“A Thread Woven with Love”: A4A Network Crafting Support for Women in Deir Al-Balah
The “Thread Woven with Love” initiative, launched by the Access For All (A4A) network, has emerged as a new thread of hope, integrating economic empowerment, psychosocial support, and rights-based awareness for women, particularly heads of households, including those with disabilities, at the Life Inclusive Camp for People with Disabilities in Deir Al-Balah.
This initiative falls under the broader project, “Access for All: Enhancing the Autonomy and Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Gaza Strip,” implemented by the Social Development Forum in partnership with Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP).
The initiative’s idea emerged from a field study conducted by the team, which revealed a critical need among displaced women for sustainable income prospects, especially amid the loss of livelihoods and declining psychological conditions resulting from the genocide.
It is from this context that “Thread Woven with Love” was designed: a genuine space of empowerment that helps restore women’s self-confidence and opens a door to work, productivity, and social inclusion.
Intensive Training Programme
From October 6th to 16th, 2025, 15 women received hands-on training based on hand-sewing techniques and clothing repair across ten intensive sessions. Each participant was equipped with a professional toolkit containing all essential supplies to launch their home-based businesses, ensuring the sustainability of their work and establishing a foundation for breadwinning.
Beyond practical skills, the initiative integrated awareness and rights-based workshops covering vital topics such as: distinguishing between the terms “people with disabilities” and “people with special needs,” types of disabilities, respectful ways of engaging with people with disabilities, community inclusion concepts, mental health awareness, and inspiring success stories.
Supporting Mental Health and Well-being
The initiative also featured daily mental health support and recreational activities designed to enhance participants’ emotional well-being. In parallel, an awareness campaign included distributing 400 informational brochures to the displaced people there, promoting an accurate understanding of how to integrate people with disabilities and fostering a culture of inclusion within the local community.
Through these efforts, the initiative embodied the integrated approach of the A4A Network: combining practical training, economic empowerment, and rights-based awareness to weave threads of hope into a more stable and equitable future for women across the Gaza Strip.
A New Hope
Rawan Al-Sarraj, a team leader from the A4A Network, shared: “This initiative has become the thread of hope connecting economic empowerment with mental health support. Through which we targeted women who had lost both security and income, boosting their confidence to maintain their hope for a better life.”
This initiative was a remarkable experience in economically empowering women, with and without disabilities, by training them in hand-sewing crafts that provide independent income. It was professional, practical, and created a significant impact in their lives.
Noha Al-Sousi, another team member
A New Experience Paving A New Path
We spoke with women who participated in the initiative. Niveen Al-Taif shared that the program empowered her to learn many new sewing skills, adding: “I learned the ‘magic stitch’ and ‘crow’s foot stitch,’ and how to install zippers. It enabled me to make an entire project on my own. I sewed a shopping bag! I loved this project and hope to engage in many other sewing projects. I’m grateful for this experience and aim for more opportunities to learn life skills that can open new economic prospects for us.”
Another participant, Amani Thabet, expressed: “I’ve always dreamed of learning to sew, and when I learned through this initiative, I fell in love with it. I previously knew nothing, not even how to use a needle. Now I can execute the ‘basting stitch,’ ‘machine stitch,’ and many other sewing techniques.”
I’ve learned so much and can now sew and repair my children’s clothes at home. They even bring me their torn clothes to fix. One of my sons has a hearing disability, but he brings me the sewing kit to fix his clothes. I’m so happy I was able to learn this skill.
Amani Thabet, participant
A4A Network’s Initiatives
The A4A network has launched a series of initiatives being implemented over several months across all governorates of the Gaza Strip. The focus is concentrated in shelters and displacement camps and targets diverse groups, with a primary focus on people with disabilities.
These initiatives address several areas, including cultural, social, awareness-raising, and psychological aspects. They seek to enhance community awareness of the rights of people with disabilities, affirm societal commitment to inclusion, and empower youth’s participation. The participating youth received intensive prior training and presented their initiative proposals before a selection committee, which -based on feasibility, chose the final projects to be implemented.