Fatima, Bosnian Embroiderer

In Sarajevo, the Balkan capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina (formerly Yugoslavia), our partner Sarajevo Phoenix represents a group of Bosnian women - Serbs, Muslims, and Croats - who are skilled embroiderers. Many of the women are refugees or lost their homes, husbands or fathers during the Balkan war of the mid-1990s.

Just like the phoenix which rose from the ashes in ancient Egypt, these women believe in the possibility of a multi-ethnic society and are working together to heal the wounds created by the war which ravaged their country. The purchase of crafts from Sarajevo Phoenix enables the women to reclaim their dignity and support their families through meaningful work.