A sewing workshop has been operating in ruins to mend worn-out clothes for displaced Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip, as Israel's continuous destruction of the enclave has made new clothes a luxury almost impossible to come by or afford.
The UN humanitarian coordinator for Gaza said in early July that a total of 1.9 million people, around 80 percent of the region's population, were displaced.
However, in a room behind demolished walls in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, a sewing workshop has quietly been set up, with some workers using sewing machines recovered from a bombed-out tailoring workshop to provide mending services.
"I opened the workshop after I was able to recover the sewing machines and some fabric from the old factory. I work to serve all the displaced people of the Gaza Strip, such as people from the al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis and the Nuseirat [refugee camp]," said Abu Samer Shaat, the workshop owner.
The prolonged and intense Israel-Hamas conflict has forced a great number of Gazan families to flee from one place to another. Due to the continuous destruction of their homes and shelters, all they left were the clothes they wear.
Shops, markets and factories were turned into rubble as a result of the Israeli bombing, and the surviving trading sites in Gaza also suffer a shortage of clothes and fabrics due to Israel's ban on entry of goods and materials.
"Our clothes became loose. We had to take them to tailors to mend them as they had become worn out. There are no new clothes in the market. If there are a few, the prices will be very high, and we will not be able to buy them because we do not have any source of income. Our entire lives have come to a halt," said Hoda Al-Maghari, a displaced Palestinian.
Sewing workshop struggles in ruins to mend clothes for displaced Gaza residents
Grassroots officials and students who teamed up with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the voluntary tree planting activity in Beijing on Thursday morning said afterwards they would commit more energy to protecting their country's natural heritage and greening efforts.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was accompanied by other Party and state leaders as they joined residents and local officials on the bank of the Yongding River in Beijing’s Fengtai District to plant saplings.
Xi waved to the crowd as he arrived at the site before picking up a shovel to help plant saplings of several different types of tree.
Xi took time to ask students from local schools about their studies, life and participation in labor and sports.
"We came here today to participate in this tree planting activity. What surprised us was that President Xi also took part. He worked alongside us, digging and building up the soil around the saplings. He has always been concerned about our lives and studies, and he encouraged us to work and study hard," said Lyu Shuochen, a student from the Fifth Primary School in Fengtai District.
"President Xi is very knowledgeable and understanding. He also encouraged us plant more trees to improve the air quality and the environment," said Gu Weichen, another student from the school.
During the event, Xi also talked with local grassroots officials, discussing the importance of preserving the nation's natural heritage.
"Every year, [the general secretary] takes part in the tree planting activity in the capital. He shovels the soil and waters the trees, which are truly touching. As environmental builders, we are determined to work together to make areas along the Yongding River greener and make the water clearer, so that local people can safely enjoy the riverside and truly understand the significance of ecological preservation," said Ding Hongwei, deputy director of the Fengtai District Yongding River Management Office.
"For us, participating in the tree planting activity with the general secretary is a vivid practical lesson in grassroots governance. Today, the general secretary also stressed that [environmental efforts should focus on] improving quality, boosting industry and benefiting the people. For us as community workers, it means we must deeply engage in the grassroots affairs. We need to strive for growth and do practical things to provide support for the residents and the people around us," said Qian Cheng, Party secretary of Tianlun Jincheng community in Beijing's Fengtai District.
"In addition to building the capital into a garden city, we also integrate the concept of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature into our daily life and work. We hope to create a better environment for everyone," said Lin Qiaoling, a Party committee member in Caoqiao Village, Yuquanying Subdistrict in Fengtai District.
Encouraged by Xi, the environmental champions at the site pledged to actively engage in public welfare activities, joining forces to contribute to the building of a Beautiful China and making the country even greener.
"President Xi told us while we were watering the saplings that watering the trees is like nurturing us children. I will follow what President Xi said. I want to become a teacher to educate and nurture others, and sow the seeds for them to grow their talents," said Wang Nanbixuan, another student from the school.
"As a primary school student in the capital, I am committed to planting more trees, working harder, and adding more green spaces to make our capital even more beautiful," said Chang Yuyang, another student from the school.
"With the personal involvement and leadership of the general secretary, the greening efforts in the capital will reach a new level, and citizens will be able to more directly enjoy the results of ecological civilization development," said Ding.
"As the general secretary said, we will continue working, one generation after another, to improve the greening efforts for the people, and contribute our own strength to ecological preservation in the capital and the whole country," said Lin.
Planting trees with President Xi inspires new generation of environmental champions
