Name: Taghreed Mohamed Othman Ziyada
Location: Ramallah – Beitillu
Profession: Artisan and Community Leader, Founder of Sitti Workshop
Social Media: Beitillu Women's Association
About Taghreed
Taghreed Mohamed Othman Ziyada is an inspiring artisan and community leader from the village of Beitillu near Ramallah. With a commitment to empowering rural women, Taghreed established the "Sitti Workshop," where women in her community come together to create traditional Palestinian handcrafts like embroidery, straw weaving, beadwork, soap making, and candle making. In the face of the challenges Palestinians endure, she sees handcrafts as a source of cultural preservation and an economic lifeline for women who often have no formal education or job opportunities. Through Sitti Workshop, Taghreed fosters a space for women to learn, produce, and contribute to their families' incomes.
Taghreed's Journey and Artistic Vision
Taghreed’s journey into handcrafts began out of necessity. In a village where education and employment opportunities for women were limited, she sought a way to help uneducated women gain practical skills and financial independence. Her mission has always been clear: to preserve Palestinian heritage while empowering women socially, culturally, and economically.
What started as small workshops has now grown into a thriving hub of creativity, where women are trained to produce high-quality handcrafts. These creations not only honor Palestinian traditions but are also adapted to contemporary tastes, making them marketable both locally and internationally. Taghreed emphasizes that through handcrafts, they are not only protecting cultural identity but also fostering community resilience.
Overcoming Challenges
Living under occupation presents daily hardships. Movement restrictions, fear, and the constant threat of violence make it difficult for artisans to get their products to market. For Taghreed and her group, the recent war has further complicated their ability to sell handmade goods, as social events and traditional markets have disappeared. However, Taghreed’s commitment to her community has never wavered. She continues to provide training and support to women, seeing her work as a form of resistance — a way to maintain a cultural presence and foster economic growth.
Empowering the Next Generation
Taghreed has also played a pivotal role in redirecting unemployed university graduates toward handcrafts. With degrees in hand but no job prospects, many young men and women have turned to traditional crafts as a way to earn a living. For Taghreed, this is a vital way to give them both a sense of purpose and a source of income.
Dreams for the Future
Taghreed’s vision for the future is to establish a permanent exhibition space for women’s products in Beitillu and neighboring villages. She also hopes to create more connections with international markets, giving Palestinian women access to a global audience and helping them increase their household incomes. After the war, she envisions rebuilding the community through awareness workshops, skill development courses, and an online platform for marketing their crafts. Her dream is for her efforts to solidify the resilience of her people, both socially and economically.
Support Taghreed and Her Mission
Every purchase from the Sitti Workshop directly supports Taghreed’s mission and the women she works with. These handmade products are more than just beautiful; they are a symbol of hope, resilience, and cultural preservation.
