Better Workshops for Better Livelihoods in the Holy Land
Across Jerusalem and the West Bank, many artisans are performing handicraft work in hazardous and unsustainable conditions. Pollutants generated in squalid workshop environments not only pose a threat to the health of artisans, but their families and neighbors as well, making it difficult for these workers and their communities to maintain a healthy living.
World Fair Trade Day is May 9 and this year’s theme is “Be an Agent for Change”. With CRS Fair Trade you can make positive change happen for artisans and farmers every time you host a CRS Fair Trade sale or purchase products from our partners. Through your support, the CRS Fair Trade Fund—together with our partners SERRV and Ten Thousand Villages—contributed $15,000 towards the complete renovation of 4 olive wood workshops in the Holy Land, benefiting 133 workers and their communities. The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation worked together with Holy Land Handicraft Cooperative Society to rehabilitate the workshops, creating 255 job opportunities for both skilled and unskilled laborers. Increasing the sustainability of these workshop environments greatly benefits the local economy, as olive wood and mother of pearl are unique to the Holy Land, attracting buyers from all over.
By supporting CRS Fair Trade, you are making a great impact by ensuring the health of workers and their families, strengthening their economic viability, and providing a greater sense of integrity through healthy, sustainable livelihoods.
AFTER: Plastering, electrical installations, and casting concrete for floor restored Al Atrash’ workshop to proper use
BEFORE: George Gareeb’s
Workshop suffered from humidity, unsafe
electrical installations and weather
exposure due to old ceiling and windows
AFTER: Gareeb’s workshop received new aluminum windows, ceiling, electrical installations and painting
