On one of my walks through the Old City I discovered another women empowerment organization today. I had a brief conversation with the woman at the shop which sells embroided traditional palestinian clothes, similar to those Gypsy-designs that are up for purchase in the Domari Society Center.
She told me, that this Melia Initiative was founded 20 years ago and she in one of four regular employees. A voluntary Helper was there as well, a young American who wanted to support palestinian women. The Shop works with up to 500 women, buys their handicraft, sells them and offers a monthly income. And there is a Restaurant, an internet cafe and a clinic attached to the Oranisation. If a woman can't stitch, there will be workshops. If a woman prefers to cook she can work at the restaurant. The cost for medical care at the clinic depend on the womens income.
It's jut like something Amoun would like to have done.
I wondered why this initiative is so much more save and successful than Amouns Domari: Society of Gypsy in Jerusalem. Why does Amoun have to struggle for every tiny bit of support while this other organization which seems to have really similar strategies is wealthy enough to run their own hospital?
The woman at the shop said: "It's because of the community. We are a lot of women and we help each other. Palestinian women support palestinian women. We trust each other. They know that they will get the money from us and we know that they will make their stiching for us. If you have no people like you to rely on how will you get another community to support you?"
When I told her about my study and the Domari Society Center she figured that she had heard about Amoun Sleem. And she went on: "But thats not like us. We are palestinian, not gypsy."
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