Deaf Syrian carpet-makers find markets in Asia
Two women living in a refugee camp in Turkey have been making carpets that are being bought in Japan and China.
Two deaf Syrian women living in a Turkish refugee camp have been making carpets and selling them to customers in Japan and China, according to an NGO.
In Turkey’s southern city of Kilis, Saba and Sanaa have been weaving carpets that are being sold in the Asian markets, Daily Sabah news agency reported.
They have been taking lessons at the Prime Ministry’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), a Turkish NGO that has been helping Syrian refugees professionally.
The Vice President of AFAD, Fikret Shalbi, said the organisation has been providing workshops for Syrian refugees at the camps, such as computer lessons and handcrafts lessons.
Saba and Sanaa arrived to the camp full of fear and anxiety, but they have now grown their talent and are extremely happy with their work, Shalbi said.
“The carpets they have been creating are being exported to China and Japan. What they are doing is not only providing them with a living, but also helping their families too,” he said.
Turkey has taken in more than 2.7 million registered Syrian refugees, according to recent data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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