Providing a lifeline through cash-for-work

3 December 2008

Oxfam works with agricultural communities in Gaza to help them survive under difficult conditions caused by conflict between Palestine and Israel and the blockade of Gaza imposed by the Government of Israel. The Sultan family lives in the Zaytoun district south of Gaza City.

Oxfam's new "cash-for-work" project in Gaza is implemented by Ma'an Development Centre and funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (DG-ECHO). The project will create temporary employment for 1,012 workers and improve the situation of their families who have been severely affected by the blockade imposed by the State of Israel on the Gaza Strip. This "cash-for-work" project will last for six months. Workers are employed for a maximum of 20 days in order to help a maximum number of people.

The agricultural roads in Al Zaytoun are in poor condition. During the rainy season the roads fill up with water and it becomes difficult, sometimes impossible, for farmers to access their land with tractors that are necessary for cultivation and harvesting their produce.

Here the workers put a first layer of soil to make the road even and fill up potholes. The second layer will be made from rubble recycled from houses demolished during Israeli military incursions. A final layer of a material known as kurkar will be compacted to make the road traversable all year around. Thanks to this process, the roads should last for a minimum of five years.

In total, 44 kilometres of agricultural road in four different areas of the Gaza Strip will be rehabilitated to ensure farmers have better access to their markets. For instance the delicious and well renowned Gaza dates will reach their selling point quicker and in better condition.

Basema Zendah is 38 years old and works as a nurse on the project. She is married with four children. Her husband is unemployed. Basema was working in the public health sector and recently lost her job amidst the political turmoil."We live off the sporadic aid distributed by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Thanks to this project I can secure $350 for 20 working days. This will help my family for a while but our future remains uncertain," she says.

Hamdan Totah, has a family of 24 to feed. He lives in Al Zaytoun district. "I used to work in Israel and our living conditions were very good. Now I can hardly provide enough food for my big family while I also have two disabled daughters to look after."

"Working with this [Oxfam GB/ Ma'an] project is great and it helps me," says Asa'ad. "It is hard to work all day under the sun but I am happy to help opening the roads for the farmers in my district. I am thankful for the European donors who agreed to fund this collective effort, as it creates thousands of jobs for otherwise unemployed Gaza breadwinners like me."

Working back and forth on the dusty road is Hameda El Mallalha, 35 years old. Hameda is from a traditional family and normally women in her family don't work. "My donkey and I are working on paving agricultural roads. My husband is ill and cannot work, so that's why I had to get a job to support the family."

Majed and Rami work as supervisors on the cash-for-work project for partner Ma'an Development Centre. They work on two different sites. They meet once or twice a day, to exchange paperwork, news and progress on the projects.

Atah Al Dahdouh and his sons Hussam and Majdi deliver vegetables for the voucher scheme run by Oxfam and Ma'an. He says "Most of the agricultural roads in this area have been paved by Ma'an, a few roads are still difficult. Now it is raining, and if those roads were not paved driving would be so difficult, I have already been stuck on one of the unpaved roads today."

The farmers of Al Zaytoun used this land for more than 40 years. During an Israeli military incursion last year the land was bulldozed and the trees uprooted. What you see here will be the first harvest of cucumbers since the devastation. No doubt the owner of this land will benefit from the new road workers are rehabilitating.

Learn more: Meet Ahmed