A group of women from the village of Bardala, north of the Jordan valley, has taken the initiative and decided to set up a craft center making shampoos and soap as well as pottery items.

It is really important for the women and their families to preserve their traditions and craft secrets that have been passed down to them through many generations. Unfortunately, this knowledge is disappearing.

This new project has the potential to help improve social and economic conditions for the residents of Bardala. The crafting and marketing of these products would present a source of income for people living in an area where employment opportunities are very low, especially for women. Families living in rural villages mostly work in their fields and look after their animals, while the nearest towns are several kilometers away and not easy to reach.

The occupation makes their life harder as the Israeli employ their strategy to crush the Palestinian economy with the end goal of forcing them to leave the area. Hence, economic empowerment plays an essential role in the struggle against the occupation.

Furthermore it would bring a new reason for people (Palestinians as internationals) to come and explore the area and learn more about the situation here in the Jordan Valley as it remains unknown  to most people in Palestine and abroad.

We hope that this project in the future will get the opportunity to employ more women from the community.

Here is a short introduction to how they make their products :

The techniques used involve simple machinery and mostly natural materials.

The pottery

The women use pieces of ancient remains of vases that can be found in the fields. These pieces are crumbled and then mixed with a specific reddish soil, water and a plant that they harvest from the nearby area. When the mixture is ready, it is modelled into the desired shape and then cooked for twelve hours together with sheep manure, which would bring more strength and resilience. Then a blend of tree roots is pasted over the surface; this gives the characteristic red/brownish colour and also waterproofs the item. All of these pottery items can be used either as decoration or to store water and/or olive oil.

The soaps

The natural soap is made from olive oil, water and sodium hydroxide. Plants and herbs such as chamomile and fennel are added to be used with different skin types or ailments. For example, they can help treat eczema, acne, burns or simply hydrate the skin. The ingredients are cooked together and then left in a storage room to dry, before being cut to shape.