Supporting PUHC Strategy: Promoting Dignity and Resilience The project aims at women’s increased resilience through access to land, financial and ‎production ‎resources. This will be done through strengthening PUHC in order to address the needs and rights of their ‎members and communities, especially women, in addition to its active members in 2017 (38 Housing coops). Additionally, PUHC will target low income working women ‎to form 3 women housing cooperatives and join the union. It will also encourage men-dominated cooperatives to ‎increase women members’ real participation and representation. In regards to PUHC staff, PUHC will give ‎priority to women candidates when hiring staff.‎
In 2018 the focus will be on strengthening PUHC’s organisational development, and spreading democratic ‎and participatory practices. This includes  increasing PUHC’s membership base, further implementing ‎sound monitoring and evaluation practices, and ensure transparent decision-making (properly planned and ‎documented meetings on various levels). In addition, PUHC will conduct 6 training sessions for PUHC new ‎board members and staff on coops concept, governance Leadership and different management skills ‎‎(WB&G). New board of Director was elected and half of the Board members are new. These new board ‎members will require training on these concepts together with new members of staff.‎
The second component will be strengthening business capacities and service delivery of PUHC and its ‎members through the following:‎
• Upgrading and implementing of annual work plan for PUHC and develop business plans for its ‎members: PUHC will support 5 member coops with business development services such business ‎plans to develop members’ business capacities and assist them in establishing housing models. ‎Brainstorming workshops will be necessary to introduce the idea of business planning to the coops ‎members and exchange knowledge of the current situation of the coops. Furthermore, the business ‎plan will help the coops to look for new investment opportunities. ‎
• Facilitate member coops access to service providers:  PUHC will communicate with service ‎providers such as financial services providers and sign at least three MOU between PUHC and its ‎members with the service providers to support the implementation of at least part of the coop ‎business plan.‎
• Provide consultation hours for PUHC and its members: PUHC will provide consultation services for ‎its members such as Architecture consultation, legal, financial and administrative consultation. A ‎legal, financial and administrative manual will be designed, printed and distributed to the coop ‎members.‎
Third component will be promoting women equal rights of access to housing opportunities and ‎participation at PUHC and its members. PUHC continuously works in encouraging women participation in ‎PUHC BoD, at the moment PUHC has 5 women in BoD and at least 25% representation in the General ‎Assembly. PUHC also encourages the formation of women housing cooperatives. ‎
PUHC will increase women participation and representation in PUHC and leadership positions, through an ‎advocacy campaign as follows:‎
• Conduct workshops with middle and low income working women such as teachers, on the ‎importance of forming housing cooperatives and joining the union in three different districts ‎‎(Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus) and in Gaza strip.‎
• Provide incentives for women enrolment (to be member) in PUHC member coops.‎
• Conduct training sessions to PUHC women cooperative on Cooperative development curriculum.‎
• Conduct training sessions for women coops on relevant training topics (leadership of coop ‎organisations, management skills, communication skills, negotiation skills and other relevant ‎topics).‎
• Communicate with local media and networks to share the experience and importance of forming ‎women housing cooperatives in local TV and social media. ‎
Further, PUHC will dedicate about 50% of project resources to women empowerment. ‎
PUHC is an active member of Owneh, an advocacy group that advances the interests of the cooperative ‎moment in Palestine. Other We Effect partners (ARIJ, ESDC, and PACU) are active in this group.‎
The programme level Steering Committee is also composed of all We Effect Palestine partners. These ‎meetings follow a hands-on, practical approach to examine ways that We Effect projects complement ‎each other. In 2018, PUHC will actively participate in these bi-monthly meetings. In addition, PUHC staff ‎and BoD members are able to participate in joint activities with the other partners in any field related to ‎PUHC.‎ The project has strengthened organisational capacities of PUHC through training of 2 staff in the new PME system, new accounting system and development of new PUHC website. The project has also strengthened the business capacity and service delivery of PUHC members by upgrading PUHC business plans and developing business plans for members; providing of architectural consultation to PUHC & PUHC member cooperatives, providing operational manuals for coops that were printed and distributed to, all cooperatives were targeted in training courses through 4-workshops conducted by group of consultants involved in all sessions (legal/admin/fin./eng.) Furthermore, the project promoted equal rights of women through access to housing opportunities and participation at PUHC and its members. Women members of cooperatives were targeted with training sessions in both Gaza & West Bank, on topics related to communication skills, leadership, coop concepts, negotiation skills, and other relevant skills.