Locally Made Community Living ➕

DID YOU KNOW that there is a community of incredibly skilled Emirati women here working tirelessly at preserve local crafts and traditions?

I wonder how many of you, like myself, have lived here in the United Arab Emirates but not truly discovered the rich culture and history that lies beneath it's shiny exterior?  After being here for over fourteen years I took it upon myself to find out more and was amazed and inspired by what I found.

In 2006 Her Highness Sheikha Shamsa Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, the Emirates Red Crescent President’s Assistant for Women’s Affairs, created a safe space for local women to come together, to work on their craft, to be supported and mostly importantly to be empowered.  The outcome of this is now a growing community of Emirati artisans working to create culturally inspired products from sustainable sources and at the same time as earning a dignified living.

I am extremely proud and honoured to be a small part of this movement and to be able to support some of these local crafts such as the KHOOS BASKETS which are made by these talented ladies using a traditional technique of weaving locally and sustainably grown palm fronds ➕

To view them, please take a look below: