LOCAL HANDICRAFTS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Christmas is upon us! Tis the season to be jolly and more importantly- thankful! So what is HDIF thankful for this holiday season? A lot, thanks to all of you!  

- Manush up in Goghovit is very busy knitting away. She has this month received orders for 25 hats, 25 pairs of socks and 5 sweaters from around the globe. She, disabled, has reached out to her neighbors to meet the volume of orders. The Christmas rush for them will last well into January!

- Zarmig and the other women from Kobane are busy knitting scarves to match Manush's hats and socks. These ladies are from the last four Armenian families to leave Kobane after ISIS attacked their town and murdered one of the four fathers. Knitting is their only hope of creating a sustainable situation for themselves in Armenia.

- Anzhela lives in Movses, which gets shot at regularly by snipers because it is very close to the front line. She and women from several other villages along the border are making key tags in the shape of houses that create an income. They are determined to stay. Orders for those key tags have been ticking in. She is busy!

- Aspram in Berd, also quite close to the front line, has been busily crocheting both teddy bears for a partner in the United States, as well as little bee figures for a campaign connected to honey! HDIF just placed a new order for bees yesterday!

These are examples of hard-working Armenian women around the country that have been empowered by HDIF with your help. And each of them is going to have some money in their pocket this Christmas thanks to the great products they make.

HDIF has dozens and dozens more women working through partners around the country- in Gyumri, Talin, Spitak, Margahovit, Koghb, Chinchin, Vardenis, Sisian, Goris, Kapan and also among the Syrian Armenian refugees. 

So we in HDIF are thankful for the support we get from those who buy the products and support our partners. Yes, thank you. We look forward to your continued support. 

If you are looking for a specific something to support this Christmas season, please consider these suggestions:

1. The purchase of a used mechanical knitting machine for Datvig, a Syrian Armenian refugee whose own machine was destroyed in Aleppo. We have a ready market for her products if she gets the machine. $3000 will cover the purchase of a solid machine and its maintenance.

2. Support to Anzhela and the other women being sniped at along the front line by supporting the project they are creating called 'Help Me Stay in my Home' which will include the marketing of their house key tags, and then investment in carefully selected berry crops next summer. There is an identified market for those berry types.$4200 is needed to get that going for these noble ladies.

3. The purchase of a new kiln for Zara and Vahagn in Sisian Ceramics. The popularity of their ceramic products has outgrown their existing kiln, and they need a bigger one to keep up with the demand. Approximately $2000 is needed to construction a larger, more efficient kiln for them.

4. The purchase of an embroidery machine for Lena and the other ladies in Vardenis Sewing. A solid partner for HDIF, their products sell very well, and it is time to up the ante on what kinds of products they make. A good market for emberoidered items has been identified, but the machine is needed. We estimate that $3000 would be enough to buy a solid used machine.

Note that all of these would be given to them under a zero percent loan agreement. In this way, we instil business principles in them, and create sustainable economic units for Armenia's future.

If you would like any more information, do feel free to contact us at info@hdif.org or at +374-77-473335 in Yerevan.

A very Merry Christmas to all of you. In this turbulent world, we have a lot to be thankful for. Thanks for being part of it.

Tim and the rest of the HDIF staff