On International Women’s Day, we want to celebrate the strength, skills and resilience of the women in Palestinian communities across the West Bank. Many of them we have met and spent time with, and we have them to thank for the part they play in making the wonderful products we sell here in the UK and Ireland.
In rural areas of the West Bank, women are central to family life and at the heart of the cultural, culinary and agricultural traditions of which Palestine is proud. Whether it is hand-rolling maftoul, blending fragrant za’atar, or sorting and packing Medjoul dates, women’s labour sustains both the land and the communities rooted in it. Through fair trade partnerships with organisations such as Canaan and Nakheel, their work reaches tables around the world, creating dignified livelihoods while strengthening local resilience.
“Palestine Fair Trade Association and Canaan Fair Trade create a new cultural atmosphere for women. I am engaged in my community in a way I did not think I could be before. I feel supported by my co-op and by the farmers themselves. This shows me that aside from making maftoul and sun-dried tomatoes I am also part of a movement that is creating progress through agricultural work.”
— Widad Farid (Um Shehadeh), PFTA
Progress and independence comes at a cost
We are very conscious that achieving economic independence comes at a great cost – and that women sometimes more than men – bear the fear and risks that military and settler occupation brings. Getting to the fields or to a workplace can become near to impossible with checkpoints holding people up for hours, or springing up unexpectedly in new places. No woman wants to be trapped away from her home and family at night.
“I work to support my family. I travel from Nablus to Jericho for work under very difficult conditions. Because of checkpoints we sometimes have to take long alternative routes that take between three to four hours and on many days we cannot even reach our workplace.”
Hanaa Al –Aghbar, Date packer, Palestine Gardens, Jericho
Sumud
Palestinians are continuing with their lives with a steadfastness we can only marvel at. Women have a vision of the future – and at its core is the preservation of a way of life and a stake in the land that they love.
I’m passing on these traditions to the next generation of women in order to preserve Palestinian culture and connect them with their heritage, and to offer them the chance to be future leaders.
Bassema Barahmeh, PFTA
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