South Hebron Hills
Women's Cooperative

Handmade Goods Catalog

Last Update: 24 September 2008

Here you'll find a delightful array of dresses and other quality crafts made by the women of At-Tuwani Village and neighboring villages of the South Hebron Hills. The women are from Palestinian shepherding families, living in poverty, without electricity, running water or weapons. They're subject to ongoing armed attacks by Israeli extremist settlers, as well as the economic isolation imposed by the 40-year military occupation of their land. The women work in a cooperative that sells its products from a small museum in At-Tuwani, whose patrons have been a pitiful few.

100% of all sales go into a local girls' education fund. This money covers some of the costs for village girls to attend secondary school in the city of Yatta. The South Hebron Hills region has no secondary school of its own, and traditionally mostly boys have been sent into the city to continue their education. In the long-term, funds from this cooperative help to advance the socio-economic status of Palestinian women, in addition to boosting the overall literacy rate and future economic potential of this rural society.

Browse Dresses

Browse Accessories & Ornaments

The women and girls of these villages sincerely thank you for your support!

Getting your stuff:

I spend a large part of each year volunteering with Christian Peacemaker Teams in At-Tuwani. My teammates and I live next-door to the women's museum. The best way for me to transport the women's products to you is inside my baggage whenever I return home to the U.S. (It's also possible for me to ship to you directly from the post office in Jerusalem, but that's much more expensive.) The best way for me to transmit your payment to the cooperative is by you mailing a check in my name to my home address (7990 NW Cardwell Hill Drive, Corvallis, Oregon 97330). There, a family member will deposit it in my bank account, I will be notified, and I will withdraw the money from a Palestinian ATM in order to pay the cooperative for your purchase. While this transaction should take only a few days, it will generally take weeks or months to receive your stuff. Please email me with any questions!

Email: soyjourner3@mac.com