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About THREADS OF HOPE
Threads of Hope Cairo is a for-profit social enterprise whose primary goal is to produce sustainable work for marginalised women both local and refugees, in Cairo, Egypt. It was founded in 2018 by Malaika in an effort to expand the reach of its embroidery training program and give the trainees an opportunity to work with other brands.
The women are trained in one of the five fine techniques: embroidery, cross-stitch, ajour, corded work and natural dyes. We aim to produce hand embroidery of the utmost quality to clients in the fashion and textile industry. It creates a sustainable and ethical supply chain by providing fair work and pay.
Underprivileged women are recruited through various channels (e.g., word of mouth, social media, international organisations). Organisations currently participating in the programme include the UNHCR, Alfanar, Save the Children Foundation and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Holistic Approach
Every two months a cohort of 45 women is trained by 5 professionals in one of the 5 techniques available.
Training takes place in Downtown Cairo, where the centre provides transport and a daily meal for the women and their children. Thus, emphasising the importance of creating a safe environment.
SELF EMPLOYMENT
Upon completion of the training the women work from home, producing high quality embroidered goods for Malaika and other clients.
Current Initiatives
NUTRITION
Additionally, to providing nutritious vegetarian meals every day, ToH is collaborating with Professor Hala Barakat from Cairo University to create a comprehensive booklet based on the women’s home country food histories and the host country seasonal ingredients.
TRAUMA THERAPY
To facilitate the integration of the refugee women into the host community and culture, ToH aims to provide the women with psychological help such as therapy sessions and/or yoga therapy that reinforces resilience mechanisms.
LITERACY
ToH aims to provide literacy courses during working hours in Arabic and English as well as creating a children’s library to facilitate the foundation phase of education for both mothers and children. This will also help women increase their mobility on their communities and host communities.
CHILDCARE
ToH is currently refurbishing and stocking the nursery and is looking to hire an individual that will manage the in-centre day-care as well as include educational activities for the children. This is aimed at increasing the safety of the space for both mother and child.
THREADS OF HOPE INSPIRED BY SOANE BRITAIN
At Malaika we are proud to have partnered with Soane Britain on a small collection to mark their 25th anniversary. The designs are inspired by Soane’s new ‘Egyptomania’ collection which draws on the richness of one of the world’s most ancient cultures. Each piece has been carefully chosen to showcase the skills of the ToH makers in hand-embroidery and appliqué, and include cushion covers, bedspreads, pillowcases and napkins. The Egyptian tent border that inspired Soane’s new ‘Rumi’ pattern, designed in collaboration with artist and geometer Yasmin Hayat, was the starting point for several ToH pieces, including an appliquéd cushion cover made using Soane’s ‘Old Flax’ linen, along with a bedspread, pillowcases, and a bolster cushion. The intricate date palm of Soane’s new ‘Leopard Palm’ print and the bold, colourful chevrons of ‘Elephantine’ appear in two different designs for crisp cotton pillowcases. Finally, Soane’s new ‘Filigree Flower’ print provides the starting point for a wonderfully intricate cushion cover, as well as the motifs on a set of charming linen napkins. All profits generated from the partnership between Soane and ToH will go back into sponsoring new trainee women through the training programme.
