Entrepreneurs are the backbone of any society. They take the necessary risks to improve communities and progress beyond the every-day norms. USAID recognizes the value of entrepreneurs to spur change and implement new ideas that push communities to grow.
The West Bank and Gaza benefit from a young, motivated, and educated workforce. USAID is helping the Palestinian economy, and society writ large, to tap into this strength by instilling entrepreneurial skills and mindset in Palestininan youth. Through a diverse set of programs, USAID supports entrepreneurs in the West Bank and Gaza turn challenges into opportunities to develop social and economic initiatives that improve their daily lives.
USAID is proud to support Palestinian entrepreneurs working to address and advocate for core issues that impact their communities. Below are stories of some inspiring USAID-supported entrepreneurs who are taking the lead and making an impact.
Entrepreneurship, Where Business Meets Society – Meet Al-Ghadia
Entrepreneurship, Where Business Meets Society – Meet Al-Ghadia
"What always inspires me are other entrepreneurs. I am less risk averse and believe that entrepreneurship has no limits."
Al-Ghadia, a young entrepreneur from Salfit, utilizes both social and economic entrepreneurship to contribute to her community. “Entrepreneurship also means giving to my community through social entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is the mix between business and society. Through USAID support, I trained 33 young men and women in the Salfit area to develop social initiatives. I strive to be a social influencer and give lectures and training to young people on the importance of entrepreneurship in light of the challenges the young people are facing.”
As a natural entrepreneur, Al-Ghadia signed up for Youth Step’s project, Partners for Sustainable Development, as part of USAID’s Civic Participation and Community Engagement program. While working on establishing Aram Craft, a family business to produce and sell household items and collectibles online, Al-Ghadia was also encouraged to become a community leadership trainer herself. "Along with my sister Aram, I seek to focus on my businesses by increasing production and searching for exporting opportunities abroad. I also strive for the success of influential youth community initiatives that will better serve my community and generate income."
Participants like Al-Ghadia use these opportunities to spur transformation in their communities. “I always prompt other entrepreneurs and young people not to fear taking risks, develop their professional skills, start from their comfort zone even if at a small scale, and never give up…With constant motivation, youth should keep exploring new experiences and other entrepreneurs’ successes”.
Mycelium to Market – Meet Adeline
Mycelium to Market - Meet Adeline
“[This business] will enhance my self-confidence and will secure an income source for me and my family. Moreover, I will be the first woman to introduce this technology.”
White button mushrooms (mycelium) are a nutritious food source, and a favorite in local markets. Producing mushrooms in the West Bank is difficult without a local source of raw materials, the seed mycelium and compost. The challenge to find raw materials in the West Bank spurred Adeline’s creativity and determination to learn how to cultivate materials to grow mushrooms on her own.
In 2019, Adeline, who lives in Ramallah, established the Mushroom House Company to produce the raw materials to sell to mushroom entrepreneurs as a natural fertilizer. This innovative business venture was making headway just as the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the business plan. For this reason, Adeline sought out support from USAID’s Small Medium Enterprise for Recovery and Transition (SMART) activity to jump-start her business’ recovery following the impacts of the pandemic.
Adeline encourages other entrepreneurs to gain independence and take opportunities when they can. “My message to other entrepreneurs is to study your project carefully, take your time, try to be independent as much as you can but if anyone offers assistance, don’t hesitate.”
Sustainable, Local, Ethical Entrepreneurship - Meet Rakan
Sustainable, Local, Ethical Entrepreneurship - Meet Rakan
“Simply, there is a lot … to do, but always do something you like, look for something that you would like to see an impact or change within. Because this type of stuff makes you look forward to the long term... Not only looking at the mission which is short term, but also the vision which is the long term.”
Studying Human and Medical Genetics at the Queen Mary University of London, Rakan is taking the skills he learned locally via USAID to international markets. Born in Jerusalem, Rakan is a graduate of USAID’s Middle East Entrepreneurs for Tomorrow (MEET) activity, which brings together Arab and Jewish youth through technology, entrepreneurship and leadership.
Today, Rakan supports a start-up called “Jerms” which sells products to promote gut health by nurturing healthy gut bacteria, a very competitive market in the UK. To be competitive in this market Rakan highlights the importance of balance between creativity and entrepreneurship “we needed to really brainstorm to enter the market, we looked at our competitors, thought about new projects and tried to identify how we could fit in and succeed.”
Rakan credits USAID’s Conflict Management and Mitigation activity, MEET, for how far this initiative has come. “MEET is basically the reason I’m here. I know USAID had a huge support in MEET, and without this project I wouldn’t be in London following my dream. MEET is [...] a program that takes each person and their skills and builds on top of it.”
Looking forward, Rakan hopes to expand his influence into mental health and bio-technology and use the entrepreneurial skill set he gained from USAID’s MEET activity to improve the healthcare system. “[The healthcare system] is developing incredibly quickly, but at the same time there are a lot of things that are not provided in the best way. This causes me to think in an entrepreneurial way ‘what would I do to make this different?”
Fashionable Looks for Every Palestinian Woman - Meet Sawsan
Fashionable Looks for Every Palestinian Woman - Meet Sawsan
“What inspires me is the drive to find solutions for any woman who seeks modesty in fashion without compromising the desire to look fashionable at all occasions. I love art and working with my hands.”
Palestinian women-owned start-ups are engines for economic recovery and growth, which is what inspired Sawsan to apply for USAID’s Small and Medium Enterprise Assistance Recovery and Transition (SMART) activity.
Sawsan started a business in Ramallah to address a gap in the market for Palestinian women who value trendy, high quality, and modest designs with a creative, handmade, artistic touch.
Sawsan said, “SMART […] helped me put my plans into action. The financial support for my project encouraged me not to stop and not to fear unknown outcomes. My business idea is professionally presented to the community and I target customers in the market through [guidance in] marketing and social media engagement.”
USAID prioritizes localization and growth from within communities. Sawsan embodies this goal. “It's very important to me that we, Palestinians, make our own clothes to set our terms in fashion trends that respect our values and fulfill our needs. Local brands allow our communities to celebrate our culture.”