Ministry of Labor Signs Memorandum of Understanding with SOS Children's Villages Organization to Support 500 Unemployed Individuals in Bethlehem and Hebron

SadaNews - Palestinian Minister of Labor Dr. Einas Al-Attari signed a memorandum of understanding on October 9, 2025, with the SOS Children’s Villages Organization in Palestine, as part of the "Empowering Communities in Southern West Bank" project funded by the Hermann Gmeiner Fund in Germany. This initiative aims to provide temporary financial grants for three months to 500 unemployed individuals in the Bethlehem and Hebron governorates in response to the current difficult economic conditions.

Al-Attari explained that the monthly grant amounts to 1,880 Shekels for each beneficiary, totaling 5,640 Shekels over three months, with a total of 2,820,000 Shekels. She emphasized that this step is part of ongoing national efforts to support workers who have lost their jobs and enhance social and financial stability for affected families.

She also stressed that the ministry is keen on ensuring that the support reaches the most vulnerable and marginalized groups through a well-considered distribution of beneficiaries. Twenty-five percent of the total beneficiaries are allocated to individuals unemployed for more than six months, 20% to women who are heads of households or have lost their jobs, 25% to persons with disabilities who are able to work, 20% to workers in the informal sector and day laborers, and 10% to other groups such as able-bodied seniors and families with children with disabilities.
Al-Attari confirmed that the financial grants will be distributed through the Employment Council under the Ministry of Labor in the Bethlehem and Hebron governorates to ensure that the support reaches the targeted economically impacted groups, enabling them to rebuild their livelihoods and strengthening their social and economic resilience.
She added that this cooperation reflects the Ministry of Labor's commitment to fostering social and economic empowerment for vulnerable groups, particularly women and individuals with disabilities, by establishing an accurate database about these groups in preparation for their inclusion in future employment and training programs.

The minister concluded by affirming that signing this memorandum represents a pioneering model of partnership between national institutions and international organizations, embodying the ministry's vision of improving living conditions and enhancing the social and economic resilience of Palestinian families amid current challenges.