Creative Solutions and Chickens in Gaza

Osama El-Hossari and his children with two of their new chickens.

Saeda El-Daba shows off her new chicken cage.

ANERA has distributed chickens, cages and feed to provide a sustainable source of food and income to 450 families in Gaza who desparately need the support. The cages, designed and built by ANERA engineers, can easily be placed on any available surface and have an open bottom so the chickens can peck on the ground.

For these families, who still are recovering from the war, the deliveries are a welcome sight. Osama El-Hossari is one of the recipients: "My family and I depend basically on donations or United Nations assistance. I have six kids and I need to feed them," he said.  Osama says the chickens could bring good luck for him and his family. "For now, I can stop spending money to purchase eggs. At least I have a breakfast meal for my children that is very rich with protein."

Osama lives in a very old house, which was severely affected by the recent war. The kitchen was hit by a missile and the roof has a hole in it. When it rains, the water leaks into the house. "We have to put a bucket out to catch the water," he added.

Saeda El-Daba lives nearby in El Sheikh Ridwan. Her son passed away leaving his three kids with no providers. With her kind heart and friendly smile, she opened her arms to three orphans. "I take care of them and this cage of chickens will help me provide the basic food for them," she said. "I hope there will be extra eggs in the coming months and I will be able to sell them," said Saeda. The chickens lay eight eggs a day, which adds up to some 200 a month.

With all the fear and the stress the children have suffered, they are glad to have the birds inside the house. "It is a lot of fun for the kids to play with the birds and fortunately we have the backyard for that," Saeda said.

One example of ANERA's creative solutions to resolving problems is in the cage design itself. Usually, chicken cages in Gaza are rectangular. Our Gaza director, Salah Sakka, realized that this is a structural flaw. Because the traditional design is flat on top and the cages are made of a light material for transporation and ease of use, they tend to collapse when they are stacked or heavy objects are set on the top of them, endangering the chickens inside.

The new triangle design for the cages is one that Salah created, using his skills as an architectural engineer. "I came up with the triangle design when I was stuck in my house during the bombings," he said.

ANERA worked with the Save Youth Society, a local partner, to identify the families and distribute the cages of chickens. The Save Youth Society works mainly with women in many poor and marginalized communities of Gaza. Besides helping needy families, the organization helps build on the role of Gaza’s youth in community development. 

With continued support from individual donors, ANERA plans on expanding this program to reach more families in need throughout Gaza.

Date modified: August 2009