About Us

AISHA Association for Woman and Child Protection (AISHA), established in 2009, is an independent Palestinian women organization working to achieve gender integration through economic empowerment and psychosocial support to marginalized groups in the Gaza Strip with focus on Gaza City and the North area. Prior to 2009 and since 1996, AISHA used to operate under the name "Women Empowerment Program (WEP)" as the women department within the Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCHMP). Given the change in the mandate and expanding scope of the GCHMP into a knowledge-based organization focusing of action research, training and advocacy, a restructuring process took place by which the WEP evolved into an independent organization, namely: AISHA.

AISHA seeks to protect women and children from violence through supporting, empowering, and raising awareness of important psychological, social, legal, and economic issues. Furthermore, during implementation of its strategic plan, AISHA has developed and applied a Gender Mainstreaming in all fields of implementation.

Ever since its establishment, Aisha worked on the empowerment of vulnerable women and children victims of violence in response to the identified needs in the Women and children portion of the community. AISHA started adopting the individual empowerment approach which takes into consideration the individual differences. Accordingly it has been successful in achieving substantially higher rates of empowerment. AISHA continued a conduit to reach the targeted beneficiaries.

On the other hand, focus has been given to influence the community agenda through the sensitization of key individuals and organizations towards the issues of domestic violence, gender equality, and feminist issues. Also, AISHA works on mobilizing and lobbying opinion to influence and pressure on decision-making to get a favourable laws and legislation for women and children in all fields.

AISHA was under the administrative and financial umbrella of GCMHP until December 31st 2010, so AISHA and since it got its new registration started to seek funding opportunity where it get fund to implement some projects, for instance, 105 women get benefited from the Individual Empowerment Program and 680 individual get benefited from legal awareness sessions in addition to other projects and activities.

AISHA was under the administrative and financial umbrella of GCMHP until December 31st 2010, so AISHA and since it got its new registration started to seek funding opportunity where it get fund to implement some projects, for instance, 105 women get benefited from the Individual Empowerment Program and 680 individual get benefited from legal awareness sessions in addition to other projects and activities.

AISHA seeks to protect, support and empower vulnerable women and children victims of violence and those with special needs psychosocially, legally and economically through facilitating access to protection and support services.

The following strategic objectives orient all AISHA activities:

• Increase effectiveness and efficiency of women, with special focus on women victims of violence, participation in community development through enhanced access to support services and protection.
• Create a sensitive environment to safeguard and nurture the development of children and their families for better future.
• Legislators and decision makers, are participating in the process of empowering women and children through favourable laws and regulations.
• AISHA is a capable organization in the administrative, professional and financial fields.

• The direct beneficiaries of AISHA are women victims of violence and at risk, with special focus on women with disabilities and women headed displaced households, children of these women aged 6-12 years and families of women victims of violence, school counsellors, teachers, doctors and psychosocial service providers.
• The indirect beneficiaries of AISHA are the community and the organization staff.