Rooftop Micro Farms for Refugee Women in Deheishe

Hello all!

Karama recently closed the current cycle of its women empowerment and food security initiative. Over the last four years, 220 women have successfully set up a greenhouse, supported their household food security, and found support in the weekly meetings and regular social events. The last year has been particularly hard on the refugee camps, but still the green havens proved their sustainability and relevance to the women and their families. The greenhouse initiative now enters a new phase where Karama will plan more related and sustainable activities for the project communities. Congrats to all the participants, staff and supporters!

I had two of the most successful seasons during COVID 19. I was very happy to stay connected with the engineer through continuous video calls, she guided me through the entire planting seasons. It is true that I did not sell harvest this year, but I planted a variety of crops including peppers, beans and tomatoes, which I shared with my family and neighbors. This the most I have been thankful for the greenhouse it helped me in a difficult time.

34-year old participant from Al-Arroub

Karama Organization over the last months continued to support the local response to COVID19 and connects regularly with local health institutes and organizations to address needs and promote adherance to health and safety regulations. One of the ways Karama hoped to make a contribution, was by undertaking a small research among our rooftop greenhouse participants to discuss and analyse how refugee communities have been impacted by the COVID19 crisis. Karama was amazed to see that almost all participants from the 220 greenhouses have continued succesfully planting and harvesting their greenhouses. This means the trainings in the previous years have made women capable to independently take care of their greenhouse!

Production levels (kilos harvested) was also comparable to pre-COVID19. Only, women sold less. Most was distributed for free. This is likely to the harsh economic situation and a sign of solidarity among the women and their communities. In the areas of economy and education, we are greatly concerned by the negative impact of the virus and its implications. Especially students from the UNRWA schools have suffered greatly from the closure of schools and the suspension of activities. For most of them its 1,5 years of education lost. We are afraid this impacts not only their immediate development but also their future changes on employment. Especially since they seem to have suffered more than the students that attend private schools.

Karama now puts its energy in a new phase, where the shining women of our community will remain front and central. Food production activities, the bakery and micro- and small businesses are among the activities supported these months. And we will look for new ways to support our communities in the area of education and food security. The greenhouses will continue to grow and flourish, with one Karama engineer remaining available to support anyone. 

Thank you for making this possible. We hope you are encouraged to continue to engage with our cause and we would love to hear from you.

Read the full research here!

Links:

• Read the full analysis of the impact of COVID19 on refugee women

Dear friends around the globe!

Thanks for checking in with Karama and the women in Deheishe, Aida, Azza, Arroub, and Fawwar refugee camps! We hope you are doing great and would love to give you a brief insight into our activities of the last month.

Did you know that:

-        80% of the greenhouse owners have been able to successfully continue their activities in the greenhouses during the months of closure and lockdown; only a few of the women experienced some trouble either because they were waiting for inputs from Karama, support from the project’s engineers, or were restricted due to limited time.

-        All women who were active in their greenhouse had a successful winter harvest of a wide range of vegetables and herbs, including spinach, beans, eggplant, peppers, garlic, onions, sage, thyme, parsley, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

-        The women last week had their first large meeting since many many months. Because of COVID19, we were not able to organize any normal sessions, but continued our activities with smaller groups (up to 5 women) and online using WhatsApp and Facebook groups.

-        During the COVID19 crisis that started last March, 93% of the participants have a LESS stable and secure income. Many families still do not know when their next payment will be and how much income they will have this month due to the difficult economic conditions and insecure jobs the breadwinners hold.

-        70 workers who lost their jobs in the last year have been engaged in cash-for-work activities by Karama Organization and were able to support their households with a one-time monthly income.

 Looking at the bright side of the past months, the participants and their households are enjoying a range of healthy winter dishes from their rooftops. We are hopeful group meetings can restart in the coming weeks, to continue the social and economic empowerment of the female participants.

Thank you for being part of this and supporting Karama to make this happen! 

Have a look at our Facebook page for more pictures! 

Links:

• Karama's projects facebook account
• Karama's project website