Tevel’s 13 community clubs, led by participants in the Youth Service Program (YSP), have established village banking groups that encourage savings and small loans—critical tools for economic growth and for funding essential needs such as health, education, and community projects. Each group began with a small grant from Tevel, forming the base of its capital. Members set their own lending policies and interest rates, and in a strong display of mutual trust, contributed their savings to a shared lockbox secured by three keys held by different members, ensuring transparency and shared responsibility.
As part of Tevel’s broader resilience strategy, 2024 saw the introduction of keyhole gardens across the villages. Named for their distinctive shape, these compact, circular gardens are designed to grow enough vegetables year-round to feed a family of five, even in limited space and with minimal water. Built with a self-sustaining system that combines organic fertilization and natural filtration, they can even reuse greywater, making them both efficient and environmentally friendly.
YSP members first learned the keyhole gardening technique and then trained about 150 community club participants—one representative per household, reaching roughly 750 people. Since then, around 200 additional villagers have built their own keyhole gardens at home. Just ten weeks ago, Tevel distributed thousands of green onion seedlings grown in our greenhouse, while kale, spinach, and lettuce are also thriving in the new gardens.
Community club members have also been trained in food-drying techniques, enabling them to preserve surplus produce for the leaner months. In the coming years, the clubs will continue to receive training in new income-generation and food-security initiatives.
Encouraged by these successes, many more villagers have expressed interest in forming new community clubs, and Tevel plans to expand the program in the coming months.