Harsh circumstances have pushed Khadija Bassar, an 18-year-old from the town of Kfar remnants, to work in street cleaning. She took up the shovel and set out to remove weeds that have been rooted for a long time, as if she were trying to pull out an opportunity for herself. The nursing student is not ashamed of what she does, unlike her peers. Carrying the broom that her father once used is a source of pride for her. "My father used to clean the streets before he fell ill, and I am doing the same job to help him."
For months, she has been shuttling between home and the intensive care unit in the hospital due to her father's poor condition, but today she divides her time between cleaning the streets and caring for him. She is not bothered about missing some months of her academic year. She has her eyes on a near relief and never leaves her smile, despite her circumstances. She believes in the saying, "After hardship, comes relief."
Khadija, the "sister of men," has decided to face life with a hoe and a shovel. She carries the burden of her sick father and goes to clean the streets, challenging her bitter reality. She understands that circumstances require a lot of hard work from her. She refuses to break; this phrase does not enter her struggle's vocabulary. All she wants is for her circumstances to change one day so she can continue her studies peacefully. It is a dream she knows is impossible, "but it is not difficult because I am determined to work and will not back down. I am not ashamed of cleaning the roads; what I do is honorable. What I am ashamed of is failing in my studies and in supporting my father."
Khadija possesses a strong character, born from her circumstances. She works tirelessly. "There is no time for fatigue; today I am sweeping the streets, and tomorrow I might work in anything else. Work is not shameful; shame is in surrendering."
Anyone observing Khadija, an 18-year-old girl, notices her determination to confront her circumstances. She tries to remove all obstacles from her path, hoping to change a bit of her bad luck, as she puts it. She was forced to work in a tough profession to support her family. She never asks, "Why am I not like others?" On the contrary, she is a fighter despite her young age. She knows well that conditions have changed, and that she has to strive to build a future for herself. "I want to be a successful nurse, to stand by every needy person. Today, I help my father, who taught me to be a hard-working person who is not afraid of difficulties."
Khadija understands that what she is doing is difficult on different levels, between caring for her father, working, and studying. Yet, she repeats, “I trust that I am capable and will succeed.” She was raised in a poor environment and had to work to provide for even the simplest of her needs. "My father has special needs, and now his condition is deteriorating. I sit beside him in the intensive care unit to take care of him. He is my father; I will endure everything for him, and I will work in every possible way to be close to him."
Few in Khadija's generation work in street cleaning, as this profession has always been associated with poverty. However, Khadija has broken this stereotype. She picked up a hoe and a shovel, removing dirt and weeds. Although she works temporarily with a labor organization, she assures that what she earns will help her. She does not care about "image" or people's comments; what matters to her is work alone. "People will not provide medications for my father or even my study expenses. Work alone is what can help me."
