Category: Inspiring Experiences

In this section, you will find inspiring experiences using crafts to promote social change and empower people in disadvantage situation, mostly women. Initiatives that we consider represent good practices.

Bringing market access to refugee Artisans

Thanks to MADE51, a new initiative supported by UNHCR displaced craftspeople from 11 nations across the world will present their products at the annual Ambiente fair, which runs 9-13 February in Frankfurt, Germany.

 

Continue reading “Bringing market access to refugee Artisans”

Craftmanship brings new life to local economy in Tunisia

Leila Ben-Gacem, Fabric of Change Ashoka Fellow, is bringing a new life to local artisans through social entrepreneurship. Her initiative, Blue Fish is aimed at supporting craft communities to “adapt to global market trends to their own heritage and hence threatening the evolution of national cultures”. Passionate about cultural diversity they believe positive socio-economic development can exists through arts & crafts.

In this interview written by Ashoka , Tara Roberts explains how Tunisian artisans are supported.

Read the interview and find a good practice to replicate everywhere.

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“The handmade reflects the soul of the person who made it”

We – The Souk, reflect in this video the power of Syrian artisanship and invite us to reflect about the risks is confronting. A beautiful compilation of powerful stories.

Continue reading ““The handmade reflects the soul of the person who made it””

Embroidered Lifeline for Palestinian Women Refugees in Jordan

Empowering Embroidery

Discovered thanks to the Guardian another amazing initiative using crafts, embroidery in this case, to support women refugees social inclusion. SEP JORDAN, is a social entrepreneurship initiative founded by Roberta Ventura, an Italian born woman based in Geneva.

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Credits: The Guardian. Asma Aradeh, employed by social enterprise SEP Jordan inspects embroidery work together with two colleagues. Photograph: Faras Oran

SEP Jordan describes themselves as ethical fashion start-up distinguished by their intricate embroidery and geometric patterns, and storytelling. For them “Every Stitch Tells a Story: each piece is embroidered by a single talented artist” based in  Jerash Camp in Jordan.

Ensuring that the marvelous cross-stitch technique is being passed down from generation to generation, SEP Jordan works to empower “less fortunate artists with professional, personal and economic stability”.

CNN visit their atelier and interviewed Palestinian artists on the impact of this beautiful work.

Discover their amazing work here and follow the on facebook.