In Gaza .. Sabreen wins unemployment with a tin shop for wedding dresses

Ola Moussa - Gaza

In the far west of the city of Khan Younis and the center of a remote area near the Austrian neighborhood, Maroun finds a strange shop that is not accustomed to watching it because it is an iron tin and sells wedding dresses and happy occasions for women and children in a region far from public markets and near thorns.

Sabreen Mazen al-Jabri, 34, graduated in 2012 from the Faculty of Science and Technology in southern Gaza. She volunteered for two years in a hospital in the Gaza Strip for a job or even a temporary work contract, but to no avail. In addition to her work in the store (now) she is studying law at Zaytuna College.

Sabreen has six sons: Karam, Rawan, Wadih, Manna, Astbark, Rtaj (16, 15, 13, 11, 6 and 4 years) respectively. She considers herself a graduate and a mother who has suffered, as well as graduates of the families and families, which prompted her to search for any opportunity to work and support her husband in the expenses of the house.

Stumbling projects
She did many small projects to meet the needs of her family. She taught mathematics and English to schoolchildren in her home, and because she did not get a living from her parents, she went to work for a small poultry and rabbit farm.

But the project did not last long because there was no strong capital to cover its costs. Then I set up a small grocery store, but people are looking for big shops to buy from them, but they did not last too. Then I thought of a women's project in a remote area at a lower price than the markets.

Birth of "joy dresses"
When Sabreen went to rent a dress for the joy of her sister, the prices were high, so I thought of bringing good dresses to rent at prices much lower than the market. Thus the idea of ​​the new project was born.

Sabreen found the prices of dressers in Gaza and even Arab countries high, surprised by the high rent, but found it profitable.

"I do not want a profit like the markets, I want to fill my need only, so I did a financial association with my mates in the mosque family and I started to get some dresses," says Sabreen, whose project began in 2016.

She built a small room and brought in a few wedding and evening dresses and began to promote them among the women of the region and brought some cosmetics and perfumes, and noticed the turnout of some women who do not have the price of dresses in the market.

HE WOMEN
A month ago, Sabreen decided to enlarge the size of her project and set up a store where women could see and measure her dresses in the store. She and her husband entered financial associations with her family and borrowed money to buy building materials.

"There are women from Khan Younis who are happy to watch dresses at less than market prices and about 20 percent of the rent at other shops," she said. "Even young women can rent wedding dresses in small amounts Between (20-10) NIS (only $ 6-3).

Sabreen did not feel ashamed to build her tin shop and some building materials used as tiles and tiles. Her circumstances did not allow her to put a distinctive sign on the light, but she sees those who enter her shop feel happy and satisfied. Most of them come out happy with the prices and quality of the dresses.

So she started to take wedding dresses from the merchants in the installment system in the case of sale, and she takes pride in the design of her shop - even if it was a tin - I found it happier poor, especially women, stressing that it is her duty to open a project that takes into account the circumstances of the people.

She hopes to develop her shop to become larger, illuminated banners, sewing machines, workers to help her and meet the full need of sewing women, in addition to the work of the department of the hairdresser "and remain my price as it is now." "I do not want to make a big profit, but a little and continuous livelihood." This is the slogan of Sabreen.

Low prices
Sabreen did not make the wedding rental prices fixed, ranging from (50-20) shekels ($ 15-6). The large white wedding dresses range from NIS 100-200 ($ 30- $ 30), which is low compared to some shops in Gaza, where the price of renting a white wedding dress is between $ 800-400.

One of the customers, her neighbor Umm Samir Abu Homs, 45, says she has brought joy to many women who find it difficult to secure the rent of the dresses. "Some women have to beg to wear a decent dress on occasions and weddings. Everyone wants to rejoice in any way in Gaza, The economic conditions make them feel sad.

My wedding dress from here
Halima Abu Nawas, a 26-year-old resident of the Austrian neighborhood near the store, managed to rent her wedding dress from the Sabrin shop, and her sisters hired affordable dresses.

"For me, renting a dress was a big problem for my sisters. My situation is difficult, my parents are unemployed and my husband is burdened with joy and expenses, but we found that Sabreen's is like the dresses in the markets."