In Gaza, a high proportion of people are in wheelchairs, because IDF soldiers are trained to aim for the ninth vertebrae or above to avoid casualties. Through the Irada (“Will”) Project at the Islamic University, I had the chance to witness how some of those paralyzed young men and women are continuing to live with creative courage.
Irada gives them free training in how to make handicrafts and furniture, bind books, and crosshatch Palestinian designs on clothes and purses. It also makes a point of producing high-quality handicrafts and selling them at affordable prices.
It’s a really beautiful project because it teaches these young people how to work with their disabilities, and gives them a whole new outlook on life. They go from feeling useless to feeling productive and capable of doing something special with their gifts.
For more information – Irada Project