Samira’s Story

"I am immensely grateful to Welfare Association for this project, as it has supported farmers in Gaza and restored our livelihoods.”

Samira

Community Development

Samira owns a small greenhouse of 1,000m2, which she cultivates with help from her family. The income from the greenhouse must support the entire family. However, the greenhouse was badly damaged during the Israeli military bombardment of Gaza in 2021, which was subsequently worsened by storms battering the compromised structure and causing further damage, which limited the types and quality of crops they could grow. The greenhouse was no longer able to protect the crops within and productivity plummeted.

The impact of the destruction and then the storm damage has devastated Samira. In order for the family to survive she had taken on debts of more than US $2,100. Despite the overload of debt and worry, Samira was working long hours trying to generate an income.

Fortunately, the project: ‘Emergency Support to Restore Gaza Farmers’ Livelihoods in 2022-2023’ offered a great opportunity to Samira and she was eager to take up the challenge. The project provided essential assistance that enabled her to entirely rehabilitate the greenhouse. The damaged greenhouse was restored using new high-quality materials, allowing her to replant it. The family was provided with seedlings, an irrigation system, and technical advice to ensure best practices were followed to maximise the crop yield in terms of quality and quantity.

To read about this project and its impact in full, please click here.

Samira was able to plant beans, which she is shown harvesting above. A popular and profitable crop which did not grow well previously due to the damage to the greenhouse.

Repairs being carried out on a greenhouse through the WA project

As a result of the support provided by the project, Samira’s farming took a positive turn. Following the greenhouse repairs the new crops prospered, and thanks to the new equipment, Samira’s work was much easier to manage and a successful crop of beans was harvested.

Samira expressed her gratitude to WA, for the project’s contribution in supporting farmers like herself and reviving their endangered profession. The project provided a new start for Samira and her family, as well as for 90 other farming families in North Gaza. Supporting agriculture in Gaza is vital, as it remains one of the few remaining productive sectors in Gaza.

The project was a great help in improving Samira’s financial position. In addition to selling her beans to the local market, she also sold part of her crop to WA’s Ramadan Food Parcels Project in bulk and at a competitive price. This enabled her to pay off some of her accrued debts with local shops and the pharmacy. Additionally, Samira used a portion of the funds to buy some new clothes for her children. The remaining funds were invested into continuing her greenhouse farming in the coming season, ensuring that she can sustain her livelihood and her family going forward.

Samira said:

“Two years ago, my situation was dire due to the severe damage to my greenhouse, caused by the 2021 war on Gaza and stormy weather. However, after the greenhouse was repaired with the project’s help, crop productivity significantly improved. Welfare Association’s assistance allowed me to sell crops to supply to the Ramadan Fresh Food Distribution Project, leading to increased profits and the ability to pay off most of my debts.”


Click here to see the impact of this and other WA projects during Ramadan 2023.


* Names have been changed