Community Development

Samira’s Story

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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

Khaledia’s Story

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Mrs. Khaledia Qudeih, aged 59, lives in the Khuzaea area of Khan Younis city. Khaledia is a farmer, coming from a family of farmers, and she lost her source of income after the destruction of her greenhouse in May 2021. She is supporting a family of 11 members: her husband who suffers chronic diseases limiting his movement, 1 daughter and 4 sons over 18 who still live with them, and one married son with his wife and 2 daughters. 

The most pressing problems for Khaledia are being unable to find funds or support to pay for her daughter’s university fees, and to buy the basic blood pressure and diabetes medicines for her husband – to avoid further health complications. 

During 2022, Khaledia was selected to benefit from the project through the rehabilitation of her farm. Khaledia’s greenhouse was rehabilitated (pictured), the equipment and seedlings etc. were delivered, and her sons supported her in cultivating the crops. Now she can pay part of the costs of her daughter’s university fees and buy her husband’s medications. All family members help her in growing the current crops of tomatoes and peppers in the greenhouse.

Khaledia said:

“I was very worried that my daughter would have to drop out of university because I did not have the fees for her registration. Now I am able to buy my husband’s medicines and before I had to see him suffer further, which was extremely distressing. Farming is my life, I have no other way of securing money for my family in such conditions in Gaza, I am getting older and life is more difficult.”

“Now I can pay the fees of university and the costs of my husband’s medicines, after the crops are harvested and sold.”

Khader’s Story

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Mr. Khader Shafoot has worked in the clothing sector for more than 30 years, sewing clothes with his brothers since he was a teenager. In 2015, he received a grant from the Red Cross of USD $4,500 to open his small workshop, which he used to purchase sewing machines and hire a number of workers. The workshop gradually expanded as it used the income generated to purchase new machinery and tools. 

Prior to the Israeli military bombardment of Gaza in May 2021, a total of 19 people worked in this facility. The factory sews clothing and sells in bulk to several stores in Gaza. Four of Khader’s brothers and two of his nephews are among the workers, in addition to three women from his family. The rest are workers from outside Khader’s family. The factory supported approximately 90 people in total.

The workshop has three rooms inside the building where Khader lives with his family, and was severely damaged during the May 2021 bombardment. The direct targeting of the strikes knocked down a five-story building adjacent to Khader’s house, which also caused severe damage to the workshop and much of its equipment. As a result, the workshop stopped work completely for over three months. Then work slowly began to return, but only at 20% of the production capacity before the attacks. The destruction of some specialized machines led to a higher production cost, as the clothes were sent to other workshops for completion before being distributed for sale.

The grant in this project enabled Khader to replace some essential equipment that had been damaged (i.e. sewing, ironing, vacuum, and pressing machines), in addition to supplying materials such as fabric, zippers, and threads. As a result, the factory regained 100% of its production capacity and rehired the same number of workers again. The factory produces an average of 28-35 thousand trousers monthly. Each item costs 16 shekels, and Khader sells it for 22 shekels, with a profit of 6- shekels per piece. A skilled worker in the workshop is paid up to 1,700 shekels (approx. £395) per month, unskilled or part-time workers are paid 400-800 Shekels (approx. £93 – £186) per month.

Khader said:

“Our economic situation was good before the war. We had regular work, and we were well-staffed. When we first saw the destruction of the workshop, everyone was very upset because it supported 90 people.” 

“The workshop is now back to full production capacity with the same number of staff. The economic activities are fully up and running. I bought additional materials with the income generated. We didn’t think this could happen any time soon, especially since the process of rebuilding the Gaza Strip has not begun yet.”

Faalan’s Story

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Mr. Faalan Aqrabawi is a farmer with land close to the Itemar Israeli settlement, located between the villages of Beita and Beit Forik, in the Nablus District. These villages were all supported by this project.  Faalan has 10 dunums of land located in a hilly area. He completed all the work required to rehabilitate the land himself and the project provided him with 280 olive trees to plant. Planting the trees will not only provide an income in the future, but also reduce the immediate risk that his land will be confiscated by the Israeli settlers.

Faalan is head of a large family of 13 persons, with 3 sons and 8 daughters, in addition to his wife and himself. Mr. Aqrabawi relies on his land to support and sustain the livelihood of his family, and thanks to this project it will now be productive once more.

 1 dunum = 1,000 m2

Abdulkarim’s Story

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Mr. Abdulkarim Amer Abu Musa, 54 years old, is an unemployed father from Khan Younis. Abdulkarim has seven children, five girls and two boys between 17 and 5 years old. They are all in school except for his eldest son, who has Downs Syndrome. Abdulkarim is the breadwinner for his family, but has been unable to find work due to paralysis in his right foot and the mobility difficulties this brings. 

Abdulkarim’s family live in an old, dilapidated house with cracked walls and inadequate sanitation facilities. Abdulkarim used to work in a shoe repairs kiosk, earning a small amount of 20 – 30 NIS daily (USD $6 – 9). He currently does not work and relies on support from relatives and friends, in addition to seasonal aid from some local institutions. The family is in a difficult position with no regular source of income.

Abdulkarim became unable to feed his family due to his health conditions and inability to work. Thanks to WA’s Ramadan Fresh Food Parcels project, Abdulkarim and his family were able to receive the food they needed. The relief and happiness were evident on the faces of the family members when WA project staff visited to deliver the food parcels. Abdulkarim and his family wished for the continuation of such assistance, expressing their sincere thanks and deep appreciation. He and his family received fresh food parcels for 3 weeks (once every week) during the holy month of Ramadan, which secured his family’s food during the remaining period of Ramadan and after Eid.

Abdulkarim said:

“We are facing very difficult conditions, we often cannot meet our family needs, especially medicines. I am blessed to have these food packages at this time to ensure healthy meals for my family.”

Said’s Story

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Said has been unable to cultivate his land of two dunums (2,000 m2), East of Gaza City, since the end of the Israeli military bombardment of Gaza in 2014. The land was badly affected and Said lost his only source of income. The level of destruction and loss of resources rendered him unable to replant his land or to pay his debts. He found temporary work with other farmers on their lands to cover some of the daily costs of his family of seven.

Said explained: 

“I have been working in agriculture for more than 20 years, and I planted this land with my father who left it to me when he passed away, I never imagined that I would lose everything including my livelihood. Everything was destroyed in 2014 and I could not replant it again. I have been working for local farmers and receiving some financial support from a humanitarian organisation. These last few years were miserable.”

He added:

“I lived the worst years of my life. I was dependant on others, and this opportunity to rehabilitate and replant my land was a dream of mine.”

The Emergency Support to Gaza farmers’ project gave Said hope that he could return to working his land. Said’s land was cleared, ploughed, re-planted, and irrigated with the installation of irrigation networks.

Said added:

 “I’m back on my land now. I feel my land has returned, as beautiful as it was before, I got my life back. I received all of the agricultural inputs I needed through this project. I expect to have some savings when I harvest and sell my crops, as this season has been good. I look forward to replanting the land next season. Thank you for your support.”

This project enabled 66 farmers to rehabilitate 132 dunums of destroyed land, restoring the land’s productivity and the farmers livelihoods, as well as producing crops for the local markets.

*Names have been changed