Guest Blog Post with Sophie Mosko of Sabahar
We are excited to welcome Sophie Mosko of Sabahar to the blog today. Sabahar is an organization based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and from whom we purchase the ahhh-mazing loom-woven bath sheets sold in the Hope Artisan Collective (if you haven’t heard us rave over them, you can read our review here). We asked Sophie to tell us more about Sabahar. Welcome, Sophie!
Hello friends of Handspun Hope!
We are excited about our partnership with Handspun Hope. As their beautiful sweaters use Ethiopian cotton, it makes a lot of sense that our hand made Ethiopian textiles would be a beautiful fit. Diana has been coming into the Sabahar showroom in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, frequently on her trips to and from Rwanda. She collects an assortment of textiles to pair with her clothing and other accessories. Sabahar is so grateful for partnerships like these.
The company was started in 2006 by Kathy Marshall, a Canadian by birth but a true ambassador for Ethiopia. Having lived in the country for 25 years, she is committed to helping Ethiopia thrive. The company started as an alternative to aid - a sustainable, long-term approach to poverty alleviation. Sabahar also wanted to be sure the ancient skill of hand spinning and hand weaving were not lost to industrialized production.
Ethiopia is one of the only countries in Eastern Africa with an indigenous hand weaving tradition. All the ceremonial clothing worn at all important events throughout the country are still woven by hand.
There are hundreds of thousands of weavers throughout Ethiopia. Traditionally, it is only men who weave in Ethiopia while women do the hand spinning of cotton and the transferring the thread onto the bobbins in preparation for weaving.
Most weavers learn their trade from their fathers. In the past, many weavers started as child laborers and were not given the chance to go to school. Almost all Ethiopian weavers work in the informal sector- selling their wares at local markets. This is challenging because there is no regular, monthly income: some months are good and others are not.
Sabahar provides an alternative for these artisans. Working at Sabahar, the artisans receive regular, living wages- even in the time of COVID-19. This income security changes so much for the artisans. They can send their children to school, feed them properly, save some money and make future plans.
Most of the 95 Sabahar employees have stories of challenge before joining the company. For example, take the story of Etmalu, who has worked at Sabahar for more than 10 years. She was born in a small town and went to school until Grade 5 when she was abducted (kidnapped and forced to marry her kidnapper). She was 14 years old. She moved with her ‘husband’ to Addis Ababa and had a daughter. She worked in the home, not imagining anyone would hire her with no skills. She eventually started working for Sabahar as a cotton thread spinner. She ended up leaving her husband and raised her daughter on her own. Her regular employment allowed her daughter to finish school and to attend University.
Etmalu sums up the importance of having regular employment by saying: “My neighbors see me every morning with my purse, going to work. People know I have a good job and so they respect me. I also have self confidence because I have a job!”
At Sabahar we are proud that we are able to support people but also thrilled by the superior products they produce. Our collections of scarves, shawls, baby products, towels, table linens, cushions and throws are designed with a global market in mind. We have merged the ancient skills of Ethiopia with modern design to make products that fit in everywhere. Everything is entirely made by hand- from spinning the cotton, dyeing the yarn, weaving the fabric, braiding the fringes and sewing on the labels. Our products give the world a chance to have a little piece of Ethiopia and its beautiful traditions in their homes.
Thank you, Sophie and the artisans of Sabahar! You make beautiful things!
If you would like a little bit of Ethiopia for yourself, be sure to stop by Hope Artisan Collective and purchase a bath sheet … or two. Once you use one, we doubt you’ll ever go back to bulky, slow-drying towels.
