COMMUNITY
Women’s empowerment gets a makeover in Nablus
Women Can in Palestine
Abeer never had enough space or equipment to open her own beauty salon. For years, she received her customers at her home. The cramped space didn’t allow her to expand and hurt her business. All that changed this year when she joined Anera’s Women Can program.
Women Can provides women with the tools to open small businesses. The enterprises provide women with an independent source of income.
"I used to do all kinds of small jobs from home" to try to earn money, Abeer says. Since she joined the Women Can program, she has been able to turn her attention to launching her business.
Abeer already had training as a hairdresser. Anera provided training sessions on skills essential for business administration. She says the sessions were helpful for managing her time and tracking her income.
Abeer's salon is already allowing her to be more productive. Her new space allows her to keep all her equipment accessible. She has filled shelves with combs, rollers, hair dye and nail products, and all manner of brushes and rods.
On busy days, she pays a neighbor to give her a hand. "On days when I have five or six customers I ask my friend to help me,” Abeer says. “I pay her a good salary," she says, adding that she believes people who work hard deserve to be paid well. She hopes to expand her client base and hire more women to work with her.
“I believe I can create a beauty training center," Abeer says. "I can bring in more girls to teach them hairdressing and the newest designs."
Abeer is earning around 3,000NIS ($866) per month so far, enough to enable her to provide food for her family. She charges 400NIS ($115) for big jobs like a hair-smoothing treatment session. On a typical day she sees a half dozen customers for services like facial and eyebrow threading.
Abeer has found the work of launching the beauty salon to be therapeutic. She says, “Having this project has brought me hope."
Our Women Can project in the West Bank is funded by Islamic Relief USA. The views expressed herein are those of Anera and shall not, in any way whatsoever, be construed to reflect the official opinion of IRUSA, its Islamic Relief affiliates, or its donors.
