COMMUNITY
Gaza Women Get Training in Business Skills
Anera’s Women Can Project trains and empowers Gaza women.
Rana Rayan, 33, has a home kitchen project selling pastries, traditional meals and sweets. “I started working on this about two years ago and the turnout has been very good, especially during the holy month of Ramadan and other holidays.”
But she wanted more training on how to efficiently run her business. Enter Anera and its Women Can Project that supports and empowers women-led projects in Gaza.
Thirty women attended Anera’s three-day entrepreneurship training session led by an expert. The women’s home-run projects include food production, beauty salons, and simple accessories and decoration projects.
Rana says her pastry business has helped support her mother and two brothers. She holds a bachelor's degree in mental and family health but could not find work because of the deteriorating job market.
"I am trying to expand my small kitchen, but I haven’t brought in enough revenue yet," She adds, "I need more equipment, like a dough mixer and a large blender."
Anera will help Rana and the other women participating in our Women Can program, funded by IRUSA, with procuring and installing the equipment they each need to grow their businesses.
Rana says that the new equipment along with the information she gained from the three-day training is helping her to better manage her project. "I didn’t have the knowledge of or experience in managing my project financially. Good management skills are a must for all women here, so they can develop and build their projects faster and more effectively."
Rana and other small business owners have to overcome many obstacles, including constant power outages and a lack of raw materials. “But we can adapt and overcome these things with time, I’m sure,” she smiles with determination.
Nahla Abu Omar, at 58, is the sole breadwinner for her five children and her husband. She was forced to look for a job years ago after her husband was injured in a traffic accident. Before her marriage, Nahla had been a hairdresser and also studied cosmetology in Ramallah in the West Bank. Back then, she used to host women in her home to provide beauty services and hair-treatments.
"I started to feel the need to open my own salon because my clients preferred going to a salon," says Nahla. Her difficult circumstances made that impossible, or so she thought.
She proposed the idea of a salon to her family and her brother donated a space. Now, she says, she is furnishing the place from scratch. And Anera is helping her get some of the things she needs.
"When Anera's coordinator visited me in the salon, she noted a few deficiencies that I will correct. It’s good to have an expert look at my project." Nahla says she feels optimistic and hopeful about improving her circumstances."Besides the financial help, the administrative and professional information that we gained in the training is very useful."
"I am very thankful to Anera for choosing me as part of this project." Nahla adds, “"We show women in Gaza that they can change their reality with a little support and guidance."
The views expressed herein are those of Anera and shall not, in any way whatsoever, be construed to reflect the official opinion of Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA), its Islamic Relief affiliates, or its donors.
This program is funded by Islamic Relief USA
