We drove to Lakiya (a Bedouin town in the Negev) to spend a couple of
days with Margret Elwanger and Khadra El Saneh. Kadra is a Bedouin woman
that is director of Sidreh Weaving, a women's empowerment group in
Lakiya. Margret Elwanger is a member of the church living in Natanya,
Israel. (We went to her husband's birthday party a couple of weeks
ago.) She helps Khadra with the women's empowerment group. The first
morning we were there we went to a Bedouin home where they are teaching
the women to grow their own gardens and produce their own food. This
was their garden they started last year.
From L to R: Khadra, Inga (a volunteer with Sidreh) Blaine, Linda, and the Bedouin man whose garden we were visiting. The women who lived there didn't want their pictures taken.
There were nice neighborhoods close by.
I am in the background with the women.
Their source of water is rain they collect from the roof of the shed and store in barrels.
They have a solar panel for electricity or hot water. Their home is in an unrecognized area. That means it wasn't legally built so it might be bulldozed at any time by the government.
More solar equipment for electricity.
They had 2 pens of sheep and goats, one for the mature animals and one for the babies.
The pens were in the front of the home.
The road to their home
Khadra in the yard.
We drove by their school on the way back to Lakiya.
We had lunch in a Bedouin tent behind Khadra's store. From left to right: Khadra, Inga, Margret, Linda. The lunch was chicken, rice, cucumbers, tomatoes, and bread.
Khadra's son ate in the tent with us but not with the women.
That afternoon we drove around Lakiya to see homes in the area. Some of it is recognized housing and some isn't recognized. It's very hard to get building permits so much of the housing isn't recognized. Sometimes family tribes own plots of land. There is a wide range in homes within the family tribal land.
The Israeli government is building a road through the area.
Camels graze in fields.
One of the buildings of Sidreh Women's group was demolished last fall by the government. It was on land that her husband's family tribe (El Sana ) own.
This was the entrance back into the barns, homes, and demolished building.
They had covered areas where the animals were fed.
Their legs were hobbled together so they couldn't jump over the fence.
This little guy is Khadra's nephew.
and this is her niece.
Khadra and her sister. They lived together at a Christian school for 7 years while they were growing up. The nuns provided a good education. Khadra was 6 when she went there and 13 when she left. She came from a family with a lot of children.
Inga, Margret Elwanger, Khadra's sister and niece, Khadra El Sana, and Linda.
Camels were also in the barnyard.
Khadra's niece and sister in front of their home.
One of Khadra's neighbors has a guest house where we were going to stay, but it didn't work out. The owner renovated it for tourists, but he is afraid to start renting it because he doesn't want to pay taxes on it.
The homes in Khadra's neighborhood varied from domed houses,
to very modern homes like the one Khadra's family lives in.
Khadra on her back patio. They have an outdoor kitchen to use for entertaining.
The living area was new and modern. They had another living area that had the mats on the floor in a more traditional Bedouin style.
Khadra's daughter Riam fixed a delicious dinner with a soup course and main dish.
Khadra's family in their home.
That night we slept on mats at one of Khadra's friends homes.
Entrance to our apartment
and a lovely view of Lakiya.
The 10 year old daughter brought us a breakfast tray on her way to school.
The grandma was visiting upstairs when we brought back the breakfast tray. She works with Khadra.
It was then back to Sidreh for a Bedouin breakfast of bread, zatar, tomatoes, cucumbers and juice.
This morning we visited 3 women's businesses. The first was an interior design store where they make drapes, pillows, and upholstery.
The second business was a floral and gift shop.
Three young women ran this store.
The third was a Bedouin tourist spot. It was an old home that they converted into a restaurant/ educational facility. It was decorated with Bedouin artifacts.
The business owner told about the Bedouin customs and then served a traditional lunch on the floor.
It was bread with onions and chicken on top.
Khadra is such a beautiful woman with an infectious laugh. She was even sick this day.
We all gathered for lunch.
The woman on the left is the business owner. They are beautiful women
.
This is the courtyard of the Bedouin tourist place. Renovation happens as they have time and money.
