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JOHUD operates a social enterprise, Beit al
Bawadi, which is best known for the production and marketing of hand-crafted ceramics that draw on the cultural
heritage of the region for inspiration.
The Beit al Bawadi ceramics project was set up more than ten years
ago, and through its operation JOHUD
has created productive and rewarding employment for more than sixty people and
has generated funds to invest in development projects.
About Beit
al Bawadi
Like all JOHUD's operations, Beit al Bawadi is about people.
JOHUD
invests in local talent, providing worthwhile employment to more than 60 people
from vulnerable groups. Through Beit al Bawadi, JOHUD enhances traditional
crafts and celebrates the culture of the region. Profits from the Beit al
Bawadi project are invested in JOHUD's development projects.
The
ceramics workshop
All the Bawadi ceramic lines are created in the Qwara workshop located in South
West Amman near JTV studios. The workshop houses a complete integrated
medium-scale ceramics production line - where all the operations are
individually managed and supervised by specialist artisans: design, clay mix,
bisque, painting, glazing and marketing.
There are
more than fifty people working in the factory and another ten in the Bawadi
showroom. A unique aspect of the JOHUD ceramics operation is that it
provides training and 'sheltered' employment to vulnerable groups where their
particular needs, skills and talents can be nurtured in a supportive environment.
There are currently 8 people with special needs working in the operation -
fully trained, engaged in productive work that is personally satisfying as well
as financially rewarding. Bawadi artists are proud of their skills - our
'sheltered' ceramics workshop is unique in the region.
The Beit al
Bawadi showroom
The main outlet for Beit al Bawadi ceramics is through the showroom in Abdoun
in west Amman.
Located in a beautiful villa, in a prime location just off Cairo Street, the Beit al Bawadi showroom
is easy to access and has excellent parking facilities. Visitors to the
showroom can select from a wide range of Beit al Bawadi ceramics, displayed in
an attractive setting that allows potential buyers to visualise how these
desirable items will add a unique flavour to their own home or office.
At the Beit
al Bawadi showroom customers can browse at their ease, admiring the ceramics
and the range of complementary products on display: hand made rugs and
carpets, finely crafted wrought metal work, delicate embroidered
cushions and wall hangings, cushions and textile hangings innovatively
recreated from scraps of silk, satin and beads.
Through its partnerships with a wide range of local artisans, JOHUD helps
entrepreneurs, especially women, gain a livelihood from the skills of
handcrafts.
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"My father used to give me money when I asked, and okay, it was
enough. Now I can buy my own things for
myself, with my own money. It’s so much better!”
Shiraz, 26 year old woman working in Qwara
"Here in the factory, the
best
thing is the security. Each month I know I’ll have money.” Muhammed
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| Working at Qwara: an opportunity to learn and grow
Basma Sawaedi is the only one of her ten siblings who lives at home with
her parents. Her parents are unable to
work, so when her brothers left home, the family had no income. Basma says: "Now I provide my family with
money, and I like my work."
In the five years she's
worked at Qwara, her creative energies have been put to good use engraving and
painting pottery: "Before, I just had free time. Work gives me something to do, and I like
making pretty things. I have more
independence and freedom in this kind of job or if I were just at home. I'm learning and growing here; I have contact
with other people."
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