Gaza Amal El Shair

I enjoy my job and I’m proud to be woman engineer. I have been a Team Leader for Damage Assessment after the 50 days of hostilities in Gaza in the summer of 2014. There was extensive damage to a lot of infrastructure so I shared in site visits and carried out a technical assessment of major damage to homes. I helped a lot of people rebuild their homes and supported the people who live there as much as I could. Our work is very important to help and support those who are in dire situations and I hope that one day everyone is Gaza will live happily.

Working in the field is a very interesting and educational experience. My work with CTG makes me feel enthusiastic, full of self-esteem, confident, valuable and motivated. My experience of working is very positive. I was given an opportunity to prove myself on the construction site, which is still often considered as a workplace only suitable for men, where women’s roles are limited.

I am a mother of four children and a civil engineer, and I’m proud to work for an organisation that respects women and promotes a healthy work-life balance. I don’t have to fight to prove I have the capabilities to compete with men in my field of work and I don’t have to choose between a fulfilling career and being a mother – I can do both because I work hard and can still get home in time to care for my four children. I really believe that women civil engineers, here, are proof that women can do anything and everything. In industrial work, a woman can do anything as well as man.

CTG is an organization that respects women and promotes a healthy work-life balance. I am proud of CTG’s policies on gender equality. Becoming a national monitoring engineer for CTG, as a woman, was a turning point in my career. I’ve learnt a lot since working with CTG and I look forward to working with them in the future. I am confident that I will take on progressively greater tasks in the future.

Gender should be considered early on in any project process in order to increase sustainability. CTG identifies areas where projects may positively or adversely impact the quality of life for women and girls. Well-planned infrastructure can expand their available opportunities by, for example, providing access to markets; improving livelihoods; increasing training options; providing access to basic services and including health facilities and education.

I advise anyone who wants to work in a role like mine to improve themselves in language, engineering and management skills and to be efficient in tasks. You should be a problem solver, not a problem finder.