Her dark, weathered hands stuff the pillows and thread them closed with a large needle. With a few more deft flourishes, she sews the colorful pillow case and tosses the finished product onto a pile behind her.
“I took a loan from Sawa and bought raw materials from factories in Beersheba,” she said, referring to the nearby Israeli city. “Today I even employ other women who sew at home.”
Although most Bedouin women maintain their traditional role as homemakers, bare necessity forces a growing number to seek jobs that supplement or even replace their husband’s income.
Some enterprises have failed because of social constraints. Some villages have turned away Sawa representatives, but Huzael said Bedouin society as a whole is accepting the project.
“We feared that the project would be criticized because people can think that we are trying to get the women out of the home and away from tradition,” she said.
“But there are many men who are very happy with the program simply because the family’s income is increasing. Today we feel support and even active support, from men.”
The focus is women for the simple reason that Bedouin women are easier to work with than men, Huzael said.
“We might include men in the project in the future, but similar programs across the world have been more successful among women.”
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