Every time I am in Marrakech I pay a visit to Al Kawtar, a place where you can feel love, dedication, respect and above all the power of collaboration.
Al Kawtar was founded in 2006 and is organised as a non-profit association, where disabled women are offered full day care, including meals, technical, medical and personal assistance. The centre also includes an unique embroidery workshop which offers apprenticeships to those disabled young girls and women who did not learn a craft. The midterm aim is to provide these women with the possibility to indepedently earn their living in a safe environment and in dignity.
Many of the ladies have learned traditional Moroccan embroidery and other handycraft techniques, which they give further to other centre members. These are being adapted to suit our today’s more modern taste and needs. All products (bed sheets, towels, tableclothes, accessories, napkins, clothes) are embroidered, knit or crocheted by hand.
If you too want to support Al Kawtar and the beauty of handicraft and thus do something good, also to work against nowadays mass production and “made in China” – mentality, go visit the centre next time you are in Marrakech or contact them via e-mail: info@alkawtar.org!
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