Gaza – September 20, 2016: the “Bint Baladi” Workshop lies in the Tel al-Zaatar neighborhood of Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. It is a project by PWWSD aiming to empower women and support them economically, to meet the basic needs of daily life and provide them with a job that supports Palestinian production.
Women at the workshop design clothing for all occasions, tailor and cut garments, and produce traditional embroidery with a modern touch, reviving our heritage against the occupation’s erasure of our culture.
Recently, the Bint Baladi Workshop produced 90 uniforms for Hala Gaza Private Kindergarten, in a short amount of time and with high quality comparable to factories with more financial and human resources.
This workshop is a contribution by PWWSD to developing women’s economic capabilities and empowering them to start their own businesses. In addition to activating a production power that has been ignored under Israeli siege, due to the marginalization of women’s roles in the community and their ability to create and excel in their work.
It is worth noting that all women at the workshop provide for their families, challenging a life of poverty with hard work, willpower, and a spirit of determination and resilience. They received training in sewing, designing, and recycling clothes, in addition to educational trainings on gender, labor law, political participation, and communication. They have reached a point where they can create and be productive after being locked up at home and limited to traditional roles.
Nawal Abu-Saada, a Bint Baladi Workshop worker, expressed her gratitude to PWWSD for alleviating some of the economic burdens on women. She added that the economic situation in the Gaza Strip continues to crumble every day due to the ongoing Israeli siege.
Another worker, Ghalia al-Hashaysha said that she is proud of the traditional crafts she produces, as they contribute to preserving our heritage from erasure. Additionally, she found joy in making kindergarten uniforms, as children are the future of this society.
She added that workers were able to make the school uniform with ease, quality, and speed. She noted PWWSD’s contribution to the workshop’s success, including organizing trainings and ongoing development and marketing of women’s prodcuts. Al-Hashaysha praised the work of all employees at the organization working day and night to improve women’s economic situation in the Gaza Strip and Palestine in general.
Principal of Hala Gaza Private Kindergarten, Hiba Waleed al-Hallaq expressed her pleasure to work with Bint Baladi Workshop, commending the efforts of all workers in finishing the work with speed and quality, and for suitable prices considering the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Hallaq noted that the kindergarten supports Palestinian production by women struggling to live with dignity, and she thanked everyone involved in the production process.
PWWSD has taken it upon itself to support Bint Baladi workers and provide them with vocational training, starting with design and sewing and ending with business management to empower them economically and socially.