CAROLINE BAZZI

Beirut - The Lebanese Democratic Women’s Gathering (RDFL) held a handicraft exhibition in Beirut with the participation of the women and girls benefiting from its Economic Empowerment Program as part of the 16-day activism to eliminate violence against women

‘Women’s economic empowerment breaks silence and fear’

Rafqa Bou Younes, coordinator of the RDFL’s program, told NuJINHA, “We usually organize more than one activity during the 16-day activism, but this year, we organized a handicraft exhibition due to the bad economic conditions. Women and girls attending our courses on making handicrafts displayed their works at the exhibition.”

Underlining that their aim was to empower women victims of violence, she said, “The target group is every woman, who wants to gain her economic independence in order to protect herself from all forms of violence. We believe that women’s economic empowerment breaks silence and fear because when women gain their economic independence, they can prevent violence against them.”

Speaking about their handicraft course, she said, “The women attending the course made beautiful handicrafts during the one-month course. After the course, two women started their own business.”

‘I re-engaged in society’

Doula Maalouf, one of the women displaying their handicrafts at the exhibition, said, “I learned how to paint glass and wood and I also benefited from the electrical course of the RDFL. Thanks to the courses, I re-engaged in society. I also learned technical details that I had not known before. At the beginning, I thought I would not be able to do that. But after four sessions of the courses, I learned basic techniques of painting on glass and wood. I want to start my own business in the future. I encouraged my daughter to attend the courses after graduating from university. I love painting glass and wood.” 

‘The courses give women hope for a better future’

Gayle Machaalani, a coordinator of the RDFL in Beirut, told us that the aim of the RDFL is to support women’s economic empowerment. “Women victims of violence and women who want to have their economic independence attend our courses. After their applications, I contacted them to inform them about our courses. Women were very interested in the courses. Then, they informed their relatives about the courses. The number of women attending our courses was more than we expected. After the courses, we support them to start their own business so that they will achieve economic independence.”

Gayle Machaalani added, “The women attending our courses did not expect the result they got at the end of the courses. They displayed their products for sale and this made them very happy.”