In July 2023, Sawaed19’s Qaf Team, in strategic partnership with the Shiam Institute, led Data Insights Lab in Nablus, an impactful youth-driven initiative as part of our partnership with Shiam Institute.
📍 Location: Nablus, Palestine
📅 Date: September 2023
✍️ By: Rasha Daghlas. Qaf Team – Social Leaders under Sawaed19
Some initiatives start with a microphone.
This one started with a dataset.
At Qaf Team, we know that advocacy without evidence is fragile. So we launched “Data Insights Lab” (مبادرة معمل البيانات), a hybrid initiative that combines the power of data visualization with grassroots capacity building, all aimed at elevating Palestinian-led volunteering initiatives aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
And yes, we did it in a city under siege.
Because purpose doesn’t pause for politics.
📊 What We Built
The project had two main components:
- A digital landing page: A volunteer-developed interface that aggregates localized data on SDG-related issues in Palestine, especially those underserved by traditional reporting. The page is interactive, visually engaging, and designed to help users understand local challenges at a glance.
- An in-person training in Nablus: A full-day workshop on design thinking, initiative planning, and volunteer program development using real-time community data.
We invited 35 nonprofit staff and social leaders to participate, and despite intense travel restrictions and settler violence, 15 showed up. That was more than a number that was a statement.
“Today, we didn’t just learn how to build programs. We learned how to build them with proof, and with purpose,” said one participant.
🔁 What’s Still in Motion
While the training day is done, the data journey continues.
Our volunteers, most of them from the Safir Program, are now:
- Expanding datasets
- Improving the user experience
- Designing monthly visual reports
- Preparing for the public launch of the platform (coming soon!)
We’re proud that this initiative is becoming a living, breathing digital resource—driven by youth, for impact.
💡 Why This Matters
Palestinian organizations are often rich in purpose but limited in tools.
With Data Insights Lab, we offer both.
And when we combine community knowledge with technological fluency, we get smarter, faster, and more strategic about how we serve.
🙌 Partners Who Made It Possible
Huge thanks to:
- Hamdi Manko Cultural Center (Nablus Municipality) – for hosting us under tense conditions
- Our tech volunteers – for coding through curfews and connection cuts
- And the brave attendees – for showing up, in every sense of the word
This wasn’t just a lab.
It was a statement: that even under occupation, we can generate knowledge, build systems, and tell our story on our own terms.
Stay tuned for the launch of the landing page. Because when our data speaks, the world will have to listen.
