Christian Palestinian women of the Holy Land working hand in hand with their husbands

“TURATHUNA AL ASEEL” was found in 2008 after a group of Christian Palestinian women realized the need to create a body that supports the quickly-dwindling Christian presence and restrain their dwindling numbers in the Holy Land. The association also works to preserve Palestinian heritage, and provide financial opportunities for marginalized families, engaging women in income-generating opportunities to assist their families.

Through World Vision Jerusalem-West Bank-Gaza’s (WVJWG) Palestinian Church Engagement Initiative (PCEI),  “TURATHUNA AL ASEEL” the Arabic word for “our original heritage”, enabled Christian women in Bethlehem to become independent and active participants in their society by building their capacity to produce and sell natural olive oil soap.

 

Dalal Mansour, a 49 year-old Palestinian-Christian woman and a mother of four, says that she has been producing olive oil soap at home for a long time but she lacked the business experience and necessary tools to produce soap professionally. Being engaged in the association empowered Dalal to run her business throughout enrolling in the training courses and tools WVJWG provided. Dalal enhanced her production skills and had the opportunity to develop her product.

“I’ve learnt new ways of producing soap with improved quality and shape. I am now able to meet the needs of my family hand in hand with my husband through the money I earn when I produce the olive soap”, Says Dalal.
With a wide smile drawn on Leena’s face -Dalal’s 12 year old daughter-  she expresses her satisfaction “My mother is now able to buy more needs of the house, and is able to give me pocket money. I enjoy my time when I sometimes help her in producing olive oil soap.”

Ikhlas Rabei -is a mother of four- shares what her life was like before joining the society and participated in its training sessions,” I was a regular housewife with no job to earn money and meet my children needs”. Learning a new profession enabled Ikhlas to gain the bread of her family with dignity. “I benefitted a lot from the training. I have a profession now. I am able to produce and package ofsoap! I feel I am a lucky person”, exclaimed Ikhlas

Ikhlas is passionate about her work. She is excited and happy to work alongside with her husband who is a worker with a low income.

Through partnership with” Turathuna Al Aseel” Women Association, WVJWG provided capacity building sessions, with both theoretical and practical learning techniques , for more than 30 Christian Palestinian women and distributed the necessary tools and machinery to improve the quality and quantity of olive oil soap. Now, the association is able to meet local and international market demands with higher production, sales, and revenue for the association and its women.

The Palestinian Church Engagement Initiative (PCEI) is a three-year initiative that works with the Palestinian Churches and the Christian community; focusing on an integration of church relations and advocacy, through a solid child-focused programming designed to capitalize on the unique position WV holds in relation to the local Palestinian Christians and the international Church. PCEI also contributes to strengthening relationships, networks and understandings among International and local churches and communities in support of improved child well-being (CWB) within Palestinian Territories, as well as contribute to empowering the Christian community to support CWB issues.