Handira

Hanou Abbou

Hanou was born in Ait Amar Aghdou. When she got married, she moved to Sidi Yahya Ou Youssef with her husband. Now a widow, she has seven children, four of which are married. Hanou earns her income from different small jobs, and allowance from her kids. Despite joining the association when it opened in 2011, she still struggles to make a living due to the low percentage of sales. She learned how to weave, like most women, from her mom. She specializes in making everyday rugs, and traditional Handira rugs. She hopes one day, her craft will allow her to make a decent living to afford electricity and furniture for her home.

Fatema Amlih

Fatema is a native of Sidi Yahya Ou Youssef. She has two sons and a daughter. Before getting married she moved with her sister to another village for a few months, where she learned how to weave from other young women. When she moved back to her village, to start her own family, she continued to weave to decorate her home and make warm clothes for her kids. She makes Handira rugs, which the women of Zaouia are known for. This is Fatema’s first time weaving for a commercial purpose. She decided to join the association in 2012, when she heard about Anou and the opportunity it gave the local weavers in her village. With almost no income at all, Fatema has a hard time paying for her diabetes medicine. She hopes that her weaving skills will allow her to comfortably pay for her medicine, as well as get her own place where she can live with her husband and kids.