Women in Ain el Helweh strive to find decent work thanks to EU financing program

As Safir newspaper published a report in the struggles of Palestinian women and men in Ain el Helweh in order to secure decent work in the context of stringent Lebanese Labour Law which makes it difficult for Palestinians to find work outside their refugee camp.  The report includes stories of women who have fought to secure the livelihoods of their families and good education of their children in schools and universities.  A case in point is that of Fatmeh who is mother of 4 girls and one boy.  Fatmeh is the sole breadwinner as her husband is ill and unable to work.  She learned to be a seamstress in 1984 and was sewing clothes at home.  With the increasing demands of her family, sewing from home was no longer sufficient.  As such, she thought of starting a project which would meet the needs of her family.  She was able to borrow USD 1500 from a lending programme funded by the EU, bought sewing machines and rented a small shop in Ain el Helweh.  She now considers herself to be quite a success as her clients come from outside the camp to order wedding dresses.
Source: Al-Safir 17 June 2013