The Palestinian Amal Al-Buhairi, 43, has been working in a factory for freezing fruits and some kinds of vegetables for three years in Gaza to be later the main source of income for her and her 7-members-family.
She and 17 females workers wearing protective clothing in light of the coronavirus spread clean, wash, and cover very large amounts of strawberries. They put them in fridges to sell them in the off-season.
Their work is not only with strawberries; they use pomegranate, guava, dates, mango, and peas.
On Women International Day, Al-Buhairi said, " I have been working in freezing fruits and vegetables for 3 years. Regardless of the rise or fall of prices, I keep working."
She added, "The coronavirus spread in Gaza led us to make a livelihood. Each one of us has a family and is responsible for either helping our husbands or parents. Hence, this factory improves our source of income, saves our dignity, and protects us from poverty."
Iman Kali, 41, is another worker in the factory.
She said, "the idea of the factory stemmed out of harsh reality the rural women live in which they need to work to support their families. They either work in agriculture or other rural jobs. As they are categorized as low-income persons or those having no income, they need to work that saves their dignity and improves their economic situation."
She confirmed that the Palestinian women work, hold responsibility, and seek to be a model for other women.
"The Palestinian women suffered a lot throughout the blockade imposed on Gaza. In light of the coronavirus spread, their suffering was doubled to force women to work, have a source of income, and support their families and children," she added.
The population of Gaza in the middle of 2020 reached 5.10 million; 2.59 million were males, and 2.51 were females, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
On Women International Day, the rate of unemployment among the women in Gaza reached 80%
