Traditional Crafts Preservation Trust
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Funds apprenticeship programs preserving traditional crafts at risk of dying out as fewer young people enter the trades.
Why this matters in Israel
Bedouin weaving grew out of nomadic life in the Negev. Women spun wool from their flocks and wove tent panels, rugs, camel bags and grain sacks on ground looms. As families moved, or were moved, into permanent townships and unrecognized villages from the 1960s onward, herding shrank, tents gave way to houses, and the everyday need for woven goods disappeared. Young women today are more likely to meet the craft as heritage than as a household skill.
Economic pressure makes the loss sharper. Negev Bedouin communities are among the poorest in Israel, and employment among Bedouin women is low, held back by distance from jobs, limited transport and childcare, and expectations about women working outside the home. Weaving is one of the few skilled trades women can practice close to home while earning money. It survives only if older weavers pass on spinning, dyeing and ground-loom techniques while they still can, and if there are buyers for what is made.
What your gift pays for
- Apprenticeships pairing young women with experienced weavers to learn spinning and ground-loom techniques
- Wool from local sheep, dyes and loom materials for trainees
- Training in product design, pricing and sales so weaving yields a fair income
- Marketing and display of finished rugs and cushions to reach buyers beyond the Negev
Organization
Sidreh - Lakiya Negev Weaving · Israel
Founded 1998 · Headquarters: Omer
Bedouin women's organization in Lakiya, Negev, that preserves traditional Bedouin weaving and trains women in the craft for income.
How they work: Lakiya Negev Weaving is a project of Sidreh, an organization run by and for Bedouin women in the Negev. Rugs are hand-woven on traditional ground looms using wool from local Awassi sheep, and designs adapt old patterns and colors to contemporary pieces such as floor rugs, wall hangings and cushions. Women move into roles beyond weaving, including dyeing, production and business management, so the project builds an enterprise as well as keeping a craft alive. Work is sold through outlets including Sunbula's crafts shop in Jerusalem.
Track record: Since 1991 Lakiya Negev Weaving has trained Bedouin women in traditional spinning and ground-loom weaving, plus dyeing, production and business management.
✓ Verified by our team on 7 September 2021
Giving in Israel
Faith communities and cultural heritage run through the causes for Israel. Colel Chabad funds soup kitchens, grocery deliveries and food cards for elderly and low-income families, while the Interfaith Encounter Association brings Jewish and Arab young people together through ongoing encounter groups. Sidreh, a Bedouin women's weaving initiative in the Negev, trains apprentices in traditional crafts that risk disappearing as fewer young people take them up.
3 causes are listed in Israel, each with its own verified organization. $385,947 has been distributed to causes in Israel since 2021.
Our guide to giving in Israel · all 3 causes
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