Shadia Farwala 35 year old woman and is an example of these brave women who are productive members of the cooperative since 2007.
"Being a member of Al Maftool cooperative helped me not only financially but also in the formation of my personality. Through working I feel that I am a useful member of the society. Moreover, the work gives me the chance to help my husband, and allows me to put my kids in better schools and give them my attention as I finish my work before my kids come from school " Shadia Said.
Shadia added that Jericho weather is one of the success factors of the cooperative, Couscous production needs hot weather. Moreover, the cooperative has provided work opportunities for many women and it gives them the chance to stay close to their kids and their homes as well as raising the standard of living without the necessity to work with in Israeli settlements.
While interviewing Shadia I was surprised to know that despite the fact of not having higher degrees, Shadia has been able to give me the right definition of fairtrade. She defined it as "the best way to give fair prices to the Palestinian producers to live in dignity and raise their standard of living because Palestinian products are high quality products and deserve fair prices".
On the other side, wheat is produced by farmers in Jenin area by farmers who have received capacity building training on wheat production. The women’s cooperative only uses Palestinian wheat to produce couscous; which makes couscous 100% Palestinian.