Salfit:

The Executive Director of PFESP Mahdi Hamdan and the Governor of Salfit Ibrahim Al-Balawi agreed to enhance cooperation between PFESP and the Governorate. This is in regards to employment and encourage the establishment of entrepreneurial and developmental projects.

The two parties confirmed their commitment to intensify work to increase the frequency of awareness among citizens, especially young people and graduates, of a culture of pioneering work. This is to preserve experiences and competencies and promote economic development.

The two parties also agreed to devote efforts in the future to create self-employment opportunities for women and youth in the governorate as an alternative for working in the surrounding settlements.

This came during a working tour by Hamdan at the head of a delegation from PFESP to the Salfit Governorate. He through met the Balawi Governor and a number of other officials in the governorate. He also visited the seat of the Salfit Chamber of Commerce and Industry and met its President Fawaz Shehadeh. In addition to a visit to the Governorate Labor Directorate; he met its director Safia Al-Turk.

Hamdan heard from the Al-Balawi governor to review the conditions of the governorate. It suffers from the procedures of the occupation and the settlers, and the processes of Judaization of the land, as well as the high rate of unemployed youth.

Al-Balawi expressed his appreciation for the visit of PFESP delegation to the governorate and their interest of improving the conditions of youth and the unemployed. He stresses the readiness of the governorate to provide everything necessary to facilitate the work of PFESP in the governorate.

For his part, Hamdan reviewed a part of PFESP's activities and projects, especially developmental projects and concessional loan projects. It implements in a cooperation with a number of international donor institutions and local banks, especially the "Your Project" program. It is implemented with the Bank of Palestine and the Ministries of Labor and Finance.

Hamdan emphasized that PFESP’s goal is to encourage young people to get involved in the field of entrepreneurial work and establish development projects in addition to some emergency operational projects.

Hamdan pointed out that the coming period will witness more interventions for PFESP in this field in cooperation with many local and international institutions.

Hamdan praised the great effort made by the governor Al-Balawi and the staff to improve the conditions of the population and overcome the increasing violations of the occupation forces and its settlers.

In the same context, Hamdan and the head of the Salfit Chamber of Commerce Shehadeh agreed to provide the necessary facilities to the owners of promising development projects. The two parties also agreed during their meeting at the Chamber’s seat to maintain continuous coordination to follow up on the status of graduates and projects in the governorate.

Hamdan praised the great efforts and high performance provided by the Chamber, which is to provide facilities for businessmen and traders.

Hamdan expressed his pride in working with the Chamber, which did not hesitate for a moment to develop the economic performance of the governorate.

For his part, Shehadeh praised PFESP delegation’s visit to the Chamber, which reflects PFESP’s keenness to increase the pace of coordination with chambers of commerce and private sector institutions.

Shehadeh reviewed aspect of the Chambers work and the services it provides to its audience, youth, and graduates sectors.