Khadija Abu Madi: Model of Agricultural Entrepreneurship to Overcome COVID-19 Impacts
Khadija Abu Madi is a university student and a youth activist living in the southern area of the old city of Hebron (H2) surrounded by Israeli checkpoints that lacks basic services and transportation .Before the outbreak of COVID-19, Khadija was a working woman before she lost her livelihood and used to spend her time in participating in many community activities. Khadija is an active member in a woman group established by Valiance -Basala project. This membership offered her space and opportunity to participate in women activities and receive life trainings as leadership, entrepreneurship and human rights.
(photo of Khdija while she is working in her farm in the southern area in Hebron Governorate in the south of West Bank)
Khadija as other young women in Palestine has negatively been affected by COVID-19 saying “ I am a community activist and the suspension of community activities affected me causing psychological stress, worry and fear and I was unable to fulfill my basic needs due to lockdown and loss of livelihoods resulting from the spread of COVID-19 in Occupied Palestinian territory(oPt)”.
(photo of Khdija while she is working in her farm in the southern area in Hebron Governorate in the south of West Bank)
This new reality pushed Khadija to think of ways to overcome this crisis and utilize her time during health quarantine and lockdown and she found that she could utilize a plot of land measuring 400 meters to start her ecological agricultural enterprise. Then, she applied for AAP ‘s Basala project to receive support and equipment for it. Khadija says: “those trainings and membership have strengthened my character and enabled me to establish my project”.
(photo of Khdija while she is working in her farm in the southern area in Hebron Governorate in the south of West Bank)
After starting growing agricultural crops during COVID-19, Khadija felt motivated and happy saying: “selling parts of crops provides us with cash and secures the food needs of my family supporting our economic security”.
(photo of Khdija while she is working in her farm in the southern area in Hebron Governorate in the south of West Bank)
Khadija started overcoming feelings of depression, fears and worry about work saying : “ the project has protected my economic rights by offering me a permanent job and establishing my own project which will permanently empower me to work freely without being exploited by others”
(photo of Khdija while she is working in her farm in the southern area in Hebron Governorate in the south of West Bank)
After the end of COVID-19, Khadija expects that the project will continue supporting her: “ I hope to increase marketing my crops in the local market and expand my project .The project will increase my economic and social rights and my effective participation in community and making change”.
(photo of Khdija while she is working in her farm in the southern area in Hebron Governorate in the south of West Bank)
Through Valiance project, we have received many health information and AAP provided us with hygiene and organized online sessions for raising our health awareness and protect our health”.
(photo of Khdija while she is working in her farm in the southern area in Hebron Governorate in the south of West Bank)
Through a grant provided by AAP’s project of “Valiance “Basala” Empowering women in H2,”funded by Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade(DFAT), Khadija is one of 22 women AAP supported by providing them with agricultural items and equipment needed for planting vegetables and livestock farming and other commercial items to establish their own businesses. Economic and raising awareness activities of this project will help women to identify all skills and experiences they need to overcome difficult situations and create positive change for women within their families and communities.
Background Information
ActionAid in Palestine (AAP) is a part of global federation working for social justice and gender equality and eradicate poverty in more than 45 countries around the world. AAP started its work in Palestine in 2007 to strengthen the resilience of Palestinian People as ActionAid believes that they should enjoy their rights to freedom, justice and self-determination. AAP implements a number of programs through its engagement with communities and women and youth groups seeking to empower them and enhance their influential civil and political participation to understand their rights and undertake collective activism to address the protracted rights violations resulting from the prolonged occupation of Palestine. AAP works simultaneously to enhance their leadership capacity and knowledge to practice their citizenship in holding authorities and other duty bearers to account.
For more information, please contact
Riham Jafari
Coordinator of Advocacy and Communication in Palestine
Mobile:
+972 (0) 595242890
Office:
+972 (0) (2) 22 13 137
Email: