Shanti: social enterprise helps artisans in Tunisia – in pictures

Weavers use cast-off pullovers, scarves and socks to make attractive rugs

A craftswoman weaves a rug in the Tunisian oasis of Nefta, at a workshop run by Shanti, a social enterprise that helps artisans in the North African country. All photos: AFP

A shopkeeper in the capital, Tunis, arranges rugs woven by women in Nefta.

Najet at work in the workshop in Nefta run by Shanti.

The women who work for Shanti use old pullovers, socks and assorted pass-me-downs from the local flea market, giving them a new life as rugs.

The weaving project plays a vital role in an area where women are disproportionately underemployed, and which has faced an economic crisis since before the revolt that led to the Arab uprisings of 2011.

A shop in Tunis displays rugs made by the weavers in Nefta as part of the Shanti project.

Najet works in the southwestern Tunisian oasis of Nefta, at a workshop run by Shanti, a social enterprise that helps artisans from across the North African country, in the capital Tunis, on February 12, 2022. - The women who work for Shanti use an eclectic array of old pullovers, socks and assorted pass-me-downs from the local flea market, giving them a new life as rugs. The project fills a valuable niche in an area where women are disproportionately underemployed, and which has faced an ever-worsening economic crisis since before the revolt that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. (Photo by FETHI BELAID / AFP)

Rugs by Shanti's weavers on display in Tunis.

Fatima Alhamal, the local co-ordinator for Shanti.

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