SOOHÊR EL-IDLIBÎ

Idlib - Women living under harsh conditions in the refugee camps located in Idlib have begun to collect mushrooms to earn a living. 32-year-old Raide Xelil is one of them. She told us that they go to the fields and forests near the Kefer Erg Camp, northern Idlib in the very early hours of the morning.

She makes a living by collecting mushroom

Stating that her husband lost his job in agriculture after escaping from Soran, a village in the north of Hama, Raide Xelil said, “We are badly affected by the high prices and poverty. Sometimes, we don’t have anything to eat. Collecting wild mushrooms is my family's livelihood and many unemployed people collect mushrooms to make a living. I sell a kilo of mushrooms to the greengrocer for 25 Turkish liras. All women and children in the camp collect mushrooms.”

She collects mushrooms with her children

El-Ceban doesn’t know anything about mushroom species. She collects mushrooms with her five children but has difficulties which mushrooms are poisonous or not. “I don’t know anything about the mushroom species. I try to find edible mushrooms. Collecting wild mushrooms is not only a livelihood for women but also for children. Children often come in groups to collect mushrooms. They sell mushrooms or take them home to eat.”

She wants to support her mother

11-year-old Wail El Mehmudi is looking forward to the mushroom season. “I want to support my mother. I hope the mushroom season continues all year.”

Mushrooms are good for health

Food engineer Dalia Hac Humeda says that mushrooms are a rich, low-calorie source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants and in the B vitamins. “Mushrooms provide energy and mood enhancement, increase vitality and endurance. They also prevent many diseases. They stop or slow the growth of tumors or kill tumor cells. Although mushrooms are small, they play an active role in maintaining a healthy life. They are good for health.”