Exhibiting at Ambiente and Christmasworld, MADE51 is giving refugees a platform to showcase their products to a global audience.
Refugee artisans use their skills such as beading, weaving and embroidery to create products including scarves, cushions, baskets and lamp shades.
In partnership with the United Nations, MADE51 aims to help these artisans achieve economic independence by creating a sustainable value chain that takes their crafts to worldwide markets.
“Refugees have skills and talents that only need a chance to grow and flourish,” states Filippo Grandi, UN high commissioner for refugees.
“Within each piece lies a story of history and culture and the chance for a person who has fled war and persecution to offer something of beauty and style to the world.”
The artisan sector is worth more than US$752 billion and represents one of the largest sources of employment in low and middle-income countries, which is where 76 per cent of refugees are located.
The nature of artisan work, which can be part-time or home-based, is particularly well-suited for displaced women.
“Our program connects women from different backgrounds and lets them share stories and get to know each other,” says Mei Hayashi, CEO of Tribalogy, which works with refugee and non-refugee women from disadvantaged communities in Jordan.
“In another context they might have never encountered each other. People learn to communicate and express their feelings.”
Other social enterprises MADE51 collaborates with include Bebemoss (Turkey), Ana Collection (Lebanon), Byhand African Artisan (Egypt) and Weave (Thailand).
“The community of Weave and Karenni refugee women artisans consists of skilled artisans who have a deep-rooted knowledge of traditional crafts such as weaving, embroidery, stitching and indigenous natural dyeing,” adds Weave CEO, Mitos Urgel.
“These artisans are highly skilled in their craft and have time-honoured techniques that are passed down through generations. Their expertise and craftsmanship form the backbone of Weave’s creation of handcrafted products for MADE51.”
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