Sunbula was established during the first Palestinian Intifada to provide income-generation opportunities for women through the sale of handicrafts.
Sunbula is guided by the core value of empowerment of the most marginalized with an emphasis on poverty reduction, social justice, and supporting the development of the Palestinian society.
Sunbula envisions a world where the most marginalized people (women, family farmers, and minority groups like the disabled, Bedouin, Gypsy) live in dignity and prosperity and are empowered to preserve their heritage through creativity, innovation, and economic opportunity.
Through creativity and innovation, and emphasizing respect of the local heritage, Sunbula will support activities that provide income, preserve traditional skills and heritage, and help sustain producers. Through these activities, Sunbula will also raise awareness of the situation of these groups to the international audiences it seeks to connect to the community in Palestine. Sunbula will achieve this through a focus on the sustainability of the producers it supports, including capacity building and training, product development, and increased market access, all based on fair trade principles.
- To provide economic opportunity for more people in the Palestinian community.
- To continuously develop the production capacity of the craft producers.
- To help preserving the disappearing aspects of the traditional cultural heritage by revitalizing them in today’s handicraft production.
We are looking for someone interested in grassroots economic empowerment and preservation of local artisan heritage that wants to help make a concrete difference in people's lives.
Location:
Sunbula fair trade stores in Jerusalem
Hours:
A few hours a day twice a week
Tasks:
- Assist in managing the shop
- Helping the customers find and purchase products including operating the check-out counter
- Organize inventory and upkeep the shop display
- Promote Sunbula on social media
- Light administrative tasks as requested by the Executive Director
Perks:
- Transportation reimbursement
- Opportunity to visit the craft producers in different areas
- Discount at Sunbula stores
If interested, please contact Shirabe Yamada with your CV (or brief summary of relevant experience) and availability.
- A portable audio player for the shops (to play traditional and contemporary Arabic music)
- Volunteer photographer for photographing products and work scenes at the craft producers
- A pro-bono lawyer to help with our legal needs
- Volunteer illustrator to help develop our new product line (baby onesies and t-shirts)
We work to counter the increasing isolation of the Palestinian community in Jerusalem from the rest of Palestine - our fair trade shops are a bridge between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We also work to revitalize the cultural life in Palestinian Jerusalem by holding events in our garden throughout the year and by exhibiting the work of local artisans, young designers and food producers.
- Marketing traditional handicrafts at Sunbula fair trade stores in Jerusalem and the online shop
- Product development training for the craft producers by Palestinian designers
- Capacity-building support for the craft producer groups for strengthening their production and operation