Embroidered Pillow - Tahriri

The Women's Child Care Society (WCCS) was established in 1944 in the town of Beit Jala near Bethlehem in the central West Bank. In 1948, the villagers organized two first-aid centers and lunch programs to help the casualties of the 1948 war and the refugees pouring into Bethlehem. Over the last five decades, WCCS has grown to serve increasing needs of the community, and today operates a cafeteria, activities for senior citizens, youth summer camps, low-cost housing, and income generation through food and handicrafts production.

WCCS is among the few embroidery groups that have preserved the Tahriri, couching stitch embroidery that is unique to the Bethlehem area. The Society has trained 15 women from Tequa', the village south of Bethlehem, on this complex stitching technique where gold and silver chords are twisted into vividly colored threads. It takes six months of training for a woman to become skilled in this special technique. WCCS currently provides embroidery work for 50 women from 10 villages in the area. The women take fabric and threads home to work while running their households, bring the finished pieces back for payment, and seamstresses sew them up to finished products. Their products include gorgeously embellished evening bags and home decors.

Sunbula, a Jerusalem-based non-profit fair trade organization, is a platform that supports marginalized women and communities in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and Palestinian communities within Israel through traditional artisanal crafts.