A local bread bakery: a dream come true

Social Developmental Forum
Ayat Wafi, a young woman from Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip married a man with visual disability several years ago. She had three children. Everyday her responsibilities grew and she kept thinking of how to protect her family. Her only thought was to start her own business.
One day while walking in the eastern area of Khan Yuins, she came across a local bread bakery that was very popular. She thought of the same idea for her neighborhood and felt she has the ability to run a similar project.
Wafai, who suffers from cerebral palsy since birth, has suffered a minor physical disability. She has a degree in medical rehabilitation but wasn’t fortunate enough to find employment. “Thank God, my condition is better than my husband. I can go out to work and take responsibility of the house” she says.
She was persistent to start her own business. “I kept looking for a funding source until a friend helped me and sent me a link for a project that provides small business grants for people with disabilities. I applied and was accepted.”
She underwent a two-week extensive training on developing management and financial skills and on E-marketing. She then participated in the “Step for Future” boot camp. Her project to start a local bread bakery was chosen among the 13 projects that received micro-grants.
Wafi began implementing her idea when she rented a small shop in Khan Yuins city. She bought an oven and all the necessary equipment and launched her business a month ago. Today, she has a number of clients who rely on her for providing their daily needs of bread.

When discussing the idea of her business, Wafi explains, “The idea of the bakery is that people bring us flour and we make into bread. Some people can bring us their bread dough and we just bake it for them for a small fee that suits people’s financial situation while also providing me and my family a decent living.”
Wafi also received a lot of support and encouragement from her husband and her family. She seeks to increase her clients’ list and expand her business in the near future, hoping to fully depends on the project to secure income for her family, afford her children expenses and their education.
It is noted that the project “Support PWDs efforts to contribute to positive socio-economic empowerment in the Gaza Strip” which is funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), implemented by the Social Developmental Forum, and targets 100 person with disabilities.