Epress.am News from Armenia
Women do not drive trucks in Gaza. Not until Lina Ibrahim broke the social taboo and insisted that she be allowed to take a course in truck driving, and use the skill to pay for her university studies, reports Ma’an News agency, an independent agency reporting on news from Palestine.
With Gaza’s economy in ruins, women have increasingly joined the formal and informal workforce sectors to help support themselves and their families.
Driving a truck part time will allow Lina to pursue her studies in optometry, which she hopes to practice in Gaza.
Filmed for a series of short features that air during the holy moth of Ramadan, Lina Ibrahim’s story aired as part of the program Hay Baladna (This is Our Country), which highlights the challenges and successes of Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem and other cities now in Israel.
The programs are broadcast on the only Palestinain satellite channel in Israel, and can be viewed in homes across the Middle East.