What is MA’AN?

MA’AN Development Center is an independent, non governmental, non partisan Palestinian development and training institution established in January,1989, registered by law as a non-profit organization.  The main office is located in Ramallah and the four branch offices are located in Gaza, Khan Younis, Tulkarem  and Jenin,.  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 
 
"Palestinians enjoy a decent life, are steadfast, resilient, self-reliant, and leading their communities, based on respect for plurality, rule of law, social justice and human rights.”
 
MA’AN’s Mission
 
“Partnering and working hand in hand with Palestinian non-governmental organization, community based organizations, grassroots groups and committees, in the poorest and most marginalized areas, to promote community development that is guided by community participation, human rights based approach, investment of local resources and the empowerment of the poor and marginalized.”through achieving the following five goals:
1.     Improving the food security situation of the poorest and most marginalized sectors of the Palestinian society at the family & community level
2.      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
3.      To enhance community development and decrease poverty in rural and the most disadvantaged areas
4.      To protect and develop the Palestinian environment
5.     To raise awareness and advocate for and with the Palestinian community on their national rights at the local, national, and international level.
 
Goals and Developmental Objectives/Strategies :
 
Goals
Developmental Objective/Strategies
1- Improving the food security situation of the poorest and most marginalized sectors of the Palestinian society at the family & community level
  • 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
2- 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
  • 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:
    • Developing their infrastructures
    • Developing their operation systems
    • Providing them with the necessary equipment and tools
    • Enhancing the level of coordination, networking, cooperation and complementarities’ 
  • To contribute to self-reliance through creating income-generating projects and enhance their management level
3- To enhance community development and decrease poverty in rural and the most disadvantaged areas
  • To develop the inadequate 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
4-To protect and develop the Palestinian environment
  • 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
5- To raise awareness and advocate for and with the Palestinian community on their national rights at the local, national, and international level
  • To support the marginalized groups in claiming their rights.
  • Develop relations between local,  regional and international networks
  • Enhance the capacities of CBOs to use media as a tool for lobby and advocacy.
  • Reinforcing cooperation, integration, unifying the efforts of the Palestinian organizations to strengthen lobbying and advocacy
  • To encourage and urge national and international donors to direct their projects and programs to serve the poor and the marginalized areas. . 
  • Participate in developing comprehensive development plans as well as sectoral strategies that puts the poor and the affected at top of priorities
  • To unify and strengthen grassroots and networks to better represent, defend, and empower the people to claim their rights.
MA’AN’s Main Strategies
1.      Lobbying & Advocacy
2.      Institutional, organizational and human resource development
3.      Services provision
4.      Awareness raising
5.      Networking, coordination, consultation and cooperation
 
MA’AN’s Programs
1.      Agricultural and  Food Security Program
2.      Community Development Program
3.      Women Development Program
4.      Youth and Adolescent Development Program
5.      Environment Protection Program
 
MA’AN Values:
A group of values, principles and beliefs that guide MA’AM’s work while it accomplishes its goals and objectives. The Board of Directors and all employees participate in adopting these beliefs, values and principles. These values, beliefs and principles are written and disclosed. Values and principles are situated at various levels:
  • Internal level of the organizations.
  • Society/community;
  • Partnering and supporting stakeholders;
  • Beneficiaries;
 
No.
Level
Values, beliefs and principles
1
At the internal level
Enhancing self-reliance and increasing independence at every level of our work are features of a leading institutions
 Professionalism, transparency, credibility and accountability are among the most important elements for success
Professionalism, excellence, and continued effort to improve quality of performance and of services provided by the organization.
Modesty: as an organization working to alleviate poverty & improve the quality of life for Palestinian people, we are required to be modest in behavior and attitude.
No conflict of interest within the organization’s bodies. 
Internal democratic dialogue and the right for everybody to express their opinion as a basis for leading the organization.
Preserving the organization’s independence from any political, factional, or religious affiliation
 Teamwork, collective leadership, participation, mutual respect commitment, and cooperation are the key ingredients for success.
Commitment towards the organization’s mission, vision and goals.
Good governance
Commitment to manage the organization in the most competent, effective and best manner so as to maximize the impact of available resources.
Employ competent people.
Equal employment opportunities between both genders
Respect, commitment and application of the Palestinian 2000 NGO Law, and The Basic Palestinian Law. 
2
At the society/community level
 Human beings are the essential basic element and focus of the development process
 Democracy as a process and main focus in building a democratic civil society.
  Community development means the right of the people to identify their economic, social and cultural needs and be partnered in the whole development process
 Cooperation with the community is a learning process; all parties in it are equal; and no party has a monopoly over knowledge
 Development is a means not only for economic prosperity but also for human dignity, peace, justice, equal opportunity, and non-discrimination
 Respect of human rights is a precondition to a democratic state
 Development programs must be based on the social, economic, political and cultural needs and priorities of local communities, in respect to their aspirations, traditions and values
 Learning is a right, a human need, and a life-long continuous process
 NGOs contribute to the struggle for liberation and to building our civil and democratic society
 Recognition of gender differences and the specific needs of women is an integral part of our programs and activities
 Women are the basic partners in the developmental process; developing women's attitudes, skills, and knowledge will ensure sustainable human development.
 Civil society  is crucial for  building a democratic state.
 Social justice and equality, and sovereignty of law.
 Transparency and accountability at all levels.
 Defend and believe in the rights of the needy and marginalized in society.
 We believe in the society and its institutions’ right to accountability.
3
At the level of supporting and partnership stakeholders
 Unconditional support, without political preconditions, shows true solidarity from our international partners and donors
 Transparency and fairness.
 Insist on Palestinian development priorities.
 Strive towards building a real partnership among supporting organizations.
 Mutual respect.
4
At the level of target groups/ beneficiaries (individuals and institutions)
Participation in an integral component for the success of any initiative. Target groups’ (individuals and institutions) participation in defining development needs, in planning, implementing and evaluating projects and programs implemented and supported by the organization.
We believe in the necessity of coordination, cooperation and integration among civil society institutions. 
Focus on grass-roots and small CBOs to receive funding.
MA’AN’s Target Groups &  Beneficiaries
MA’AN seeks to reach certain key target groups through their programs and activities.  The target groups can be characterized as:
  • Rural Women
  • Youth and Adolescents
  • Farmers
  • NGO’s & CBOs and their members
  • Agricultural engineers and extension workers
Geographical Areas by priority
West Bank
Gaza Strip*
Tulkarem
Khan Younis District
Jordan Valley
Northern part of GS
Jenin/Toubas
Gaza city
Jerusalem
 
Ramallah
 
Bethlehem
 
*Special focus on seam zone areas
Figure 1 Geographical Areas
 
Geographical Areas by priority:
 
 
 
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 
It joins theoretical and practical modern training methods through different training methods based on the dialogue, participation, exchange of experience and learning from others.