Gaza Women Make Personal Care Products from Plants
2021-08-03
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1For years, Palestinian farmers have exported special plants to Europe.
2Those plants, or herbs, are turned into high-priced cosmetics and beauty products.
3Now, however, a group of Gaza women have brought that process home.
4They are processing the herbs themselves and creating personal care products such as shampoo for the hair and moisturizer for the skin.
5The products are now sold in 50 stores in the area.
6This project operates from a factory in Gaza City. All four employees are women.
7They use steam to draw out, or extract, oils from the herbs.
8The oils are the main ingredient used to make the beauty and personal care products.
9The herbs they use include ones you would use for cooking: rosemary, basil, mint, thyme, and chamomile.
10All the herbs come from farms run by women.
11"When you hold the product, you feel like you are taking something from the earth - with no additives," Refqa Al-Hamalawi told Reuters news agency.
12The project currently makes 17 different products, including cleansers and body wash.
13They sell them under the name "GG."
14The letters stand for "Green Gold." That is what the farmers of northern Gaza call mint.
15"As women, we (are) proud of the idea and the production, an idea like in European countries," Hamalawi said.
16The project is aimed at empowering women and helping the economy.
17It is supported financially by Australia and the global aid organization Oxfam.
18While the project is small, the women involved say it has already begun to make a difference in Gaza.
19The unemployment rate in the territory is around 50 percent.
20Female unemployment is higher at 62 percent.
21These numbers come from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
22Dawlat Marouf is 55 years old and the mother of 12 children.
23She said that before she started working with the project, she struggled to make a living selling her mint and thyme in local markets.
24Now, she says she "wakes up every day at 5 a.m. to come to the field and prepare 40-50 (kilograms) ordered by the factory."
25Marouf's daughter-in-law is named Ekhlas.
26She said she did not know herbs had uses outside of cooking.
27The project, she said, will provide "...income for our children and our families."
28Narmin Al-Banna is a pharmacist who sells the products at her store.
29She said she likes "...these products because they are natural and have no chemicals in them."
30She said she tried them on many people, and many customers, and they gave her great feedback.
31I'm Anna Matteo.
1For years, Palestinian farmers have exported special plants to Europe. Those plants, or herbs, are turned into high-priced cosmetics and beauty products. 2Now, however, a group of Gaza women have brought that process home. They are processing the herbs themselves and creating personal care products such as shampoo for the hair and moisturizer for the skin. The products are now sold in 50 stores in the area. 3This project operates from a factory in Gaza City. All four employees are women. They use steam to draw out, or extract, oils from the herbs. The oils are the main ingredient used to make the beauty and personal care products. The herbs they use include ones you would use for cooking: rosemary, basil, mint, thyme, and chamomile. All the herbs come from farms run by women. 4"When you hold the product, you feel like you are taking something from the earth - with no additives," Refqa Al-Hamalawi told Reuters news agency. 5The project currently makes 17 different products, including cleansers and body wash. They sell them under the name "GG." The letters stand for "Green Gold." That is what the farmers of northern Gaza call mint. 6"As women, we (are) proud of the idea and the production, an idea like in European countries," Hamalawi said. 7The project is aimed at empowering women and helping the economy. It is supported financially by Australia and the global aid organization Oxfam. 8While the project is small, the women involved say it has already begun to make a difference in Gaza. The unemployment rate in the territory is around 50 percent. Female unemployment is higher at 62 percent. These numbers come from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. 9Dawlat Marouf is 55 years old and the mother of 12 children. She said that before she started working with the project, she struggled to make a living selling her mint and thyme in local markets. Now, she says she "wakes up every day at 5 a.m. to come to the field and prepare 40-50 (kilograms) ordered by the factory." 10Marouf's daughter-in-law is named Ekhlas. She said she did not know herbs had uses outside of cooking. The project, she said, will provide "...income for our children and our families." 11Narmin Al-Banna is a pharmacist who sells the products at her store. She said she likes "...these products because they are natural and have no chemicals in them." She said she tried them on many people, and many customers, and they gave her great feedback. 12I'm Anna Matteo. 13Nidal al-Mughrabi reported this story for Reuters. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 14_____________________________________________________ 15Words in This Story 16cosmetic -n. a substance that is put on the face or body to improve appearance 17moisturizer -n. a substance used on the skin to keep the skin from drying out 18ingredient -n. one of several materials used to make a kind of food 19additive -n. something added to something else 20proud -adj. to be pleased with something about something you have done, something you own or people you are connected with 21customer -n. someone who buys goods or services from a business 22feedback -n. helpful information or criticism that is give to someone for the purpose of improving performance or a product