever changing environment. The program is also focused on developing the infrastructure of those organizations and activating coordination, cooperation and networking among them.

2.      Internet and computer training programs:

This program is integral to the previous program and aims at developing trainees computer skills. The training is held in MA’AN’s computer lab which is equipped with 16 computers and connected to the internet.

3.      Specialized English language courses:

MA’AN organizes training courses in English to develop different levels of administrative, secretarial skills in addition to English writing skills.

4.      Youth development and youth leadership program:

Comprises various training and development programs aiming to enhance youth leadership skills and create an environment suitable for active participation in social transform and in building a democratic society that is free of violence, abuse and racisms.

5.      Development programs for women:

Assist in development and institutional building of women centers and offering several training courses in the fields of: administrative development courses, computer courses, specialized English courses, creating and managing successful projects; in addition to a training program in food processing, home gardening, and organic agriculture.

6.      Developing small and intermediate projects:

This is a specialized program that offers specialized courses for pioneers who are interested in creating or developing economic projects according to CEFE.

7.      Sustainable agriculture and rural development:

Those are training and guiding programs aiming at educating farmers and agricultural engineers in the fields of sustainable agriculture, organic agriculture, recycling of water and wastes and producing combust, farming and home gardening. The program is also concerned with development programs that aim at developing agricultural structure in the rural areas especially digging and reconditioning of wells, establishing and reconditioning of greenhouses and laying of irrigation networks.

8.      Food processing, product quality development and monitoring program:

MA’AN educates in 11 types of food processing within projects directed to women and small productive projects.

9.      Development and environmental information program:

MA’AN publishes a series of development researches and studies in addition to flyers, supplements, and media spots concerning environment and agriculture.

10.    Advocacy and mobilization program:

MA’AN issues a group of papers and publications that aim at revealing the Israeli violations against the Palestinian people especially in the environmental and agricultural fields. The program also covers training courses to develop the skills of the target groups in mobilizing, pressuring and enabling target groups of organizing activities that assist them in defending their rights and interests.

11.  Resource center:

MA’AN’s library is furnished with thousands of books, articles and documents in the fields of development, administration and training; in addition to hundreds of training manuals and videotapes computerized and open to the public.

MA’AN’s Structure 

The general assembly comprises 37 members from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; it is the higher reference for the center. The general assembly elects 7 members for administrative supervision for the center, and assigns the general director to manage the center assisted by a team of specialized and skilled professionals.

MA’AN’s Funding

Based on its specialized programs, the center depends on unconditional funding and support from a group of Palestinian and international organizations. It also depends on the revenues of its courses, publications and consultancies.

MA’AN’s Training Philosophy

The training philosophy aims at developing three dimensions: 

- Knowledge dimension                       - skill dimension                   - behavioral dimension