“I have just recognized how powerful the social media is!” Dina says
Digitization is the language of the era, and this extends to our work in social advocacy. Alongside our efforts on the ground, we must also be active in the digital world to reach a larger audience and enable them to access our messages and services. It also allows them to reach us and participate in our plans and activities.
Dina Abu Shahla, a project coordinator at Stars of Hope Association for Empowering Women with Disabilities, said this after participating in the training on “Digital Advocacy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing the Digital Presence of Local Institutions,” conducted by Wasla Center. She added, “The training was valuable as it introduced us to the concept of digital advocacy and its tools, and how to leverage these tools to achieve our advocacy goals in serving the issues of people with disabilities.”
The training is part of the activities of “Wasla” project, which aims to enhance local response to advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities in Gaza Strip. The project is implemented in partnership with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). 19 workers from civil society organizations participated in a six-days training program.
In addition of the content of the training, Dina stated, “It focused on raising awareness about the rights and issues of persons with disabilities from a human rights perspective. We learned about the local and international laws that protect these rights, as well as the most significant challenges faced by persons with disabilities in Palestine.”
“We also learned about the stages of building effective advocacy campaigns, which are crucial in supporting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and overcoming the obstacles that hinder their inclusion and participation in society,” she added.
About the second aspect of the training, Dina said, “We learned new digital skills, utilized digital tools and applications during the training to leverage them in our advocacy campaigns. We also familiarize ourselves with features available on social media platforms that help us reach and engage with our target audience, thus achieving the goals of our advocacy campaign.”
On a personal level, Dina mentioned the benefits she gained from the training. She started using digital tools and new applications, which made a significant difference in her work at the association, especially in utilizing social media platforms and benefiting from the time-saving and efficient features they offer. These tools also assist her in managing interactions with beneficiaries.
Dina believes that these knowledge and skills contribute to enhancing the digital presence of organizations, facilitating access to the target audience, introducing the institution, its mission,vision, and services, and thereby encouraging audience engagement. This enables the organization to measure their interests, needs, and opinions, and consider them in designing strategic objectives.
Through our social media pages, we introduce people to our interventions, the services we offer, and how to reach us. We also publish human rights messages to raise awareness about the issues facing persons with disabilities, aiming to change stereotypical perceptions of them in society.
Practically speaking, Dina highlighted the importance of a strong digital presence for institutions by sharing the story of Ali Jabali, a young man with learning difficulties. He managed to reach the association through its official Facebook page and benefited from the economic empowerment program. Over several months, his life completely transformed from a hopeless young man to an ambitious and productive individual.
“Ali (19 years old), who benefited from our programs, reached us through Facebook. He had only completed ninth grade and spent nine years in a challenging environment without any support or opportunity to continue his education. He felt completely desperate and incapable of achieving his dreams, and he saw himself as a burden on his family. However, after joining our economic empowerment program, he is now about to finish his diploma in aluminum studies. He has acquired excellent skills and is training at a workshop near his home. Perhaps he will work there after graduation and have his own income. He also aspires to have his own workshop in the future. Besides the personal development he experienced, he has become a confident and articulate person, passionate about his future”.
“This is the power of social media and digital advocacy. That’s why we decided to document Ali’s story to emphasize the importance of advocacy in changing the community. We will share it on our digital platforms to inspire and motivate others to communicate with us and benefit from our programs, aiming for greater inclusion of individuals in society. Wasla Center will digitally produce the story, as well as other digital materials for Stars of Hope Association. Dina further mentioned, “In addition to the training we participated in, Wasla Center provides us with support in digital product production and the development of digital content plans. This helps us enhance our digital presence, monitor our services and interventions, and introduce them to our audience.”