In 2012 Sindyanna joined the Fair Trade Fair Peace project in collaboration with our partners Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans Association (BFTA) and the Italian NGO COSPE. The project is sponsored by the EU Program ”Partnership for Peace”.
All of us, partners of the Fair Trade Fair Peace project believe that real solutions for conflicts in the Middle East are generated by creating real local economic opportunities. In order to support the most vulnerable populations, such as Palestinian artisans and Arab women in Galilee, we have come together. We share a strong vision of peace and are convinced that no solution can be achieved without full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied lands. The joint grassroots movement promotes the vision that peace can be achieved only when justice is its guide. (Read the full statement to learn more about the project’s mission and goals)
Empowerment in Nablus
In September 2012 the Sindyanna women’s basketry team from Kufr Manda was invited to lead a week-long basket-weaving workshop at the Women’s Section of the Nablus Municipality under the auspices of Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans. (Read the full story)
Launching a New Fair Trade Products Line
On May 12, 2013 we held the opening event in Jerusalem al-Kuds for the Partnership for Peace project in Palestine and Israel – Sindyanna of Galilee Fair Trade, Bethlehm Fair Trade Artisans and COSPE. Read the full press release and the article describing the event on the EU web site, or listen to interviews in Arabic and English from Partnership for Peace event.
Women of Kufr Manda visits BFTA
Kufr Manda, an Arab village in the lower Galilee, is suffering from a high rate of unemployment and far-below average salaries. Hence, the goal of the Fair Trade Fair Peace project is to improve the economic situation of the Arab women through capacity-building activities. The highlight of the project will be a creation of new products produced by artisans of the two fair trade partners, which works in both Palestinian West Bank and Israel. The joint products will be marketed through our fair trade markets around the world.
Promoting Fair Trade Fair Peace in Italy
In 2013, Osnat Shperling represented Sindyanna of Galilee in two delegations to promote the Fair Trade Fair Peace project in Italy. The delegations toured and met with interested parties, and presented the project to diverse audiences in several cities and counties. (Read the full story)
Sindyanna at Sunbula’s Holiday Baazar
On November 23 2013 Sindyanna participated in the Annual Fair Trade Bazaar held before the holiday season by Sunbula at the French Cultural Center in Jerusalem, alongside dozens of other manufacturers of handicrafts, delicatessen and souvenirs from the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem
Some of the organizations representatives did not manage to get entrance permits to Israel in order to participate in the bazaar, and their stands were manned by replacement volunteers. The colorful and rich event was orchestrated by Linda and Shirabe from Sunbula, who spread their smiles all over the place and created a good atmosphere. The products on sale were mainly Palestinian handicrafts and embroidery articles, local delicatessen (such as jams, sweet and salty pastries), hand made jewelry and gifts.
Sindyanna’s stand presented the products of the joint project Fair Trade Fair Peace, which is a cooperation with the Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans organization and the Italian organization COSPE. Ours was a unique cooperation of Israeli, Palestinian and international organizations. Products of Sindyanna were on sale as well as the products of the joint project, our Fair Trade soaps, za’atar, honey and olive oil.
The visitors showed interest in our products. The sets containing plates made of olive wood or ceramics and a bar of olive oil soap were popular and sold quickly. Embroidered bags with za’atar or a hair pin were also sold quite well. These products are now being sold in Italy by COSPE, and they are quite popular there as well. Chiara Carmignani, who represented COSPE at our stand with Rachel from Sindyanna, says that the Italians love the za’atar, and the project’s sets that contain it are being sold well. COSPE has recently made a big order of products for the project’s sets for the holiday season sales, and our optimistic prediction is that there will be growing demand for these products.
Roni Ben Efrat’s Visit to Italy
Roni Ben Efrat from Sindyanna of Galilee Fair Trade, together with Shatha Bannoura from the Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans (BFTA) and Gianni Toma from the Italian NGO COSPE, were invited by the Regional Legislative Council of the Emilia Romagna Region and other organizations to attend events marking Women International Day as representatives of Fair Trade Fair Peace (FTFP), a project funded within the EU program Partnership for Peace.
During March 2014, they toured several cities, talking about this rare partnership that brings together Palestinians and Israelis, Jews and Arabs, through producing and marketing joint products for the well-being of artisans on both sides of the conflict. The tour also included participation in a conference organized by the Legislative Council of Emilia Romagna Region in Bologna.
They met with women from one of the most important feminist icons in Italy, the Women’s Center in Bologna, known for its support of Palestinian-Israeli peace. There were also several meetings with Fair Trade shops that sell the project’s joint products; a talk in front of 70 high school pupils in the city of Este, and a fund-raising dinner at the Natura Si branch in Villafranca, near Verona (NaturaSi is the most important chain selling organic and natural products in Italy with 100 stores.)
