Posted on May 30, 2023
The Creative Mediterranean team were in Ramallah, Palestine on the 24th and 25th May 2023 for the kickoff of the selected business proposals with Asala, the Palestinian Businesswomen’s Association. The business proposals were selected under the CREACT4MED project following the pitch session, which took place on the 30th January 2023 in a hybrid format. Entrepreneurs were required to present their businesses to a group of experts, and 4 were selected.
As with previous visits, over the course of two days, beneficiaries learned about the CREACT4MED activities, and brainstormed synergy opportunities where entrepreneurs were challenged with a view to strengthening their business proposals. Following the event, these projects are ready to be launched with the help of the Palestinian Business Support Organisation, Asala.
The entrepreneurs are: Askadar for Culture and Arts, Handmade Palestine, Meera Adnan, and Udulele. Read more about them at the CREACT entrepreneur page.
On the first day, María Ruiz de Cossío, (Project Officer at Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association – EMEA), explained the CREACT4MED roadmap outlining the project activities under the subgrant activity. Following that, Mr Samer Makhlouf of Alkasaba, a cultural NGO, gave a presentation on fundraising for entrepreneurs focusing on individual donors considering the aspects of the Palestinian diaspora, and Ms Raja Rantisi, Asala’s Executive Director, gave an inspirational talk. The day ended with a networking cocktail where the entrepreneurs could meet other actors in the cultural and creative industries in Palestine.
The second day started with a tour of Inash Al Usra, a Palestinian voluntary organization established in 1965 offering services and programs to Palestinian women and other marginalised sectors of the community as a means of empowerment. The group also visited Beit Al Arad Store, offering a unique collection of high quality traditional Palestinian artisan products.
In the afternoon, each entrepreneur sat down for a one-to-one session with the CREACT4MED team to revise and improve the business proposals were. In parallel, entrepreneurs were interviewed on their experiences so far with the CREACT4MED project.
CREACT4MED is a project funded by the EU through the EuropeAid Programme, and seeks to strengthen CCI ecosystems in the MENA region and unleash the full potential of CCI to create empowered and flourishing societies. It aims to support entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs, create jobs, and foster sustainable economic growth in the Southern Mediterranean, with a particular focus on young people and women.
It is led by Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA) (Coordinator), with the partners Institute of Entrepreneurship Development (iED), European Institute of the Mediterranean (IEMed), Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises (BUSINESSMED), Redstart Tunisia, Confédération méditerranéenne pour le développement (MED Confederation), Beyond Group, Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta (LUMSA Università), Association of Organisations of Mediterranean Businesswomen (AFAEMME), Positive Agenda Advisory, and Womenpreneur.