Heritage Preservation Projects

Some of the training sessions focused on embroidery with sequins, beads and appliqué as observed on traditional dresses. These sessions ultimately benefited more women than the 25 initially selected for the project. Rather than being discarded, the trial pieces were transformed by participants in YENOF's embroidery program into pouches, ensuring that the learning process also resulted in usable products. It sparked strong interest among women who were not originally part of the project, creating opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and skills transfer. These newly acquired skills will be applied to pouches and other accessible products, supporting income-generation opportunities while promoting and sustaining Yemeni embroidery.

A pouch (23x11cm) that came out of one of the practice samples

The pouch shown above was made by Marwah, a university student who collaborated with her mother, Waheda, on a wall piece part of the project. Marwah has two sisters who are enrolled in YENOF's embroidery program but could not participate in the project. Nevertheless, they were able to learn from Marwah and their mother, developing new skills that they will apply to accessible products such as the pouch shown here.