About the project

Since 1940

The association was founded in 1940 by Father Henry Ayrout, to improve the living conditions of Egyptian farming families. It works across Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Qena and Luxor.

The Akhmim embroidery project began in the 1940s, teaching girls to embroider and growing into a style of its own. The Hagaza wood workshop came much later, training young men to carve over a three-year course.

The exhibition

Embroidery and woodwork have been shown together in Cairo since the early 1960s: embroidery on the ground floor, woodwork upstairs, for about ten days each year in late November.

Where the money goes

Sales pay the artisans directly and fund the training that keeps both crafts alive. For most of the embroiderers, this is the household's main income.

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Fair trade

Hagaza pieces have been sold through fair-trade channels since 2002. Details of current certifications and partners go here.