LOCAL HANDICRAFTS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

This is a Van Cat. They are white as snow and have one blue eye, and one brown. And they are Armenian. 

Made51 is an organization created by UNHCR to create sustainable incomes for refugees where they are. In Armenia, this is largely the Syrian Armenians. So when Made51 asked us in HDIF if we could create a Christmas ornament that is hand made by a refugee in Armenia, we turned to Maral. She fled Syria many years ago and has been working hard to build up her hand felting business. 

We told Made51 the story of the Van Cat. It's Armenian. It's unique. It's distincitive. We said it would make the perfect Christmas ornament for their Holiday Collection that they market to the world. They loved the idea. So right now, Maral and a gaggle of other Syrian Armenians are busy at work felting and embroidering thousands of these Van Cats.

This is what HDIF does. We cooperate, we develop, we encourage, we work hard every day to create sustainable jobs in Armenia.

This Van Cat is ready to adorn many a Christmas tree this Christmas - meow!

Links:

• Made51 - Crafted by Refugees

ROSES FOR PEACE

For International Women's Day, HDIF came up with the concept of bringing together Ukrainian and Russian women who have left their home countries due to the war. We asked them if they could crochet roses, and sure enough, they could!

Within days, over 100 roses were neatly done and delivered to us, and we spread the word. A corportate client ordered dozens of them and the word spread like wildfire. HDIF's distributor in the USA asked if they could make other Armenian flowers in addition to the roses, and we quickly met up with the leader of a Ukrainian NGO here and asked them to get to work on lilies, poppies, apricot blossoms, and more. These will be used as wedding favors, brooches or just sold as decorative flowers!

The message behind all of these flowers is one of peace, but also one of employing displaced persons where ever they are from and where ever they may be. 

HDIF is always trying to think of creative ways to provide some stability for all of the women we engage with, and their families. 

Thanks to UNCHR Armenia and Made51 for their constant support to HDIF in this project.

Links:

• HDIF Armenia website

We've been very busy in HDIF the past few months, collecting funds to produce beanies and sweaters in Armenia for distribution to people in Armenia who need them. And it has been very successful! Hundreds of beanies and sweaters have been distributed in the villages around Vardenis. These are very close to the border, and have all experienced shelling in the past months. 

Why this model?

- The need for these winterization items was done in cooperation with the local mayors of each village. Local coordination. Manush, Anna, Alvart and more women have had their knitting needles clicking away for weeks!

- The production of the products was done in HDIF producer partner projects in Armenia that needed the work. Local production. Lena and her sister have been very busy meeting our orders for sweaters!

In this way, we cover local needs by producing the product locally. Create a job, cover a need. The response to this model was excellent, with many dozens of sweaters and beanies already distributed. 

Winter has arrived, and distribution is still ongoing. And the mayors of the villages are still sending us lists of people who need beanies and sweaters. We need to produce a lot more!

We are very proud that your contributions have made such an important little contribution to the winterzation needs of dozens and dozens of village adults and kids during the past few weeks. 

Thank you!

PS: approval has been given by all individuals in the photo for use of the photo.

Up the Getik Valley from Lake Sevan is the village of Martuni, where where lots of initiatives focused on natural preservation are developing and growning. HDIF works with Genya, who uses 100% natural beeswax in making hand rolled candles. These are very popular for weddings and wedding showers or just for lighting up a home. The candles can be adorned with a locally spun sheeps wool thread and a bead made using clay from the ground. This is an example of utter respect for the local environment. Genya together with others in the village are spearheading these natural product intiatives.

The beehives produce not only honey, but also pollen droplets, which many buy for their health benefits, particularly for the respitory tract. Genya does no marketing of this, but has plenty of orders for this unique product.

And there is a wood carver just up the valley that makes finely crafted honey spoons from the annual trimmings of fruit trees in his garden - apricot, pear, peach and apple. Each has its own color, from very light (apricot) to highly grained (apple). 

HDIF is proud to have deep knowledge of all of these initiatives, having invested lots of hours in getting to know each so that we can say with confidence that Martuni Village is worth a visit, and the products they make are truly natural.

Please make a donation if you can, so that we can keep bringing wonderful intitiatives to the attentioin of a broader public, so that a sustainable business model can be created for the harding working people of Martuni as they focus on keep their village as natural as possible.

Contact us if you want to know more!

Thank you

HDIF is so excited to share with you that HDIF’s CEO Timothy decided for his 65th birthday to push forward the fundraising campaign dedicated to the organization. The total amount raised is about $ 5,000, which was achieved in only 2 weeks. What a fantastic result!

This was an amazing experience that wouldn’t be possible without each of you, who contribured in our mission to help Armenian women living in the regions of our country, 

We want to thank you for your generosity and hope towards the future of our Motherland. Together we can make this world a better place!

Just to remind, HDIF is a Fair Trade Organization that supports  Armenian artisan women from different Armenian regions, as well as Syrian-Armenian refugees, giving them the opportunity to find work in their local communities. The handicrafts they created are mostly exported to different countries such as the USA, UK, or Switzerland, and presented locally in a showroom "Impact Shop by HDIF" at Impact Hub Yerevan.