Made by Jamila: artisanal jewellery from a Lebanese microentrepreneur

By Al Majmoua

Saida, or Sidon as it’s extra generally identified, is a port metropolis some 30 miles away from Lebanon’s capital, Beirut. Its title derives from its earliest incarnation as a fishing village. From this humble historical past, it has grown to change into the commerce hub on this southern a part of the nation. Its centuries-old souqs (native markets/ bazaars) are an area spotlight and are a key a part of town’s historical past.

It’s on this bustling metropolis of enterprise that we discover Jamila. Jamila is a local Sidonian who has made a life within the metropolis as a spouse, mom of 4 kids and an artisan of native handicrafts. She wakes up day by day to make breakfast for her household and make sure that everybody off to work and faculty on time. As soon as her household is out the door, she goes into her workshop and begins her work of designing and creating plenty of completely different varieties of jewellery and equipment. She sells her handcrafted items to 2 native shops and with these income she is ready to pay for all her kids’s faculty charges and contribute a considerable quantity to fulfill their family bills.

Like many low-income ladies entrepreneurs, being a enterprise lady was one thing she fell into. Though she is a maker at coronary heart, crafting items right here and there for family and friends, she was solely promoting one or two items opportunistically. It was solely in 2008 that Jamila took her inherent ability and curiosity in creating equipment and introduced it out into {the marketplace}. With a seed group mortgage of USD 100 from Ladies’s World Banking community member Al Majmoua, she was in a position to craft sufficient items to take part within the South Lebanon Truthful. It was breakout second for Jamila—she ended the day with LBP 100,000 (USD 67) in her pocket… nearly sufficient to repay her first mortgage! However she knew this was solely the start.

Jamila took benefit of the non-financial companies additionally on supply from Al Majmoua: in 2009, she took a chocolate design coaching session which taught her new methods and honed her handicraft design abilities. On the finish of 2013, Jamila grew to become eligible for a person mortgage and acquired USD 1,500 from Al Majmoua which she invested in buying bulk uncooked supplies to extend her revenue per piece.

Jamila sees a future the place she shouldn’t be solely creating the products, but additionally promoting them herself in a retailer that she would personal and handle with one among her kids. For now, this entrepreneurial artisan is content material to design and create stunning handcrafted jewellery that helps her household, understanding that Al Majmoua is there for her to assist proceed her success as a microentrepreneur.