MA'AN Development Center launched a specialized training program as part of its efforts to reduce risks, strengthen resilience, and help rural communities face crises. The program targeted Community Protection Committees in Jenin area, which includes the villages of Faqqua, Jalameh, Arrana, Arabouna, and Jalbun. The program was implemented in partnership and coordination with the village councils and the Marj Ibn Amer–Beit Qad Municipality.
This training was carried out within a community-led risk reduction plan, reflecting a participatory approach that places local communities at the center of planning and implementation, and strengthens cooperation between community committees, local authorities, and partner institutions.
The trainings aimed to build the capacities of Community Protection Committees and village councils in disaster management, local risk analysis, and early response planning. This helps reduce the impact of natural and human-made risks and improves community readiness to respond in an organized and effective way. The program also included specialized sessions on first aid, civil defense, and agricultural guidance, supporting a comprehensive humanitarian and development-oriented emergency response.
The risk reduction plan is based on a preventive approach to disaster management, focusing on reducing risks before they happen. This is done by integrating environmental sustainability and protection into a local system led by village councils, in cooperation with protection committees, technical committees, and relevant civil society organizations. This ensures better coordination, clear roles, and more effective responses to community needs.
These trainings are part of a series of strategic interventions that aim to strengthen organized community action and move from individual or unplanned responses to well-prepared, practical plans. This contributes to protecting lives and property and strengthening the resilience of rural communities in Jenin Governorate in the face of growing challenges.
The trainings are implemented under the EU-funded “Al-Tahammul (Resilience)” project, which aims to promote sustainable development of community lands, water management, and agricultural practices. The project supports inclusive economic and social development and sustainable management of natural resources in Area C across six communities in different parts of the West Bank. It is implemented by a coalition of Palestinian civil society organizations working in the agricultural sector.
Through this project, the coalition seeks to strengthen its role in policy development, investment decision-making, accountability, and good governance, as well as to build its capacities through a participatory regional development approach that enhances local ownership.
Through these trainings, Ma’an Development Center, as an active member of the coalition, works to strengthen the role of coalition institutions in shaping agricultural policies and legislation, promoting justice, inclusion, and protection, and supporting local communities in fair and sustainable access to natural resources. This contributes to sustainable agriculture, economic stability for farmers, and stronger resilience of Palestinian communities in Area C.
