Every morning when the roosters crow, Afaf Sawafta (36 years old) takes out at least 150 laying hens to an area of ​​70 meters while working on her poultry farm - part of an agricultural dunum owned by her family- in the village of Bardala (Northern Jordan Valley). Afaf and her parents share farming tasks, they clean the barn, collect the eggs and then prepare them for sale.

This one-year-old project exempted Afaf and her family from suffering while working as farmers in the settlements. As of 2004, Afaf has been either volunteering in general institutions, or forced to work in the occupied territories to obtain income that could cover her basic needs.

The opportunity came when she joined the project of Tubas Rural Business Opportunities and Social Innovation (TURBO), which was implemented by the Business Women Forum - Palestine (BWF).

“When I heard about the project, I applied as soon as possible,” Afaf said. “I chose the laying poultry project as I live in a rural community and have been involved in this business since I was a child.”

The ‘Beit Al-Falah for Rural Eggs’ project became an important source of income to Afaf and her family as the farm was built on a piece of land that hasn’t been used for 40 years. Thanks to the efforts of the (TURBO) project, it became a profitable project in which Afaf could prepare a vision and a working plan for the next 5 years instead of thinking about the immediate profit.

Afaf now plans to grow her poultry farm and to include hundreds of chickens, so it can provide meat and eggs to consumers at reasonable prices.