To beat unemployment, young Gazans turn to birds
In light of the repeated Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip that have destroyed the local economy, some young Palestinians are breeding canaries to overcome poverty and unemployment.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Ehab Adas, 28, spends most of his time listening to the chirps of his canaries on the roof of his house. The birds are his only source of support for his family of four. One bird can fetch 300 shekels ($80), enough to meet his family's needs for a week. Raising birds is part of a new trend among Palestinians suffering from unemployment and desperate to make ends meet.
“I graduated from university in 2012, and I worked in a cement factory. But the Israeli war destroyed my workplace, and I was left without a job. This forced me to search for another source of income to support my family,” Adas told Al-Monitor.
He explained that breeding birds is cost effective and does not require a lot of effort. “I only have to provide a warm place and food for the birds. I also have to have experience in identifying mating seasons, egg hatching and treatment of diseases,” he said.
According to statistics issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for the second quarter of 2014, Gaza's unemployment rate stood at 44.5%.
