<USAID Project Revives Traditional Crafts and Encourages Bedouin Women to Work and Contribute to Family Income

	Nawal gives a brief about the handicrafts being produced at the workshop.

In the small community of Productive Village, in the midst of Wadi Rum, the work of tradition, the legacy of the past and the mesmerizing surroundings have combined to create a successful handicraft industry and provide economic opportunity to the women who live there. The Productive Village Cooperative is one of the recipients of a USAID/Siyaha grant, which is being used to support the production of a diverse range of handicrafts, as well as other projects.

Nawal Salem Al Sweelheen is the supervisor of this workshop, which employs 12 women from the village. Following training to develop their design and handicraft skills, the women have been producing a range of unique handmade products; the materials and designs used in their creations relate to the local environment and history. “We take inspiration from our surroundings and heritage,” says Nawal proudly.

Animal designs and shapes are prominent in the products of the cooperative, such as silver scorpion-shaped brooches and camel prints on handbags. Nawal points out that all of these animals hold meaning for the village and the women of the cooperative as they are all indigenous to the area. This has instilled in the locals an awareness of the importance of their surroundings, as Nawal explains, “All our work is dependent on our environment; we use only natural materials and are careful to protect our environment.” Through their work, village women have come to better appreciate the necessity of conservation, as their surrounding natural environment is a source of materials and inspiration.

The cooperative employs women like Nawal whose families have lived in the village for generations. “I’m from this village, as are all the women who work here,” declares Nawal. “The project has benefited all women of the village by giving us employment opportunities.”

As Bedouin women take up paid employment, they are able to contribute to their family incomes, thus working towards a better standard of living that affects the whole village.

Grateful for what the handicraft workshop has given her, Nawal has an optimistic outlook about its effect on the village. “I look forward to seeing the future success of this project, which has given so much opportunity to the women and youth of this community.”

The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation’s “Qudorat” program contributed to the Productive Village Handicraft workshop by supplying equipment. In addition to a grant, USAID/Siyaha is providing technical support to the Productive Village Cooperative to develop its management capacity and produce enhanced tourism products. As well as breathing economic life into the village, this support from USAID/Siyaha is encouraging the revival of traditional handicrafts, providing benefit to the local community, visitors and tour operators, as a result of the greater diversity of products and services.