ARTISAN RESOURCE
®
GET TO KNOW:
Bethlehem Fair
Trade Artisans
N.D was just a child when his father passed away, leaving
him to work to support his mother and siblings. In 2008,
he was selected by Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans (BFTA)
to make crafts. In his first year, he earned $5,000. Last
year, this figure grew to $30,000, allowing him to pay off
debt, acquire more raw materials, and hire three assistants.
His is just one of many success stories you hear when
you speak with the dedicated staff and volunteers at
BFTA, a not-for-profit Palestinian NGO with a mission
to promote Fair Trade in Bethlehem and Palestine. With
a mission to bring fair prices and working conditions to
every handicraft producer in the Bethlehem area, BFTA
works with local independent artisans specializing in olive
wood carvings, embroidery, mother of pearl, olive oil soap,
recycled glass, handmade paper and jewelry.
At the BFTA helm is Suzan Sahori, co-founder and CEO.
Under her leadership, BFTA has partnered with the Centre
for Cultural Heritage Preservation (CCHP) in its goal to
preserve cultural heritage by rehabilitating historical
neighborhoods and buildings throughout the Bethlehem
District. In 2010, the BFTA moved to the Dar Al-Bandak
Rehabilitation project. While the artisans formerly had to
work in their homes, this large space is now the center of
BFTA operations.
The BFTA works with more than 150 olivewood
workshops, 12 women-owned corporations and 70
individual women, four special needs groups, two
ceramic factories, one kuffia factory, and four olivewood
soap producers. Designers and experts from abroad
help with product development and design, but many
of the artisans, particularly the olive wood masters,
design their own pieces.
The BFTA’s first introduction to the U.S. market was
one year ago, at Artisan Resource. This summer, it
returns with several new products tailored to the U.S.
market, particularly in the religious, household, kitchen,
office, ceramics, and embroidery categories.
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