Noora was bending over a cooking pot preparing a meal when I arrived. Her face lit up when she saw me and then a large smile beamed across her face. She rose and met me with the traditional greeting of holding one another and kissing one another’s cheeks.
Noora quickly hurried to find her work that I had come to collect. I looked around her simple home. It was freshly swept and their simple belongings were all neatly in their place. Her youngest slept peacefully while her two young daughters played outside. Noora returned with her latest work. She had developed a new design and had altered the colors in one of the traditional patterns. Her creativity was blossoming. She was keen to know what I thought. Her eyes sparkled when she saw my pleasure in her work. She was obviously very artistic and had a real eye for color and design, as well as attention to detail.
Noora’s husband would not allow her to work outside the home but since the training and meeting other women doing the same artwork, she had developed in confidence and was working hard to produce some quality saleable products too. They were both very happy and grateful that Noora could contribute to their income while still staying at home to care for the household.
During these times of economic challenges, most women in remote Bedouin villages feel helpless as their husbands experience increasing difficulty meeting their families’ basic needs. The women bear the totality of the household responsibilities making it extremely difficult to develop marketable skills or to work outside the home. This project seeks to empower rural women to use their skills in creating traditional Bedouin artwork as a means of income generation. The ladies are given the opportunity to manage their own home-based business, while still fulfilling their domestic and family responsibilities. $175 per women covers the cost of training and materials.
