A woman with a wrench? ‘Why not?’ asks Jordan’s Ra’edah Abu Alhalaweh

Once on her own, she started building a business, and eventually began training others. “People started to know about my work and asked for help,” she says. “I also distributed brochures and magnetic cards to market what I do.”

Ra’edah’s business savvy is clearly innate, but it’s been enhanced by a CARE-sponsored course on small business development. CARE also helped her secure a grant to buy new tools and equipment. Even her children are proud of her, she says.

“They used to share my Facebook page with everyone and told their friends about what I do and that I can help them in anything,” Ra’edah says. “The main message I want to share with all women out there is that your future is in your hands, not your husband. I always tell my daughters: the most important thing is to be financially independent. Rely on yourself and be diligent about it. Even if you are a housewife, life circumstances may change, and it requires your participation to support yourself and him.”

As she has broken stereotypes, Ra’edah has turned heads.

“Once, when the house owner and her husband saw me fixing the bathroom, it was such a big event for them,” she recalls. “I noticed them observing me all the time. Her husband was telling his wife how great I was and how impressed he was. I became a role model for other women. Even the kids observed me while I was working. It was a shocking for them. In our culture, this job is only for men.”

“One day I got in a taxi and told him I work as a plumber; he told me you are Ra’adeh, right? I told him, yes,” she recalls, laughing. “I thought that my reputation preceded me.”

Along the way, Ra’edah ran into a number of homes with long-deferred plumbing issues, simply because, for a long time, it had been impossible for a male plumber to visit during the day. She also encountered a great deal of skepticism.

“I received so many comments like, ‘is it possible that you do plumbing? Is it possible that you can fix things?’ I tell them: ‘yes, I can.’ Why can’t I fix it? What is the obstacle? I am well-trained in plumbing, and only real experience provides you with the proof you need. Give me something to fix, and you will see the result with your own eyes.”

“If you love what you do, you can always succeed.”