Personal Info
- Country of residence: Palestine
Information
The young Palestinian woman, Rawaa Al-Najjar, did not find work in her field of academic specialization, so she did not give up, and chose to challenge her reality, mined by the thorns of unemployment, by planting roses.
Since the 22-year-old girl graduated two years ago with a specialty in nursing, she has not found a job in her field, so she decided to change her specialty 180 degrees, moving from caring for patients to caring for flowers.
It was not an easy decision in her border town of Bani Suhaila, located east of the city of Khan Yunis, where agriculture of all kinds is still the preserve of men, or that is how it is viewed due to the physical effort it requires.
Rawaa has not found work in her field other than volunteering in some institutions since her graduation two years ago, but she found her opportunity to establish her own agricultural nursery.
For months, she has been spending most of her day inside the 100-square-meter greenhouse, which she rented to grow more than twenty varieties of flowers in a small greenhouse.
Inside the nursery - which quickly became her private world - Rawa moves between her plants every day with great care, hoping that it will soon become a beautiful garden, the culmination of a project that she dreams of freeing her from the reality that people like her go through in the Gaza Strip.
Challenge reality
It was not easy for a girl to work in a profession - considered in Palestinian society exclusively for men - because she needed a lot of effort, especially since she spent more than six hours a day inside that high-temperature agricultural greenhouse, watering flowers and roses, removing weeds and harmful weeds, and planting seeds and seedlings of various types. New.
Rawaa holds a small plastic gallon filled with water, and waters her flowers and roses with it, including roses, all kinds of cacti, petunias, and cardboard in all their colors, along with cock’s mane and astra, and yellow and red palm flowers, while she seeks to bring additional varieties later.
Although the environment of Palestinian society is not very accepting of seeing a woman in a place like the one she chose, Rawaa intends to prove the opposite of that stereotype, especially in light of the development and progress that has allowed girls to enter the labor market in various fields, while relying on her family’s encouragement and support for her in Continue this project.
The girl's hands mix with red clay soil for growing roses, while in the middle are dozens of bags full of soil and empty ones that she is preparing to fill at that moment to place the seeds and seedlings she has just brought, in an effort to expand the quantities and types available to her, after most of them have bloomed in bright colors.
Rawa spoke to Anatolia, with sweat pouring from her forehead due to the extreme heat inside her greenhouse, about her project and its beginnings, and about all the problems and hopes it entails as well.
She said that the story began when she found, by chance last July, a link to the non-governmental Save the Future Youth Foundation - via Facebook - about registration for those interested in the idea of an agricultural environmental project.
Inspiring young men and women
Rawaa did not hesitate, and registered a rose and flower nursery project, along with thousands of graduates who in turn registered various projects, before about fifty people of both genders were accepted.
After a month, she adds, I received acceptance for my project, and I received a training course to learn about the basics of agriculture, and how to grow and deal with roses and flowers. I stayed for about two months to conduct a feasibility study, the precise details of the project, and toured the nurseries to learn about the types and names of the plants needed, their prices, and methods of growing them.
Support and marketing
Regarding financing, she said that the value of the financial grant provided to the project by the Foundation amounts to about four thousand euros, “I have received half of it so far. I have rented the land and purchased the greenhouse, flowers, and equipment I need at a cost equivalent to the amount I received.”
Citrus and green spices
The Palestinian girl plans to grow citrus fruits in the empty space surrounding the greenhouse, and green spices next Ramadan.
Regarding her approach to dealing with her financial capabilities, she said that she focused on purchasing flowers and roses on low-priced items that are popular among people, in proportion to the amount she has available, and the ease of promotion and sale.
Regarding marketing, Rawaa pointed out that she will use her personal page on social media, and will also launch other pages to promote her flowers.
A simple project, but it carries within it all of Rawaa’s dreams, and in fact, she carries within it all of her hopes for a better tomorrow.
Every day, she begins her work from eight or nine in the morning until four in the evening, and spends the time in between taking care of her nursery. She also prepares, according to her estimate, for sale in about a month from now.
Wooden decor adds beauty
Currently, she is working on installing a wooden decor surrounding the greenhouse and in the middle, to place flower bottles in it in a way that attracts attention and adds beauty to the place.
Although Rawaa works alone without anyone’s help, she insists on continuing her efforts until she achieves the success she desires and strives for, noting that the organization funding the project will supervise and follow up on its work from time to time, to develop it and provide it with anything it lacks, until it reaches three years.
After this period, Rawaa continues working in her nursery without any accompaniment from the organization, so she can continue her journey and dream alone.
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