Women from Mount Lebanon join initiative to improve their handcraft skills
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Thirty-five women from the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon gathered at the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon to display their handcraft creations and meet the renowned designer Samer Alameen who will be mentoring a group of them in the coming months as part of the SheMinLebnen initiative. The programme offers an opportunity for skilled women to further refine their craft and a platform to market their products in Lebanon and internationally.
Implemented by The Blessing Foundation and UN Women Lebanon in partnership with the UN Global Compact Network Lebanon (GCNL), this initiative supports women skilled in handcrafts, from diverse governorates of Lebanon, to be mentored by internationally-renowned Lebanese designers. Samer Alameen is one of these designers lending their experience and expertise to support the beneficiaries to develop their skills.
A Lebanese industrial designer, Mr. Alameen is based in Milan where he has his own studio. He joined the SheMinLebnen initiative to support women’s economic empowerment and bring about positive change in the participants’ communities. “I am convinced that fostering women’s role in Lebanon means developing half of the country. I want to support these women to boost their sense of initiative. Usually men have better opportunities than women to develop their skills. Women lack time because they are often expected to take care of the household,” said Mr. Alameen.
Christina Kortbani, one of the 20 women who will represent Mount Lebanon in this initiative, is dedicating her skills and passion to her designs. She said “since childhood, I have created items from basic materials. I learned about the SheMinLebnen initiative through a Facebook announcement. I was first intrigued by the name, as it focused on women, so I sent a selection of pictures summarizing my creations.” For her, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “I am fully committed to this initiative. I have quit my job to dedicate time to my own creations. I hope to be able to open my own atelier one day”.
“This project aims to achieve results on three levels: capacity development, policy and institutional. With our partners UN Women and GCNL, we will also provide women with trainings on leadership and marketing so that each woman can become independent and the leader of a group within her own community” said Rima Al Housseini, founder of The Blessing Foundation.
Speaking at the event, Faten Tibi, Manager of the Women and Youth Programme at UN Women Lebanon said “this initiative will help improve your skills as women through introducing you to known designers, it will then help you access market and sell your products. You will benefit from a one-of-a-kind marketing platform and a suitable opportunity for progress”.
“SheMinLebnen is not only about handcrafts, it is about human beings, it is about listening to women, helping them to realize what they need and to understand their rights and learn how to claim them”, said Dina Harake, Executive Director of the GCNL.
Hanane Touloudjian, another of the selected women from Mount Lebanon said “I learned crochet basics early on thanks to my mother’s friend. She would let me sit next to her and watch her complete crocheted items. At the age of nine, it was hard for me to learn this handcraft, but I gradually mastered it”. After being selected for the next phase of the SheMinLebnen initiative, she regained self-confidence. “My dream is to let people appreciate my creations. I believe that all women participating in the programme need support to market their products on a large scale, but more importantly, they need to believe in their own talent and potential,” she added.