Sunbula Newsletter
Issue #4
December 2007
S E A S O N' S G R E E T I N G S
Wishing you happy holidays and a peaceful 2008!
The year 2007 has been a year of leaping forward for Sunbula. Our grassroots development projects and partnership with artisan groups expanded, and we were part of fantastic public events that many of you attended.
However, the daily life of our artisans has only become harder this year. This is due to the ongoing political instability, the rapid annexation of Palestinian land to the expanding Jewish settlements and the Separation Wall, and hundreds of roadblocks and checkpoints across the occupied territories that disconnect the communities and restrict the movement of people and goods. In the besieged Gaza Strip, the economic and humanitarian situation has become extremely grave.
With handicrafts-generated income becoming more crucial than ever for the survival of families, Palestinian artisans are striving to carry out their work under these challenging conditions. Sunbula remains committed to them, and will continue to explore ways to better support their economic self-help in 2008.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
-
- -- Introducing the Haneen Project
- -- Gaza producers struggle with raw materials shortage
- -- Sales up by 40% from last year's bazaar!
- to all of you who made our work possible in 2007
|
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 2007
|
CELEBRATING THE CRAFT TRADITIONS OF PALESTINE
Photo Exhibition Tour
Gaza (February), Nablus (August)
Sunbula's nationwide photography exhibition tour ended with a great success in August, after touring around the country since September 2006. The exhibition marked the 10th anniversary of Sunbula by honoring and celebrating the work of Palestinian artisans.
Sponsored by the French Cultural Centers across Palestine, the exhibition started in Jerusalem, and toured to Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, and , until it ended in Nablus. Many of the artisans from Sunbula's producer groups attended the event when it came to their nearby city, and were delighted to see themselves in the beautiful photography by Steve Sabella, one of Palestine's most prominent photographers.
Sunbula thanks the staff of French Cultural Centers for the wonderful tour.
DUET FESTIVAL - JAFFA
Arab Jewish Community Center of Jaffa
October 20
Sunbula and its producer groups attended the Duet Festival in Jaffa, held at the heart of Palestinian community of Al-Ajami. It was the second time that Sunbula was invited by the Arab Jewish Community Center, who organized this annual event.
Thanks to the hard work of the center's staff, 16 artisans representing 9 of Sunbula's producer groups were able to obtain the permit to leave the West Bank to sell their crafts at the festival. Due to the ever-tightening restriction of movement under the occupation, it was the first time in more than a decade that many of them saw the Mediterranean Sea, although it is only an hour drive away from where they live.
It was a memorable and joyous day by the sea, where the women enjoyed the sun, the water, the city's renowned seafood, and interacted with the Palestinian citizens of Jaffa. Coming from different parts of the West Bank - Nablus in the north and Hebron in the south - the women also enjoyed the rare opportunity to get to know each other.
Sunbula thanks the festival organizers, Lana Sirri in particular, for making this special occasion possible.
TRADITIONS AUJOURD'HUI / TRADITIONS TODAY
Ambassador Hotel, Jerusalem
November 28
Sunbula was the main part of that showcased the traditions and modern designs of Palestinian textile and handicrafts. Drawing more than 300 people in the audience, it was a colorful and vibrant evening of the fashion show, exhibition of products, and short film about Palestinian artisans. The event was sponsored by the French Consulate of Jerusalem, which supports the development of Palestinian textile and craft industry.
This event was the culmination of the product development work that Sunbula has been engaging in since 2005, which provides intensive training to our producer groups to increase productivity and marketability of their products. We were very happy to receive many positive feedbacks on our new products, which blend the diverse beauty of Palestinian embroidery with contemporary style and functions. |
|
An artisan from Atfaluna Crafts
speaks to the media about his work
at the opening of Sunbula's photo exhibition in Gaza.
Members of YWCA of Palestine
(Jalazone refugee camp, Ramallah),
Idna Ladies' Association (Idna
village, Hebron) and Haneen Project (Balata refugee camp, Nablus) at
the Jaffa beach.
Members of Aseela Women's Cooperative (Bethlehem) sell their
olive oil soap at the Duet Festival in Jaffa.
|
NEW PRODUCER AT SUNBULA
Introducing the Haneen Project - Balata refugee camp, Nablus
|
Sunbula is very happy to welcome as the newest member in our network of craft producers. Based in Balata refugee camp, Haneen has become the first Sunbula partner in the Nablus area.
Haneen is a new initiative that was formed as a result of Sunbula's product development training in Balata refugee camp this year. A group of women launched an independent income-generation project in order to utilize their newly-acquired skills in the craft production.
Balata is the largest of 19 Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank, with the population of more than 22,000 people. Haneen is a direct response to meet the economic needs of families who endure difficult living conditions of the camp.
Haneen means 'longing' in Arabic, and it symbolizes the refugees' longing for their homeland and heritage. People of the camp are originally from the central and coastal regions of Palestine. , which feature embroidery designs from these areas, have quickly become popular sellers at Sunbula.
Haneen currently enlists 10 women, who aspire to share this income-generating opportunity with more women as the project grows and expands in 2008. |
|
Haneen members Zakiya Barakat
(left) and Lina Merai (right) working
from their home in Balata refugee camp. (Photo: Steve Sabella) |
PRODUCERS UPDATE
Gaza producers struggle with materials shortage
and , Sunbula's 2 partner organizations in Gaza, are struggling with the shortage of raw materials under the ever-tightening siege on the Strip. After the Hamas takeover in June, virtually all imports and exports came to a grinding halt, resultinig in in the already-impoverished Strip. Gaza is running out of essential supplies and consumer goods, including the materials for handicraft production such as fabric and threads.
Unable to obtain materials at local shops, Atfaluna has started to rely on handful of internationals who are still allowed to enter Gaza to bring them from Jerusalem and the West Bank. UNRWA Sulafa project relies on the agency's humanitarian convoy, whose schedule often gets disrupted by the erratic closure of Gaza's crossing points by Israel.
Income from the craft sales at these 2 organizations serves as a lifeline for the families of more than 600 artisans - refugee women and people with hearing disabilities. Purchasing their products - and - is one concrete way of supporting them in this critical period.
HOLIDAY BAZAAR RESULTS
Sales up by 40% from last year's bazaar!
Sunbula's annual bazaar was held on November 11th at Jerusalem Hotel this year. Blessed with great weather and the hotel's central location in East Jerusalem, it was a great success! The combined sales of 16 participating organizations exceeded $10,000, approximately 40% increase over last year's holiday bazaar.
Unfortunately, many of our parter organizations were unable to attend the event, for they were not given the permit to leave the West Bank. The event couldn't have been possible without many volunteers who transported the crafts to Jerusalem and sold them on behalf of those who could not come, and the very helpful staff of Jerusalem Hotel. We thank all of you very much!
THANK YOU
to all of you who made our work possible in 2007
Sunbula's work in 2007 was made possible through the support by many people and organizations.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the French Consulate in Jerusalem for their support of our product development work in the West Bank, to the Government of Iceland for supporting our product development work in the Gaza Strip, to AusAID for supporting our marketing and outreach work, to Belgian Technical Cooperation for helping us obtain production equipment for our producer groups, and to Jerusalem Fund, Palcrafts/Hadeel, and Carol Morton for supporting the production of our photography exhibition.
Many thanks to our volunteers who helped in the day-to-day operation, and those of you who helped at our events and bazaars.
And thank you very much to each one of you who shopped at our , , and the bazaars. Your purchase has directly benefited more than 1800 artisans from our 14 partner organizations, providing invaluable source of livelihood to many Palestinian families.
Best holiday wishes and happy 2008!
