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The grassroots movement
and the civil society organizations in
Palestine played and still playing an active
role in serving the Palestinian community in
all aspects of life. Historically, these
organizations were founded within the
general frame of resisting the Israeli
occupation since 1967 and up till now.
Within this context the NGO movement took
upon itself the social services agenda to
counter back the systematic destruction of
Palestinian infrastructures; both social and
material of the Israeli occupation policy.
The NGO and civil society organizations and
movements grow to be an integrated and
active component of the social web of the
Palestinian community. It is evident that
the culture that prevailed as a result of
this movement compose the corner stone in
advocating resisting for independence and
free democratic Palestine. It played a
leading role in the past and it compose the
future guarantee for a future democratic
State in Palestine.
In the nineties and as
a result of the establishment of the
Palestinian Authority, a partnership between
the authority and the NGO community was
established in order to better serve the
community as well as to join forces in the
struggle for a just and lasting peace.
Within that frame, the Legislative Council
in close cooperation with (PINGO) issue the
NGO low to regulate the relationship between
the NGO’S and the P.A.
Within this orientation
of re-building our society on democratic
basis and activating the role of the civil
society organizations in this process, the
Union of Social Workers and Psychologists
was founded in 1996 as a means of active
participation in the re-formation of our
community and making a difference in
promoting the “helping professions” and
makes a difference in the psychological
build up of our children, families and all
social systems; such as education, social
services providers, and to lobby for better
legislations and regulating lows for the
helping professions.
The composition of the
Union is of chapters in the various
governorates of the West Bank and Gaza. Each
Chapter holds democratic elections for its
board of directors each second year, with
the other elected members from the
govenorates form the general assembly of the
Union. The various chapters are autonomous
in realizing the objectives of the Union.
This decentralization policy had been
adopted as a means of effective
implementation within the needs of that
particular chapter and due to occupation
policies of closure, restriction of
movements, invasion and re-occupation.
Bethlehem
Chapter
The Bethlehem Chapter
was established in 1997. Three hundred
registered members compose the general
assembly as well as the primary target group
of the Bethlehem Chapter. Since the
establishment of the chapter, three
elections were held and the last one was on
October 2003.
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