Flatweave Rug

Fatima Mtous is from the village of Tadula Zanfi. She is the mother of two boys and one girl. She learned how to weave from her mom. Today she is taking literacy courses at a small qsuaranic school in the village. She has been weaving all her life. When she was younger, her father would often show off her rugs to her friends and eventually she got more and more recognition. At first, they would become gifts to people on special occasions and then she eventually showed them at local craft fairs. Because of this, she is one of the more traveled women of the village and has traveled to Marrakech, Agadir, Khemissit, and other places.

Fatima was born in a near by village and moved to Tadula Zanfi to marry her now husband. Her husband was married before and had nine children, but his wife unexpectedly passed away. As such Fatima embraced the children as her own. Many of her children are studying in school and doing well. Her husband is now retired. In her free time, Fatima attends the literacy courses put on by her association. She also contributes to the association due to her skills in weaving.

Ijja was born in Teznacht and moved to Teduit ZanFi because that is where her husband's family lived. She is the mother to six children, all of whom are still in school. Four of them live in Agadir, leaving the village to look for a job. Ijja lives with two of her children, one of whom is suffering from mental illness. There is no way to get treatment for her, though the other four children have chipped in to try and cover medical expenses. Now, she is still in the process of looking for money to be able to pay for treatment for her sick son. Ijja used to just make rugs by herself, but it is was not enough to support her son and herself. Then, one person from the association encouraged her to join as a member. The association donated some livestock and weaving materials to her and her family and have allowed her to earn more income. She hopes that her products will sell well.

Fatima is from Teduit ZanFi, is married to, and is the mother of three. She is 50 years old. Fatima has never had the opportunity ti attend school, but is now working to improve her literacy skills through classes taught by the association. Fatima learned the craft of weaving from her mother. Because she was married to a man from a different village and lived there for many years, she often would go back and forth between her and her husband's village. After her husband passed away she has been the sole breadwinner for herself and her children. Fatima specializes in carpets, and has been a member of the cooperative since its inception.