(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) A pair of young, disabled Gazan men have refused to surrender to despair and used their creativity to setup a workshop that manufactures wooden decorations.
The two young men are Essam al-Shewa, 29, who suffers from muscular dystrophy and Ibraheem Erhayem, 27, who suffers from polio in both of his legs.
They opened their workshop three years ago after failing to get jobs in their fields of study, despite both having university degrees.
The fully equipped wood carving workshop and store to display their products provide them both with their jobs.
Erhayem is a graduate of the University of Al Azhar in Gaza in Business Administration Department in English.
He stands inside the workshop, leaning on his cane, as he closely observes the work of his machines as they cut wooden boards in special patterns designed on the computer.
With a brush, he removes the sawdust that the machine leaves it its wake and prepares the products for the next stage, which is painting it as per the customers' request.
"I could not get a job, and the possibility of me getting employed was very slim because of my disability," Erhayem told Anadolu Agency. "So we decided to work privately, and open our workshop and store."
"Me and my friend Essam insisted on never surrendering and never being dependent on anyone. This was motivated us a lot, despite the strange look in the eyes of most people," he added.
Decorative wooden pieces in all shapes, sizes and colors are lined up on white racks inside their store.
Their products include wooden pyramids, trees, horses, brushes, Qur'an stands and trays.
The beginning was not easy for the two young men, Erhayem says, as the task of convincing their clients of their ability to produce high-quality products "was not an easy matter."
"When a client used to knock on our door, and asked for the owners of the place, he was very surprised when he found out that I was the business owner, and he clearly expressed hesitation to place his order with us," Erhayem said.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of people with special needs over 18-years-old is around 27,000, of whom 17,000 suffer from impaired mobility.
Erhayem and al-Shewa's work is like an adventure for them.
"I never thought in my life that I would understand carpentry, decoration or furniture, but we have succeeded now," Erhayem said.
Urban development has been halted and consumption rates lowered by widespread poverty and unemployment as well as the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for eight years now.
The rate of unemployment in the Gaza Strip is 43 percent and rate of poverty 38.8 percent, according to a report published earlier this month by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
"My work gives me a feeling of independence and self-satisfaction," al-Shewa, sitting on his wheelchair and instructing his employees to paint a wooden mirror frame, told Anadolu Agency. "I am very happy."
"We have a name in the local market, and we have our clients, disability is no longer an obstacle in front of us," he continued. "We do not depend on any party to provide us assistance anymore and that is a good thing."
Al-Shewa, an accounting graduate, notes that they are facing challenges in their work because of the electricity crisis.
For eight years now, residents of the Gaza Strip have suffered from a huge electricity crisis, as the besieged enclave can only produce 212 of the 400 megawatts of electricity it needs.
"We are forced on many days to work at night, according to when the electrical current is connected," al-Shewa said. "This is a big obstacle."
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