For this project, MEND worked as a regional partner in the global Participate initiative launched by the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, and Beyond 2015. The initiative aims to shed light on action and participatory video as a tool for change in global policy making by enabling communities affected by extreme poverty and marginalization to give voice to the changes they seek the most. The project seeks to impact the UN decision-making process vis-a-vis the UN Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG).
MEND worked with two groups of women in the Al-Jib and Nabi Samuel communities whose lives have been directly affected by the construction of Israel's separation wall. These facilitators were trained to impart basic camera and production skills to the groups of women. Fourteen women, aged 16-46, took part in the initiative.
At the end of the training, participants created short films about their lives under Israel's occupation. These films were then aired at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Through their films, the participants hoped not only to reveal the extent to which Israel's occupation has affected them, but their personal and emotional experiences of being a woman caught in conflict. The films show the loneliness of segregation, nostalgia for the past, and highlight the inequality that has permeated all aspects of their lives. Most importantly, however, participants wanted their audience to understand the need for their message to be heard.