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the percentage of those in employment among the Bedouinpopulation is one of the lowest in the Country. It has thereforedecided to establish specially designated employment centersin the Bedouin localities. These centers will encompass thevarious subjects that relate to solving employment-relatedproblems and will attempt to remove most of the existingbarriers. The aims of establishing the Employment Centersinclude an increase in the number of Bedouin being integratedinto employment, assistance in the creation of initiativesand small businesses, an increase of the net income ofindividuals and Bedouin families and a change in perceptionsand traditional employment practices among the Bedouinpopulation.The Project is in conjunction with the "Joint" and the Ministry forDevelopment of the Negev and Galilee and is being carried outthrough the Community Centers Corporation.Target Group: residents of the Bedouin localities in the Negevwho are not engaged in salaried employment or self-employed,between ages 18-65.• Establishment of Specially Designated Fostering ofInitiative Centers (FIC) for the Bedouin Sector in theNegev - with the object of increasing the exposure of Bedouinbusinesses,helping them overcome the problem of the largedistances between the localities and to facilitate greateraccessibility of business owners in the sector to the variousservices that exist in the FIC, establishing a special extensionunder the FIC in Beersheba and supplying various services toentrepreneurs and small businesses in the sector. In additions,a number of bedouim advisors with a profound knowledge oflanguage and culture have been rtained to provide businesscounseling and oversee business.• Loans Fund for Small Businesses in the Bedouin Sector:With the object of encouraging initiatives among the Bedouinsector in the Negev and assisting in the establishment ofnew businesses and the expansion of existing businesses,it was decided to establish a Loans Fund which wouldprovide assistance to interested parties wishing to establisha business or expand the operation of an existing business.The aims of the Fund are to strengthen Bedouin Society andrelieve the unemployment situation among the Bedouin inthe Negev Region. The Fund is designated for the provisionof special loans for small businesses and for working capitalloans on preferential terms. NIS 5 Million has been allocatedto the Fund and its conditions are: a loan amount of up to NIS75,000 for a period of up to five years with the possibility ofa period of six months "grace" at prime rate interest. security- two personal guarantors. The Fund is being operated inconjunction with the Small and Medium Sized BusinessAdministration.Target Group: Entrepreneurs and Business Owners in theBedouin Sector in the Negev.21 < Invest in the Negev and GalileeMinistry of Indusry, Trade and Labor > Negev and Galilee Development Center