Small business owners’ fear of the unknown

A 31-year-old female owner and director of a kindergarten west of Khan Younis city along with five staff members depend on this job as their only source of income. They have been experiencing bad economic conditions as their financial return became insufficient. The kindergarten’s director said,

“in the middle of March 2020 when a lockdown was imposed due to the spread of COVID-19, we accepted the decision with understanding and commitment despite of the great losses we would incur due to the lack of work. We tried to overcome this situation and we endured the crisis with the hope that in the new academic year we would pay off our accumulated debt. I was too optimistic, especially with the huge turnout of people seeking enrolment in the kindergarten. However, after the lockdown has been imposed again on 24 August 2020, I was disappointed and shocked, as the decision came after three weeks of the start of the new academic year, and we were not [financially] prepared to close the kindergarten, especially that we’re still unable to pay the overdue rent which reached 3,600 ILS. Besides that, the financial conditions of the staff are very bad. We have nothing to do but to wait until officials decide whether to extend the lockdown or live with the pandemic like other counties did. I’m very concerned that the lockdown will last for long and that we might incur heavy losses that could eventually lead us to close the kindergarten for good. I hope the pandemic recedes before we reach that stage.”

خطر الجوع يتهدد عمال المياومة

يقول المواطن (ع.ك) والبالغ من العمر ٢٦ عام، مضى على تخرجي من قسم الصحافة والاعلام في الجامعة أكثر من ٤ سنوات، متزوج وأب لطفل، وأسكن في مخيم الشاطئ في مدينة غزة وأعمل في مصنع لصناعة الحلوى. أحصل على دخل بالكاد يسد احتياجات أسرتي الصغيرة، فكنت أضطر في بعض الأحيان إلى اللجوء لوالدي للمساعدة في تزويدي ببعض الاحتياجات الأساسية لأسرتي مثل الزيت والسكر والدقيق من أجل تخفيف الضغوط المالية، وكانت عائلتي تقدم لي المساعدة دوماً. 

ومع إعلان الرئيس حالة الطوارئ مطلع مارس الماضي، توقفت المدارس ورياض الأطفال بشكل ما أدى الى توقف عملنا بشكل كامل، لأن اعتمادنا كان بنسبة ٨٠٪ على المدارس ورياض الأطفال مما اضطرني وبعد تجديد حالة الطوارئ إلى العمل على عربة لبيع المشروبات الساخنة. كان الإقبال على المشروبات ضعيفاً بسبب ارتفاع الحرارة وفصل الصيف. ومع إعلان وزارة التربية والتعليم بداية شهر اغسطس الماضي افتتاح المدارس ورياض الأطفال، عاد المصنع الذي كنت أعمل فيه للعمل.

ولكن جاء اليوم الذي كنا نخشاه ونرجو الله ألا يأتي، وهو اليوم الذي أعلنت فيه وزارة الصحة في غزة اكتشاف مصابين بفايروس كورونا خارج مراكز الحجر، والإعلان عن تفعيل خطة الطوارئ لمكافحة انتشار الفايروس، وإعلان وزارة الداخلية حظر التجوال في مناطق قطاع غزة كافة وإغلاق المدارس ورياض الأطفال وهو الاثنين الموافق 24/8/2020. فقدت مصدر دخلي الوحيد مرة أخرى، ولم أعد قادراً على توفير الاحتياجات الأساسية لأسرتي. ومنذ ذلك اليوم وأنا ملتزم ببيتي خاصة أنني أسكن في حي يعد من أكثر مناطق وأحياء قطاع غزة كثافة سكانية ولا أخرج إلا للضرورة القصوى لتلبية الاحتياجات الأساسية للمنزل والتي أجتهد في محاولتي تقليل تكاليفها، أتمنى أن تتخذ الجهات الحكومة خطوات لمساندة عمال المياومة لحمايتهم من الجوع.

Children’s lives are at risk

 A nine-year-old child suffers from Hemophilia since he was a year old. His parents have been following-up his case with a doctor in Gaza, and he has been taking medicines for his illness for so long. His father said sadly:

“since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the Gaza Strip and the full lockdown imposed on Monday 24 August 2020, my son has not taken his medicine. I took him to Abu Youssif Al Najjar Hospital in Rafah, Nasser and the Red Crescent Hospitals in Khan Younis but no one provided us with the medicine. My son’s life is threatened if he did not take his medicine.”

 

The risk increases under the spread of Coronavirus pandemic which mainly endanger people with chronic diseases and patients with weakened immune system, in addition to thousands of other cases who are in need of treatment but cannot have it due to the chronic lack of medicines in the Gaza Strip.

Food security of daily-wage labourers in Gaza

A.K. is a 26-year-old daily-wage worker who spoke to Al Mezan about his struggle to secure his family's basic needs under COVID-19 lockdown:

 

“I graduated from the faculty of Journalism and Media four years ago. I’m married and a father of one child. I live in Beach refugee camp in Gaza and I work in a candy factory. My income hardly covers my small family’s basic needs. Sometimes my parents provide us with some of our daily needs such as cooking oil, sugar and flour, which eases my financial burden a bit; my parents have always supported me. 

Back in March 2020, schools and kindergartens in Gaza were closed as a precautionary measure against the potential spread of COVID-19 in the community. Our work, %80 of which caters to schools and kindergartens, came to a halt and I lost my job. To make up the lost income, I started selling hot drinks from a street cart, however, its financial return was too little, possibly due to the hot summer weather driving down the demand. When schools and kindergartens opened for the new academic year at the beginning of August, I got my job back at the candy factory. Soon after, on 24 August 2020, the Ministry of Health announced discovering COVID-19 cases in the wider community which prompted a full lockdown this time. 

I lost my main source of income once more and I cannot cover my family’s basic needs. Considering that I reside in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Gaza, I’ve been staying at home since the start of the lockdown and only go out when it’s absolutely necessary. I hope the government bodies would take steps to support daily-wage laborers”.