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Handicraft Workshop
The handicraft workshop began in 2003 with 20 women and younger ladies who had previously dropped out of school and were looking to learn a new talent they could use as an income source. Their age ranges from 18 to 38 years old. In the workshop they are taught how to knit, sew and also learn to crochet by professional trainers.
In addition, this program incorporates literacy classes and awareness classes around the workshop operating hours.
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| To have a look at our Workshop products please click here. |
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Why Have a Handicraft Workshop?
Since 2005, the workshop has been able to produce the entire boys and girls school uniform efficiently and at large quantities so that they could supply all Stabl Antar families. Furthermore they were able to produce at such a low costs that the entire school uniform set is sold for just 10 L.E. The main aim of this production was to try and reduce the number of children who drop out of school, since one of the reasons they leave is high education and school uniform costs. Therefore this project would benefit the community as a whole, giving the women of the workshop a skill and a job whilst trying to reduce school costs for parents and therefore encourage education.
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Since 2007, the workshop has reached a very good quality level of output, so much that the products have been sold in shops and exhibitions where people think they are professionally made. 2007 was also the year that the workshop covered all its start-up costs such as machinery, operating costs and began to make profit. The Workshop is now self-sufficient and does not receive any more support from Stabl Antar Dream.
To have a look at our bag products please click here.
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What Next?
The handicraft workshop was our pilot scheme. We wanted to see whether we could train the residents of Stabl Antar certain crafts which can generate a source of income, so that the residents themselves could help subsidise other areas in the community in a charitable manner. This is exactly what has been accomplished here, where a group of women from the region are now earning and subsidising school uniforms so that more children of Stabl Antar can remain in school. The success of the workshop gave us more ideas, such as teaching children who have dropped out of school to hand-weave carpets, so that at least they can have some source of income and not end up as street children.
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| To have a look at the carpet products please click here. |
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