Photo courtesy GATE Lebanon, © RET Germany

Article by Carine Harouny, Operations and Communications Officer for GATE Lebanon, RET Germany’s local implementing partner

BIREH, AKKAR, LEBANON – Under a BMZ-funded project implemented by RET Germany in partnership with GATE Lebanon, a Lebanese woman from Bireh, Akkar has turned a traditional embroidery skill into a livelihood, and into a way to help other women do the same.

Aisha Itawi joined the first group of the Embroidery Vocational Training Program, where she completed the technical training before continuing her journey through career counseling, mentoring, and business development support. Through these activities, she strengthened not only her embroidery techniques but also her entrepreneurial skills in pricing, marketing, sales, customer relations, and business planning.

Her commitment, creativity, and continuous progress led to a remarkable achievement when Caritas Lebanon selected her to train another group of women in embroidery. The opportunity marked an important milestone, recognizing her as a skilled artisan capable of transferring knowledge and empowering others.

Photo courtesy GATE Lebanon, © RET Germany

Reflecting on her experience, Aisha shares:

“The program gave me much more than embroidery skills. It taught me how to develop my work into a business and gave me the confidence to teach other women. Today, I believe in my abilities and look forward to growing my business while helping others succeed.”

Aisha’s journey shows how vocational training paired with career guidance, mentoring, and entrepreneurship support can create sustainable livelihood opportunities, and how it can turn program participants into agents of change in their own communities.s to come.

The project “Improving Food Security, Livelihoods, and the Inclusion of Women and Vulnerable Groups, and Promoting Gender Equality in North Lebanon,” funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of the Federal Republic of Germany (BMZ) and implemented by RET Germany in partnership with GATE Lebanon.

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