An Egyptian village exclusively inhabited by women has garnered much attention, being sometimes labelled as “the village of widows and divorcees.”

The village traces its history back to 1998 when the government pledged to support impoverished women by transforming the Samaha village in Upper Egypt into a haven for female breadwinners.

Each widow or divorced woman wanting to live in the village was granted six feddans of land for cultivation and a house.

In 2000, 303 women had received their allotted land and houses. Fast forward 24 years, and the village is thriving, with its women predominantly engaged in agricultural activities and each having a multitude of stories to tell, some poignant and others triumphant.

Um Amani, a 43-year-old resident, said that “it is not true that we are solely a village of women. That was the reality 24 years ago, but circumstances have changed.”

“I received my land and house because I was divorced with two young daughters. My sole income was a social security pension of LE370 from the Ministry of Social Solidarity. By working on the land, I received resources like seeds and fertilisers from the local agricultural association,” she added.

Um Amani said she rises at five in the morning to tend her land, cultivating hay for livestock feed while occasionally also planting hibiscus. She sells her crops each season, but the long distance between the village and the nearest towns can mean that her produce does not make much of a profit, leading to persistent financial struggles.

Life in the village is far from easy, said Sett Al-Banat, a widow in her 60s. The absence of reliable transportation makes simple tasks like buying essentials from Edfu, the closest urban hub, or accessing medical care a challenge.

Securing a tricycle or a horse-drawn carriage for travel is essential, albeit costly, she added.

The village’s women also have to confront additional hurdles, including recurrent flooding due to rising water levels. Change came about with President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi’s Decent Life Initiative to develop the countryside. This led to enhancements of the drainage network, but progress halted due to logistical difficulties, village residents said.

Originally housing only women and their children of both sexes, the village’s dynamics have evolved as the original inhabitants’ offspring have matured, wed, and started families of their own. No longer exclusively female, the community has witnessed a transformation over time.

One village woman recounted the story of her neighbour who needed a heart operation. Faced with the high costs of surgery, plus a lack of medical insurance, she resorted to selling her home, the only asset at her disposal. The sale, though unauthorised, was aimed at saving her life. The woman passed away after the operation, leaving the house in the possession of its unofficial owners.

Today, some residents would like to see further state help. “We feel neglected, and we lack many services in the village. The Decent Life Initiative should continue its development programme in Samaha,” Um Amani said.

Hamdi Al-Kashef, village overseer since 2010 and presently affiliated with the International Fund for Agricultural Development, told Al-Ahram Weekly that “the village falls under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, specifically the Land Reclamation Sector in the Wadi Al-Saaida area. It has been designated for breadwinning woman, specifically widows and divorcees.”

“Development work within the village has led to the establishment of a health and veterinary unit, a school, water facilities, and a commercial market, all managed under the purview of the local agricultural association,” he added.

“The notion of an all-female village faded in 2014 when some women sought to remarry without official notification, contravening the conditions under which the land and housing were allocated to them,” Al-Kashef continued.

“Moreover, men enter the village to provide services as needed.”

One married woman who chose to remain anonymous said that “societal norms in Upper Egypt favour marital bonds. At the same time, I could not afford to lose the land and the house, as I needed them to support my children. I kept my marriage a secret in the village as a result, and my husband does not come to the village.”

Al-Kashef said that the village had struggled with flooding between 2006 and 2008. “The International Fund for Agricultural Development and the UN World Food Programme established drainage networks as a result and have promised to expand these networks,” he added

“However, the problem persists and is exacerbated by rising temperatures in the area.”

Despite such adversities, the resilience of the village’s women shines through in the efforts they put into their agricultural pursuits, with many of them cultivating a diverse array of crops including wheat, mangoes, hibiscus, onions, and hay for livestock.

 

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* A version of this article appears in print in the 1 August, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly