How refugee Maral was embraced and empowered

How refugee Maral was embraced and empowered

Maral Berberian (above), who fled Aleppo seeking refuge in Armenia when war broke out in 2011, is now part of a women’s craft co-operative supported by CRE exhibitor Embrace the Middle East.

‘I treasure our group of women artisans,’ said Maral, who learned traditional Armenian embroidery techniques as a child in Syria. ‘The women enjoy their handicraft and the ambience of harmony and joy which they have crafted themselves – with the warmness coming from their hearts.’

EmbraceME, a member of the World Fair Trade Organisation, is supporting social enterprise in the region by providing an international market for fairly-traded handicrafts created by Maral and her colleagues. Founded three years ago by Sonya Varoujian, Noor and Katu create hand-painted rosettes and hand-embroidered felt eggs.

Dan O’Callaghan, head of trading for EmbraceME, said: ‘They source uniquely beautiful handicrafts from fair trade artisans in Armenia. Their motto, “artful giving with a conscience”, spells out everything they do – sourcing raw materials locally, finding talent in rural communities and providing fair wages and safe working conditions for all their artisans.

‘The name, Noor and Katu, translates as “pomegranate and cat”. In Armenian culture the pomegranate is a symbol of life and abundance, while cats are traditionally revered.’

Hand-painted wooden rosettes are laser-cut by women war veterans with disabilities from the Armenian war. Designs inspired by ancient church carvings, cross stones (khachkars) and monasteries are created by Anna, Satenik and Arusyak – art teachers who fund their school, pupils and community in Koghb by selling handmade products.

‘We had to fund the school somehow,’ said Anna. ‘The three of us are art teachers, so we decided to create our own products. All our time outside the classes is dedicated to this project.’

As Dan added: ‘When you choose fairly-traded, hand-crafted decorations and gifts from Embrace, you are supporting the life-changing work that our partners do throughout the Middle East and ensuring that artisans can continue to provide for their families and communities.’

• Embrace the Middle East are on stand E3 at CRE Midlands 2023

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

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