Starting a small business can be difficult even under the best circumstances. Imagine giving it a go in an environment wracked by wars, under a blockade, in the absence of financial and logistical support from the government and the private sector, and with limited marketing opportunities.

Both the Gaza Strip's government and nongovernmental organizations are financially ill-equipped to protect or promote projects initiated by Gazan youth. Gaza's already weak economy is collapsing, according to Palestinian news agency WAFA. Yet some young Gazans are working to get their ideas off the ground, launching many creative projects and websites. 

Amani Sharqawi launched a needlework project on Facebook and Instagram in 2012. She called it Ebra.Khet, Arabic for "Needle and Thread." Sharqawi, like most young Gazans, was struggling in the rising unemployment rates in Palestine. Four out of 10 young people in Gaza are unemployed, according to the latest report from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, issued Aug. 12.

Sharqawi came up with the idea for the unconventional project after designing her own laptop cover. “I created the cover with a quality fabric that I liked and I put some designs on it. When people started complimenting it, I figured this would be my project,” she told Al-Monitor.