EXTRACTS FROM WORKING EXPERIENCE

• April 2007 to August 2007: Acting Director for the program “Public witness: addressing power, affirming peace “at World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland. In a world where economic injustice, poverty and exclusion, and many forms of violence are rife, the WCC voices the churches' concerns at the international level. On their behalf, it challenges the economic, social, political and cultural powers that be, and offers a prophetic witness for justice, peace and security. The program includes the following projects: Overcoming violence, Justice and accountability, Human rights, Churches in the Middle East, Palestine and Israel: EAPPI, Poverty, wealth and ecology

• January 2005 to August 2007: International Co-ordinator and project manager of the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (WCC/EAPPI) based in Geneva. The EAPPI is an initiative of the World Council of Churches under the Ecumenical Campaign to End the Illegal Occupation of Palestine: Support a Just Peace in the Middle East. Its mission is to accompany Palestinians and Israelis in their non-violent actions and concerted advocacy efforts to end the occupation. Participants of the programme are monitoring and reporting violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, supporting acts of non-violent resistance alongside local Christian and Muslim Palestinians and Israeli peace activists, offering protection through non-violent presence, engaging in public policy advocacy and, in general, standing in solidarity with the churches and all those struggling against the occupation. My role was to run and lead the program and plan and implement the international advocacy strategies.

• July 2000 – 31st December 2004: Executive Director, East Jerusalem YMCA, Palestine and General Co-ordinator of the YMCA/YWCA Joint Advocacy Initiative (JAI). The East Jerusalem Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) is one of the biggest and oldest Palestinian developmental NGOs. With an 8 million US$ annual budget and 180 staff, it works in various fields: Vocational training, management training, small businesses loans, Youth development, sports, cultural, educational and recreation services, Rehabilitation programs, Psychosocial counselling for children, career counselling and self employment’s and house modifications projects for disabled Palestinians who sustained injuries during the political struggle, Women training programs with credits component directed to rural women in Palestine, helping them sustain their families and Advocacy Programs, both nationally and internationally. 
  As Executive Director, my administrative and programmatic responsibilities include supervising all YMCA operations in Palestine. Specifically, my responsibilities are to:
  • Co-ordinate and develop the various programs.
  • Monitor the different programs and set systems for this.
  • Maintain relations with outside partners and donors.
  • Maintain the relations with local NGOs.
  • Develop various personnel, financial, administrative, and monitoring systems.
  • Supervise the advocacy programs.

• April 1996 – December 1999:  Director, Ecumenical Liaison Office (ELO-ACT in Central Asia), Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.  This was an initiative operated by an ecumenical developmental Dutch donor agency, SOH-Holland, together with several European and American donor agencies. The main focus of my work was the identification, support and development, through funding and training, of local NGOs in Central Asia. I had co-ordinated and facilitated training workshops in areas such as, Management, PRA, new initiatives, strategic planning, etc.
  Being a pilot project, initially all groundwork had to be laid; I determined staffing requirements, hired and trained them, established office procedures and organisational hierarchy, prepared yearly work plans, developed and controlled budgets and financial procedures, maintained external relations, developed new donor contacts and support and conducted constant evaluation and monitoring of the work effected. In addition to this, my responsibilities included assessing and analysing the political and the socio-economic situation in Central Asia and informing the donor agencies so they could adapt their funding policies according to the needs of the people. Human resource development needs of the local staff were identified and training instituted to empower them to continue the work when international staff eventually leaves. When I left this position at the end of my contract, the office was working with over twenty NGOs throughout Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

• 1990 – 1996: General Director, YMCA Rehabilitation Programs in the West Bank. The YMCA rehabilitation program is the largest rehabilitation institution in Palestine. Supported by more than twenty donor agencies and with a yearly budget of more than US$1.5 million and over fifty psychologists and social workers, this program provided rehabilitation services for more than seven hundred traumatised and disabled children every year, especially the ones who were injured during the Palestinian Uprising.
  My responsibilities included planning, supervising the execution of the programs, and establishing policies and strategies at all the rehabilitative, public relations, and financial, administrative and professional levels in the West Bank.

EXTRACTS FROM CONSULTANICIES EXPERIENCE:

• Since September 2007, consultant for the International Centre of Bethlehem (ICB), the National Coalition of Christian Organisations in Palestine (NCCOP) and Jerusalem Inter-church Centre (JIC), supervising an initiative that began the path toward developing a strategic plan for Christians and Christianity in Palestine.  This new initiative designs to fill the gap in what is known about the Palestinian Christian community in the West Bank, and eventually in Gaza and Israel as well.  The plans are to investigate and map Palestinian Christian communities and organisations, gather information from Palestinian Christians on their resources, needs, hopes and concerns, and provide a forum for discussion and development of new structures and initiatives. Through this mapping exercise, this initiative will increase awareness among Palestinian Christians of their own needs and capabilities, individually and as a community, and lead to further development and cooperation, and eventually to greater civic participation.  

• Since September 2007 assigned as special advisor to the World Council of Churches General Secretary on the Middle East. The task is to advice the General Secretary on strategic approaches and directions to the Middle East programs and projects.

• From September 2006 till February 2008 consultant in the international advisory group of ICCO in the Netherlands. ICCO is a Dutch donor agency works in different parts of the world. It supports relief and development work in many countries in the world. It started an intensive process of renewal in order to improve the impact of its work regarding structural poverty alleviation and the promotion of justice. This process aimed to share more responsibility with their partners in the South. The process which was called “co-responsibility and decentralisation”, aimed also to transform ICCO from a Netherlands based organisation into an international network organisation. In this network organisation members from civil societies in the South should have substantial influence on policy formulation and policy implementation. Moreover, the new structure should provide ample space and opportunity to adjust the implementation of policies to the specific local circumstances. The International advisory Group worked with the senior staff and the directors to achieve these objectives. This process covered also subjects like: the kind of governance model, the set up of decentralised working organisation, the way the decentralised model can be implemented in the different regions, the implications of the new model and new way of working on ICCO personnel and budgets.

• From 2001 to present member of the Core Advisory Group of Dan Church Aid- Denmark. Dan Church Aid is a Danish donor agency work in different parts of the world. It supports relief and development work in co-operation with local NGOs and advocates for the rights of the poor and marginalized communities. The role of the core group is to advise the Board of Directors on policies and directions for work in the developing countries.

• From 2000 to 2006 consultant for ARD-DENAl, Ingushetia-Chechnya – Russia. ARD-DENAL is a rehabilitation organization works in Ingushetia and Chechnya. It provides rehabilitation services to the children and their mothers who were injured and traumatized during the war there. This task includes working with the management and their board of directors building managerial systems, monitoring and planning mechanisms, staff training on reporting, financial management among other things. I was also involved in establishing the organization in 1995.

• In May 2000 On behalf of CORD AID, a Dutch ecumenical donor agency, an evaluation mission was conducted to Northeast Kazakhstan in Central Asia to assess the political, social and economic situation and to evaluate the capacities of the local NGOs in order for CORD AID to start working there.

• In June 2000 an evaluation mission was conducted on behalf of ACT-Netherlands, a Dutch ecumenical donor agency to Northern Caucasus Republics. The mission was to restructure an Ingush-Chechen NGO working with the Chechen refugees in Ingushetia and Georgia.

SAMPLES OF  VOLUNTARY POSITIONS HELD

• June 2005 to present: President of the International Executive Council of Defence for Children International, Switzerland. DCI is an international movement which has membership of both individuals and organisations involved with or supporting its work in over 60 countries on all continents, national sections in 50 countries and subscribers, correspondents and information exchange agreements in many more. It has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, with UNICEF, with UNESCO and with the Council of Europe.

• 1994 to 2000: Co-founder and President of the Board Alternative Tourism Group, Palestine. ATG is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political Palestinian grass-roots organization. It offers groups and individuals an opportunity to experience Palestine and Israel from within as an alternative to the tours that keep the tourist and pilgrim apart from the local people of the land.  ATG offers a range of arrangements for all kinds of visitors; pilgrims, youth, ordinary tourists, fact-finding groups, study groups etc.

• 1992 to June 2005: Founder and President of Defence for Children International, Palestine Section.  DCI is a human rights organisation primarily concerned with the promotion of the rights of children all over the world. DCI-Palestine section has a wide range of programs concerned with the well being of Palestinian children.

• From February 2008 to present: Board member of the Alternative Information Centre (AIC), Palestine/Israel. The (AIC) is a joint Palestinian-Israeli non-governmental organization (NGO) which "engages in dissemination of information, political advocacy, grassroots activism and critical analysis of the Palestinian and Israeli societies as well as the Palestinian-Israeli conflict

EDUCATION

• B.A Psychology and Sociology, 1987 - Bethlehem University, Palestine
• 60-hour course on Group Dynamics, “Theory and application”, September 1987 - Bir Zeit University-Palestine.
• 60-hour course on General Management - November, 1995 - organised by Bisan Research and Development Centre, Continuous Education Department of Bir Zeit University, Centre of Women Affairs/Gaza & Federation for International Training / Canada.

• 45-day course on Community Work. August, 1991 YMCA Rehabilitation Program, Beit Sahour-Palestine

EXTRACTS FROM PUBLICATIONS:

• A book with the title (Palestine, A Bleeding Wound in the World’s Conscience) July 2006 3rd Voice Project at http://rifatkassisbook.blogspot.com
• Editing supervisor for “Chain Reaction” an English quarterly magazine published by the WCC/EAPPI.
• Editing supervisor for "Little Hands" An Arabic bi-yearly newspaper issued by Defense for Children International, Palestine section.
• Editing supervisor for the East Jerusalem YMCA bi-yearly Arabic magazine.
• Editing supervisor for the East Jerusalem YMCA quarterly English magazine.
• Editor of the East Jerusalem YMCA VOICE, a monthly electronic Newsletter.
• Publishing different articles and papers about different subjects in Arabic and in English. http://www.spock.com/Rifat-Odeh-Kassis