About six years ago, Suad al-Najjar, 48, learned how to make household cleaning products at home and started to sell them to meet her needs.

In 2013, al-Najjar obtained a bachelor degree in Marketing Science from al-Quds Open University but she could not find a job.

Seeking to be economically independent, al-Najjar in 2014 finished a training on detergent and soap making and later started her own business by making detergents at home.

Seven products
Al-Najjar now makes seven kinds of products and sells them in bottles and containers of different sizes.

She visits the market regularly and buys scents, powder, paste, soap and other raw materials used in detergent making.

"I sell seven products including shower shampoos, laundry detergents for washing machines of all kinds and detergents for semi-automatic washing machines, as well as dishwashing detergents," She said in an interview with the Palestinian Information Center.

"I will show you how to make a laundry detergent that wraps clothes in gentle fragrance. It can be used for both clothes and floors by the way," she told the Palestinian Information Center's reporter.

Passing the knowledge
"I'm working hard to market my products, and I hope to get enough financing for my project so that I could secure a stable source of income for me and my mother," al-Najjar said.

Al-Najjar's business is not only limited to her products. She has joined a women's center in al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza Strip to teach women how to make homemade detergents.

"In the first course I gave, I trained 20 women at Zeina Center for Training and Development to help them build their own income-generating projects," she added.

Etaf Hamad, director of Zeina Center for Training and Development, said, "Suad has been a great addition to our center for her creativity and perseverance to teach women to depend on themselves."

Suad has got a long way to go before she is able to compete with local factories, but her business is growing and every day she wins new customers thanks to her excellently made products.

 

Source: The Palestinian Information Center