Lotus- Women's space for training and employment in Hi-tech- was established to change the reality for hundreds of young, traditional, talented, highly motivated, and capable women, who thus far, lack the opportunity to develop a professional trajectory and work in quality employment. Cultural and traditional barriers prevent traditional Druze women from driving or working outside the village in a mixed-gender environment.
To change the reality of our lives, we need to acquire a profession within the village and create an all-female "safe space" where we can work daily, but in quality employment positions!
Lotus NGO has established an innovative employment platform, that combines: quality training in technology courses, personal development guidance, and placements in leading companies, all out of the Lotus HUB, in Daliat al Carmel. It will be more than a workplace, it will be a community, where Lotus women can express their abilities and flourish professionally and personally.
The venture has trained almost 40 religious traditional Druze women who were not been part of the workforce in the past year. Currently, 14 women are working as programmers for Lotus, for leading hi-tech companies, including Amdocs, Radcom, Orbit. A further 20 women have completed the FullStack Developers training program and are scheduled to begin their placements at leading companies this June.
Thus far we have been working and training in a small space in Isfiya, that has been kindly donated to us for a limited period of time. We have been working to plan, and raise money for a legitimate long-term workspace, that will not only expand to contain around 80 work stations, but will also be a space for the Lotus training program, entrepreneurship development, and the community.
Just a month ago, we thought we had seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and everything was progressing to plan, however, we were then met with the Corona crisis. And our dreams of establishing a legitimate workspace for the Lotus community slipped further away.
One of the consequences of the crisis is the inability of some donors to meet their planned commitments. At this point, we are missing 200,000 NIS to complete the Lotus HUB. The total cost of establishing the HUB is 1 million NIS, which has been donated by the Portland Foundation and other donors.
We urge you to contribute to Lotus (NGO) and help us create the first female high tech space in Arab society.
This is your time to help the Druze and Arab communities to truly integrate into Israeli society and high-tech, and to influence and fulfill the dreams of generations to come,
Thank you in advance for your support,
Wishing everyone health, happiness and safety during these difficult times,
The Lotus community