License to Skill
Jameel Al Qeeq, 48, lives in Gaza City. Jameel is the breadwinner for a family of ten including seven daughters and one son, Ahmed, who is an Al Fakhoora Dynamic Futures Scholarship recipient pursuing his studies in Electrical Engineering in the Islamic University in Gaza (IUG).
Jameel is among only a few talented people in Gaza who studied graphic design. In 1989, he attended a training course in graphics design in the West Bank. “20 years ago, life was much different in Gaza and there was a chance to travel and cross to the West Bank, I was even awarded a training by AMIDEST to go to the US for to continue my studies in graphics design, drawings for children books, dummy design, and more, all of which advanced my skills. Yet following the restriction of movement imposed on the Gaza Strip strictly since late 2000, I had to keep working inside Gaza only.”
“Since 2000 my career has been collapsing, I was mainly dependent on the external market for my work and in Gaza, they do not and cannot pay much for me as freelancer, so, I had to start a business, but I faced with challenges due to the high expanses for my family, it is a huge financial overload when they’re young and even when they are getting older.”
Well-known in Gaza for his powerful graffiti skills, Jameel helps young people to make basic drawings on the walls. He says, “Graffiti is a very important tool in Gaza culture. I never worked for political parties; my latest drawing was expressing the social life of the Palestinians, and the Palestinian heritage, for this there is a lot of interest but for graphics and animation, Gaza has a poor market.”
In 2010, the UNDP Deprived families Economic Empowerment Programme’s (DEEP) field team visited Jameel’s family. Assessing his livelihood using the poverty scorecard, it became clear that Jameel had poor resources to provide a reasonable standard of living for his family. After discussion, Jameel proposed to invest in his skills and open a small workshop. Jameel asked for some equipment like a scanner, rendering box, laptop, printer and more worth 5,000 USD. “I planned my project well, I wanted the people to be aware first that I am using different tools and that I have the capacity to enter the market. This needs time” Jameel Stated.
Jameel’s business as a freelancer in graphic and animation design is going very well with a steady income from $ 200 to $ 250 overall. Late in 2012, Jameel moved his business from his home to a new office, which he has named the “Graphic Design Workshop” near Al Quds Open University. He offers photocopying, printing of leaflets, posters, educational materials and of course, graphic design services and logos, but still there is no high payment for this compared with the work in West Bank, a logo in Gaza for example would cost, $30 while in West Bank, it can be worth $250.
The workshop financial records show a net income range of $350 to $400, with seasonal work providing further increases in some months.
“Thanks to Allah, I am so happy, the shop has made me really feel settled, I am sure, it will grow more” Jameel stated. “I am also proud of Ahmed, he is doing very well in university, I follow up on his studies and scholarship, and always encourage him to learn more skills through the scholarship program, I think this is great component, which will help to enhance his skills”
