Establishing Sanctuaries for Healing
In the heart of Deir el-Balah, Gaza Strip, a crucial initiative is providing a haven for women grappling with the profound challenges of war. These women-only safe spaces, coordinated by organizations like Community Development Projects, offer more than just a physical location; they provide psychological support, awareness sessions, and a much-needed environment for healing from trauma. The program aims to address the multifaceted hardships faced by women in the region, offering a platform for shared experiences and collective resilience.
Ola Saleh, a 39-year-old mother of five, exemplifies the impact of these initiatives. Each morning, after attending to her children's needs in their al-Amal camp tent, she seeks solace in one of these designated safe spaces. For a few hours, she finds respite from the relentless demands of motherhood, displacement, and personal grief. Within this supportive environment, Saleh can articulate her feelings to others who comprehend her struggles without the need for extensive explanation. Surrounded by psychologists and women who have endured similar losses, she discovers a sense of understanding that has been largely absent since the conflict claimed her husband, Abdul Jalil Saleh, last August. His death left her as the sole provider, a role she navigates while displaced and raising her children, aged five to 17, alone. She describes each day as progressively more difficult, with responsibilities mounting and the weight of his absence growing heavier.
Addressing Widespread Loss and Trauma
The scale of loss among women in Gaza is significant. According to UN Women, an estimated 16,000 women have lost their husbands since the conflict escalated in October 2023, meaning approximately one in seven families in Gaza are now headed by women. For many, the circumstances of daily survival in tents, often lacking basic amenities like electricity and ventilation, leave little opportunity or space for grief. Their days are largely consumed by the urgent need to secure food, water, and other essentials.
Alaa Daoud, a field coordinator for one of these women's safe spaces, emphasizes that the initiative was specifically designed to create an environment where women could express themselves freely and access both psychological and practical assistance. She notes that every woman arrives with a unique set of experiences, challenges, and aspirations for change. The program, initially launched at al-Farah School in central Gaza, plans to extend its reach to other displacement sites across the Strip, with similar sessions already underway in the northern regions.
Expanding Support and Awareness
Beyond providing emotional support, the sessions delve into critical issues that have become more pronounced during the conflict. These include family pressures, economic hardships, mental health concerns, and the complexities of caring for children while displaced. Daoud reports a rapid increase in attendance since the sessions began. The initial gathering saw approximately 60 women participate, a number that quickly rose to between 70 and 75 as more women learned about and joined the program. Women consistently express their deep need for safe spaces where they can communicate openly, safely, and comfortably. They seek a place to release emotions, cultivate positive energy, and acquire strategies for interacting with society and their children.
For Ola Saleh, while the sessions do not erase her grief, they make it more manageable. She views the safe space as a destination she genuinely anticipates visiting daily, a place where she feels acknowledged, heard, and, for a time, less isolated. Engaging in discussions, listening to other women's concerns, and hearing professionals discuss trauma and stress provide her with moments of relief in a reality otherwise dominated by loss. She describes leaving with a 'dose of hope and positive energy,' acknowledging that while it may not resolve all her challenges, it empowers her to persevere. 'It reminds you that you matter, too… that you still exist,' she reflects.
Intergenerational Support and Shared Wisdom
Among the participants is Suad al-Gharabali, 63, who brings a different perspective to the sessions. Unlike some who primarily seek to articulate their own pain, al-Gharabali often takes a more active role, listening to younger mothers and offering advice drawn from her lifetime of raising eight children. Before the conflict, she resided in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighbourhood. Like many, she was displaced after her home was destroyed and now shares a tent in Deir el-Balah with her son, his wife, and their children. The war brought her immense personal tragedy even before displacement, as she lost two sons, aged 24 and 35, in separate air attacks in Shujaiya. Both had been engaged and were on the cusp of marriage. Despite her profound grief, al-Gharabali endeavors to transform her experiences into something beneficial for other women.
At the safe space, she frequently counsels younger mothers on the complexities of raising children in a drastically altered family environment due to war and displacement. She expresses satisfaction with these meetings, emphasizing their role in providing awareness. 'Every mother needs to pay attention to her children. This generation is facing many problems,' she states. For al-Gharabali, the value of the sessions extends beyond the support women receive, encompassing the knowledge and experiences they exchange. She believes in the wisdom gained through life, stating, 'Someone older than you by a day knows something you don’t,' underscoring her sense of responsibility to share her accumulated knowledge. Her advice is rooted in decades of arduous work, having sewn, traded in markets, and dedicated herself to educating and raising her children. Before attending the sessions, her days were largely confined to her tent, prayer, and quiet interactions with neighbors. However, the meetings have provided her with a new purpose and a reason to overcome the isolation of displacement, connecting her with others. 'It’s a refreshing experience. I share what life taught me with these women,' she adds.
Alaa Daoud emphasizes that the significance of these safe spaces transcends mere counseling. They serve as a crucial means of acknowledging the immense burdens women in Gaza have carried throughout the conflict. She explains, 'Women have been among the groups that carried the greatest responsibilities. They experienced poverty, displacement and enormous pressure. When we tell them how important their role has been and how much they have given, they feel that their efforts and suffering are recognised.'
