Empowering refugees through carpet weaving

The Anka Cooperative, a social enterprise in association with US rug producer Woven Legends, is turning to Kickstarter to improve the lives of even more refugee women.

The Anka Cooperative, a social enterprise in association with US rug producer Woven Legends, is turning to Kickstarter to improve the lives of even more refugee women.

The project was founded in 2012, and empowers Syrian refugees through the creation of fine carpets and traditional crafts. Anka trains the women in the ancient art of hand-weaving, providing a safe workplace and fair compensation in addition to fulfilling employment. ‘Teaching women how to weave affects them personally,’ says Neslihan Jevremovic, one of the co-founders. ‘They are providing income for the whole family, so it changes their whole attitude about themselves.’

At the moment Anka works with 250 weavers in two camps in Turkey. The organisation’s mission is to empower and educate over 20,000 refugees by the year 2020. The first step towards this ambitious goal is a Kickstarter campaign. All proceeds will be used to sell existing rugs and create new ones, further Anka’s mission, train more women, and provide health and educational assistance to refugee families. In exchange for pledges, backers can receive gorgeous carpet coasters, framed carpet fragments, handwoven Christmas stockings, and the empowering rugs themselves. Every $7,500 raised will empower and employ one refugee for over 8 months. The Kickstarter campaign will run until 27 April 2017.