Preserving Palestinian heritage with traditional crafts

Preserving Palestinian heritage with traditional crafts
Blog: Women in Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp are refining their talents and developing their creative skills as they make and sell their own crafts.
1 min read
01 Mar, 2016
Female Empowerment: The women create traditional Palestinian crafts with recyclable household items
The situation in Lebanon's Palestinian refugee camps remains dire.

But despite the ongoing security problems, economic hardship and a scarcity of work, there is still a window of creativity.

Women at Ain al-Hilweh, the largest Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, are refining their talents through workshops and training programmes, as they seek to develop their creative skills.

In attempts to help them secure an income, while also preserving Palestinian heritage and identity, workshops - such as the one run by the Social and Cultural Association of Ain al-Hilweh - are giving women the certification they need in technical crafts. 



One of the core focus is on creating traditional Palestinian crafts with recyclable household items, as the low standard of living in the camp limits the availability of more expensive materials.

For example old newspapers are used to create Palestinian maps, panels and collages, while old kitchen utensils are used to create art.



The crafts are displayed and sold in markets in the area, with all the proceeds going to the working women, allowing them to continue on with their cultural crafts.