By Shirabe Yamada | Executive Director, Sunbula
The year 2025 saw further deterioration of the situation across Palestine. Despite many challenges, however, our partner producer groups in the West Bank and Gaza never stopped working. Sunbula helped sustain their livelihood by keeping our fair trade shop in Jerusalem and the online shop in operation while working to build their capacity and protecting the cultural heritage. These are our highlights we'd like to share with you.
1. We trained the artisans in the Bedouin community
We ran training activities at Noor Al-Qamar, our partner in the Bedouin community of Anata, located just outside Jerusalem. Their jewelry-making team received an online training by Ibrahim Al-Muhtadi, a designer from Gaza, to upgrade skills required for a new jewelry collection designed by him. Their sewing team received a follow-up training in hand silk-screening by the designer Shaden Abed Elal, who created for them a new tote bag design.
2. We began restoring traditional dress
We commissioned Tala Sandouka, one of a handful of restoration specialists in Palestine, to repair small collections of traditional dresses at our two Bethlehem area partners, the Arab Women’s Union and Women’s Child Care Society, where the dresses will be available for viewing for the local community. It is part of our efforts in preserving the cultural heritage and making it accessible to anyone, especially the embroiderers and students.
3. We continued working on the production of the Tahriri embroidery book
Throughout the year, we worked on the research, interviews, photographing, and digital illustration for ‘The Book of Tahriri: 27 Essential Motifs and Techniques of Bethlehem Couching Embroidery', and completed the manuscript in English. We are now working to complete the Arabic translation and launch the book in mid-2026.
4. We began marketing the traditional baskets
The baskets woven with olive branches and wheat stalks from Hares Women's Society, our newest partner, became available at our store and online shop in 2025. The artisans from Hares village began earning income from the new market access through Sunbula while striving to protect this rural heritge from the nothern West Bank.
5. We resumed the Annual Holiday Bazaar
We resumed our Annual Holiday Bazaar in November after two years of hiatus. Organized in cooperation with the French Cultural Center in Jerusalem, this year’s bazaar was helped by a large number of volunteers, who helped sell the products on behalf of our artisans.
6. We continued supporting the Gaza partners
We continued to raise emergency aid through the crowdfunding for our two Gaza partners, Atfaluna Society and Sulafa Embroidery Centre. The two organizations have been working tirelessly to provide for the local community a wide range of support, including food distribution, parcels for families, psychosocial support for women and children, safe learning space for students, direct cash assistance for women embroiderers, and restoration of their damaged facilities. Their artisans continued the production of the beautiful work of art despite the unimaginable losses and hardships.
Sunbula's work throughout 2025 was made possible because of your generous support. Our heartfelt gratitude and best wishes for a more hopeful year in 2026.
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By Shirabe Yamada | Executive Director, Sunbula
By Shirabe Yamada | Executive Director, Sunbula
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