Team

“I left school when I was 8. Then I spent my youth fighting because I was told: the other is an enemy! He is another, don’t trust him. Now I know it was all a lie.”

“I was so happy to spend two weeks with these young men. They were so dedicated and fascinated by the project. We called it “Sawa” meaning together."

“I was excited to learn something new in carpentry especially that Bram introduced new techniques which are rarely found in Lebanon.”

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“I turned from someone marginalized, who used to carry guns, and shoot, To now carrying needles, threads and paint brushes to create artistic items. I feel proud of this.”

“One time, my dad saw me at home working on a handbag, and other days he saw me working on embroidery so he told my mother and siblings that I can really achieve things, and I felt really emotional and told him that not only I can achieve, but any young man living in our conditions and given a chance can achieve a lot.”

"My favorite design that I worked on is the one with arabic calligraphy. I love how we tell our stories through the items we produce. I am very happy seeing that people like it too. I also gained great skills, placing fabric paint on a kaftan's used to take me a day, and now it takes one or two hours."

“I’m fixing and sewing my wife’s cloth now. At first it was very hard for me to learn sewing and pattern making, why would a man even learn how to sew, now I feel so proud in the ability to create something from a piece of fabric and the process is satisfying and comforting.”

"Working with someone who was once an adversary but is now a teammate in Kanyamakan hub, united by the same purpose, has been a profound experience. We discovered that we share so much in common. The best part has been upcycling old items—it’s challenging but teaches us never to give up, no matter how dire their condition. And to give new stories to old items."

"Each design we work on in Kanyamakan tells the story of my life, of the wars I've endured, and the journey of my transformation. I came to believe that there is another way to express ourselves and that hate leads us nowhere, and that our differences are beautiful, like the designs themselves."