Achoti (Sister) - for Women in Israel was founded by feminist social activists who recognized the need to set topics of social justice at the center of the public discourse and to enhance women’s solidarity with women from disempowered socioeconomic classes. Achoti is a Mizrahi  feminist organization based on the principles that established Feminism of Color, which address the needs of women who are not a part of society’s social hegemonic culture. The Achoti Movement is a pioneer in the work of setting an alternative agenda within Israel and facilitates nationwide grassroots projects with the explicit goal of supporting cooperatives of women in unique and innovative strategies of income generation. Through Achoti’s empowerment strategies, economically disadvantaged women are encouraged to develop self-organizational skills, organize community cooperatives and/or partnerships, and develop new and creative ways of earning money. Achoti addresses issues of economic rights and social justice of women and gives priority to the development of strategies to respond to the escalating economic crisis.  Women suffer disproportionately from the deepening of the recession and the rise of unemployment in Israel. Achoti’s target population consists of women ranging in ages from 19-75 from disadvantaged and low-income communities in the cultural and geographic peripheries across Israel. Achoti supports groups of non-working and underemployed women on the margins of Israeli society, in their endeavors for economic dependence and the development of business partnerships. Achoti believes that once all women have means and access to practical and theoretical resources, then women will be able to self-empower themselves and become strong leaders within their families, community and society as a whole.  Achoti offers cooperatives, courses, lectures, workshops to build upon the women’s already exiting skills and transform their ‘domestic skills’ into profitable trades and products. 

Through these empowerment strategies economically disadvantaged women are encouraged to develop self-organizational skills, organize community cooperatives and/or partnerships, and develop new and creative ways of earning money.  In addition, Achoti's agenda is tailored to the unique-cultural context in Israeli society by celebrating the diversity of Israeli women from different cultures and origins.  This alternative type of initiative offers a socio-economic option for women within Israel, by not only formulating an alternative type of feminist economic model, but by influencing the existing structure. 

Achoti was amongst the first to recognize that, as the majority of Israel’s poor are women, economically empowering women would have an immediate impact on poverty reduction in Israel. Consequently, Achoti has initiated and supported different economic empowerment grass-roots initiatives of women's co-operatives in Israel. Achoti launched the Fair Trade Initiative: an Opportunity for Social Change in order to provide an all- encompassing response which will not only equip women with proper skills and tools to establish businesses but will also present them with opportunities to expand their businesses and sell their products. This initiative combines women's sustainable financial empowerment alongside a nation-wide promotion of education to ethical consumerism which relies on the principles of Fair Trade. In other words, instead of providing the women with fishing rods and fish only, we will also provide them with lakes to go fishing in.