Embroidery from Palestinian refugee camp sold in London, Paris and Dubai boutiques
Nisaa FM: - How do we help women in a refugee camp and at the same time make a product to be sold in an up market Paris, London or Dubai boutique?
In 2013, Roberta Ventura, an Italian with a background in investment banking, asked herself this very question when she decided to set up a social project to help women in the camp after visiting it and seeing their intricate skills close up.
The project SEP Jordan (SEP for social enterprise project) aims to change lives not only of dozens but over time, hundreds, perhaps thousands of women. “The project started with 10 women and now they are 300,” says the program’s director, Nawal Aradah. “We make products on request: shawls, handbags, towels, sheets and all kinds of household decor.”
Palestinian women embroiders at a workshop in Jordan’s Jerash Palestinian refugee camp
In the small workshop in the Jerash refugee camp in Jordan, Halima Al-Ankassuri embroiders traditional patterns onto a blue shawl. The 54-year-old mother of seven describes her work as modern products with shimmering colors, embroidered with Palestinian and Islamic motifs. “I’m proud to see Europeans wearing what we produce here and to see top fashion magazines take an interest,” Ankassuri says referring to the German online edition of Vogue.
A flag and a map hang on the walls of the workshop, reminding the women of their link with the land of their birth or, for the younger ones, that of their ancestors. “Every woman here has a story,” program director Aradah says. “This work helps them to send their children to school, change the furniture in their homes and improve their living conditions, especially since many husbands do not work.”
300 refugee women embroider to improve their lives
On the workshop’s tables lay traditional keffiyeh chequered headscarves with inscriptions of different colors, along with cashmere shawls and handbags. For women in the workshop, embroidery is an important source of income.
“We all suffer from poverty in this camp,” Ankassuri said. “This work helps us to improve our lives, even if we charge for our products individually at low prices, from 15 to 20 dinars.” Every product she embroiders requires at least a week’s work. She says she has pain in her hands, but enjoys being around other women in the workshop.
The Jerash camp in northern Jordan was established to host more than 11,000 Palestinians who fled the Gaza Strip during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. Half a century on, more than 29,000 refugees live in the camp amid poverty, unemployment and crumbling infrastructure.
“As well as presenting Palestinian history and culture to a new audience, the craftwork helps promote the cause of our people,” program director Aradah says proudly.
Products are shipped off to up market shops in Paris, London or Dubai
Every two months, 11 to 14 cartons containing 190 to 270 kilogrammes of goods are sent to stores in Paris, London or Dubai.
They are also sold inside the Palestinian territories — in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem, says the project’s regional manager, Mahmoud Al-Hajj. In a shop inside a large Amman hotel, prices range from 20 to 300 dinars ($30 to $430, 25 to 362 euros), according to Hajj, who says most buyers are foreign tourists. The founder Roberta Ventura states that the women’s unique talent is appreciated around the world.
Ankassuri and her colleagues learned the art of embroidery from their mothers and grandmothers. Each region of historic Palestine has its own motifs and patterns. Hiba Al-Hudari, weaving a blue purse with Islamic inscriptions, says the workshop had become a second home to her. The 37-year-old mother of six earns about 150 dinars a month. “With that, I help my husband, who’s a mechanic, provide for our household,” she says.
Source: www.arabnews.com