Kawthar Tawfeeq

Kawthar Tawfeeq in Al Jalama village received a microloan to start a za'atar farm. Za'atar is the wild oregano spice used to make the traditional Palestinian spice mix of the same name. She bought oregano seedlings from a local nursery and planted them by hand with her husband, a farmer, in some unplanted land they own.

Kawthar, 38, says “Being able to produce and sell za'atar can help me make extra income for my family. I don't have the opportunity to work outside my home, but I can do so while I'm at home.”

The first year after planting will not yield a crop, but production will start next year and achieve full potential the third year. Kawthar knows she will need to wait till then for profits from the project. Her big challenge now is weed control on her organic land. PFTA organic specialists advised Kawthar and her husband to manually remove weeds and use organic allowed herbicides to reduce the problem.

Married at 16, Kawthar had no chance to continue her studies, and therefore, no chance to work outside her home. Kawthar's husband is a full time farmer, and for their family, farming is the only source of income. She has sacrificed all she has, including selling her wedding jewelry, to pay for her children's university fees.

“I carried big responsibilities at a very young age and lost many opportunities. I want my children to continue their studies, work, and make a good living for their future families”, she says. Currently, 3 of her children are in college: Alaa', 22, is studying Finance, Zeina, 20, is studying Accounting, and Khaled, 18, is studying Electric Engineering. Mohammad, her fourth, is still in high school. Kawthar is motivated to work hard to succeed in her dream for the future.