The Project is focusing on 3 main essentials in crafts industry, which will have impact & effect on the other components:
PRODUCERS are the base of community development. They are considered as a steering element in the local crafts industry.
PRODUCTS are the tangible results of community and producers’ cultural heritage. Handicrafts products have unique characteristics; they reflect the history, the culture ad the local traditions, being environmental friendly.
MARKETS are the link between the local community and the national or international context, the producers and the consumers, and represent the sustainability of the handicrafts industry. Market trends influence also product development; moreover Fair Trade favours a correct approach towards responsible production and consumption patterns. Accordingly Craft Project is working through 3 main pivotal directions.
Our Intervention Pattern
Typologies of interventions:
1. Capacity Building Activities
Capacity building trainings focus on management and financial support topics to improve production capacity, quality of products, and sales. Also to improve Fair Trade practices (working environment, labour laws, health and hygienic conditions).
Craft Project provides capacity building trainings targeting members of Associations and Supervisors of handicrafts producers groups (Executive Directors, Marketing officers, Production Managers).
Craft Project training methodologies address the target groups’ needs with a tailored and on-the-job approach, based on needs’ assessment, field visits and direct contacts, providing practical sessions to share ideas and experiences and supporting the producers to improve their production.
2. Product Development Activities
Craft Project is working on product development in order to revive Egyptian handicrafts heritage to be marketable. Vocational training sessions aim to improve technical skills and design capacities, to improve the current production and match the required quality standards; Equipment and tools help the producers to facilitate the production process, improve their products and make new items.
3. Marketing Activities
Craft Project supports the producers to sell their handicrafts, mainly empowering Egypt Crafts Centre and enhancing its capacities to facilitate the market channels both at national and international level.
The Project provides technical and financial support to ECC to improve its management structure, its organizational structure, to develop new market opportunities based in export and tourism, to organize exhibitions and produce information material and documentation.
4. Fair Trade Approach
Craft Project promotes a Fair Trade approach both at ECC and Producers’ level, raising awareness on the principles and the best practices of Fair Trade, training the producers and the staff, networking the Egyptian handicraft into Fair Trade networks and markets.
As a result of Project’ activities and partners’’ effort, a new organization Fair Trade Egypt has been established as a private no-profit Foundation to act as focal point of Fair Trade in Egypt.