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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Several times a month, women from Afghanistan, Syria, Nepal, and Burma come together in the Bevo Mill neighborhood to learn how to create jewelry and textiles. Necklaces, earrings, and bangles are made from hammered brass or silver, wire, and stone. Textiles—created from hand-printed batiks from Indonesia and woodblock kalamkari prints from South India—include burp cloths, bibs, tea wallets, zipper bags, totes, and more.
The women are paid for their handcrafts, which are later sold online, in stores, and at local markets. This work is made possible by Forai, a local nonprofit that partners with immigrant and refugee women to help them create a better life for themselves here in St. Louis.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Jen Owens
Jen Owens founded the organization in 2009, after sharing a Thanksgiving dinner with two Bhutanese families and learning about their experiences living in a refugee camp in Nepal for 15 years. Owens wanted to do something to help these women and others like them.
“What came to my mind was working with our hands,” says Owens. “That’s something that bridges the language barrier and the awkwardness of trying to relate to someone from another culture.”
Each year, Forai works with eight to 12 refugee and immigrant women who participate in workshops where they learn how to sew or make quality jewelry. The women then take home the necessary tools and supplies. There are now 10 artists, seven of whom are on the jewelry team and three who work with the sewing group.
The work not only provides much-needed income for the families but also community for the women. “It’s really fun to see all these women just laugh and get to know each other,” says Owens. “It really is a place of community for them. It feels safe, and they get each other—they know that they’re coming from similar circumstances.”
The pandemic complicated this camaraderie, however, as artisans were no longer able to meet for workshops and sales decreased. Forai received a donation and learned that masks were in demand, so the artisans quickly shifted production to making masks. Through this work and the donation, Forai was able to continue paying its artisans. Kits with the supplies needed to make masks were dropped off at the artisans’ homes and then picked up after the masks were complete.
Once it was deemed safe enough to return to the workspace, Owens and her team created plexiglass dividers, and the artisans were welcomed back. The organization hopes to soon host popular annual events, such as a barbecue and holiday party. With festivals and farmers markets operating again, Owens is optimistic that sales will continue to increase. And the volunteer-run organization, which prioritizes leadership and empowerment, also recently hired its first employee, a director of the jewelry project. “That’s a big leap forward for us,” Owens says.
“My favorite part of this is getting to know the women,” she adds. “I just love watching them and challenging them to do things that they would never really think of doing: ‘You’re going to learn how to use a digital spreadsheet…’ We have women who are artisans, and we promote them into administration roles.”
