In celebration of International Women’s Day, MAP has, for the last week, been highlighting the immense contribution of some of the women working in our projects in Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza. As today is Mother’s Day here in the UK, we have interviewed two more of these inspirational women, both of them working mothers:
Sumaya and Fidaa work for the Islah Charitable Society (ICS), MAP’s local partner in the running of a mobile clinic which provides vital health services to the Bedouin communities in the Jordan Valley. Sumaya is a 34 year old mother of a two-year-old daughter and two sons, one aged four years and the other six months. She is a nurse and coordinates the work of the mobile clinic. Her colleague, Fidaa, works as the ICS administrator and has two young girls, one aged two and the other six months.
“With the mobile clinic, we reach out to the women who have the toughest lives here in Palestine,” says Sumaya. “The Bedouin from the Jericho area struggle to subsist on their lands and live in a dire economical situation. We provide them with medical care, but mostly with information. We focus our lectures on women and teach them about best health practices, but we also provide them with information on their rights.”
Education and health are the two main things lacking in these communities, and the services they can access are very limited as they mainly live in Area C, which is under Israeli control. This marginalisation particularly affects women and girls. “It is a patriarchal society and polygamy exists. Families are big and therefore the women don’t go to work so that they can take care of their children,” explains Fidaa. “Many girls marry at a very young age, so they drop out of school and do not get to fully develop themselves.” Little by little, the mobile clinic and its established relationship with the communities raises local awareness of the right to education for all.
Both Fidaa and Sumaya feel that ingrained attitudes challenge their work. They say that the Bedouin men often look at them with surprise, as they are not used to seeing women working so far from their houses. The driver and the male doctor with mobile clinic talk to the men in the communities, while the nurses only deal with the women.
“The main challenge for Palestinian women is that there is a lack of respect for women.Men always worry for them even if they are independent,” says Sumaya. “Although our society has improved tremendously, there are still areas of work where women cannot work , like construction work or working for the municipality. Even if an area is safe, they cannot go out in the evenings because people will talk behind their back.”
Fidaa is more optimistic, however: “I even saw a female bus driver the other day! We really are becoming equal. In my house, my husband and I take decisions on the same basis and through agreement.” Indeed, Fidaa feels that things have improved a lot for women in her own community: “If I compare the situation now with the days of my mother, a lot of things have changed. In those days, a woman just had to bring up children and that was it. We are a family of nine children! I will not do the same, my purpose in life is also to work and contribute to society. I am able to do this because we have kindergartens, which was not previously the case.”
When asked about her own life Sumaya says: “My children are still small but I combine my household chores with my work. I have a very understanding husband and – thank God – he helps out a lot with the upbringing of our children. I want my sons to be like him, I will raise them to become respectful husbands that treat their wives well. I want them to be open-minded. My daughter will have the same chances as the boys. She will get a good education and the freedom to choose her husband at the moment she chooses.”
Expressing her wishes for women in the future, Sumaya says: “I want girls to take their own decisions, develop and educate themselves and be independent.” Fidaa, however, believes that there are many other challenges to overcome before this will be fully realised: “The problem is more holistic. The economic and political situation in Palestine needs to improve so the situation of women can advance as well. It will then improve naturally as a result.”
Sumaya believes that policies which allow parents to share the childcare burden will also improve the lives of mothers: “If you look at countries like Sweden, the women get a year off when they give birth, and the men get time off too. This is the responsibility of the government. I wish to see this happen one day in Palestine. I gave birth six months ago and today I am back at work and so is my husband, but he never got a day of leave for this.”