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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
World
Al Jazeera

Deaf Syrian carpet-makers find markets in Asia

The carpets Sana and Saba have been making are now sold in Japan and China [Daily Sabah]

Two deaf Syrian women living in a refugee camp in Turkey's Kilis have been making carpets and selling them to customers in Japan and China, according to a nongovernmental organisation.

In Turkey's southern city of Kilis, Saba and Sanaa have been weaving carpets that are being sold in the Asian markets, Daily Sabah news agency reported.

They have been taking lessons at the Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), a Turkish NGO which has been helping Syrian refugees professionally.

The Vice President of AFAD, Fikret Shalbi, said the organisation has been providing workshops for Syrian refugees at the camps, such as computer lessons and handcrafts lessons.

Saba and Sanaa arrived to the camp full of fear and anxiety, but they have now grown their talent and are extremely happy with their work, Shalbi said.

"The carpets they have been creating are being exported to China and Japan. What they are doing is not only providing them with a living, but also helping their families too," he said.

Turkey has taken in more than 2.7 million registered Syrian refugees, according to recent data released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).


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