For Hanadi, love is sweet. Hanadi is our WCK #ChefsForGaza pastry chef, and she spread the love this Eid by making maamoul, traditional Eid sweets, for families who rely on WCK kitchens for their meals.

Baking has always been Hanadi’s passion, long before she joined WCK. But when she saw communities all around her in Gaza losing their homes, businesses, and access to food, she felt called to share her talent with her neighbors. Now, her job is serving joyful moments to families in Gaza—many of whom have lost everything.

“When I’m feeling down, I go bake sweets. They bring joy and energy to people in the hospitals and make them feel happy. Especially since we’re currently facing a shortage of sweets in the markets,” she told us.

In the face of extremely inconsistent access to supplies, sometimes, all Hanadi has to bake with are sugar and flour. Still, she makes awama, a simple treat that WCK teams distribute to families and hospital patients to bring them joy. She spends lots of time experimenting in the kitchen, testing out different pastry ideas for celebrations and regular days alike.

“For the people of the Gaza Strip, sweets are the food that brings them the most joy. The moment they see sweets, smiles light up their faces,” she says.

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