Lights on: Raghda begins normal life thanks to UNRWA

Raghda Tarayreh, 35, lives in Bani Na’im village in Hebron with her two children, who she looks after alone. For the past three years Raghda and her children have lived without a light, a fridge or heating.

As she is unable to store food at home, Raghda takes her children to her mother’s house every day to eat cooked food. In the winter, they also spend a lot of time there to avoid the bitter cold.

Job experience

Despite everything, Raghda has always believed in herself and striven for a better life. She gained experience with UNRWA’s job creation programme, which is supported by funding from by the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO).

Raghda recently gained a diploma in Financial Management through the Open University and, once her kids could be admitted to kindergarten, started to work. In July, she was hired as an administrator by the Hebron Municipality.

“Normal life”

With the subsidy earned from the JCP, Raghda installed electricity at home. Now, using her mother’s old washing machine, she is able to do the laundry at home. The next step, she says, will be to buy a fridge and begin a “normal life”.

“I am so happy that I have been able to do this for my family,” says Raghda. “I did something which is expected to be a man’s job, and I did it by myself. I am very proud of myself. The only trouble is that now my kids want a computer!”

UNRWA and ECHO

ECHO logo

Since 1992, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) has funded relief to millions of victims of both natural disasters and man-made crises outside the EU. Aid is channeled impartially, straight to victims, regardless of their race, religion and political beliefs.

For the past 18 years, ECHO has supported UNRWA through a variety of programmes. UNRWA’s job creation programme currently receives nearly 50 per cent of its backing from ECHO. To find out more, read the programme’s factsheet (PDF).

To find out more, visit the ECHO website.