Around 100,000 handmade rugs have been produced since 2008 by the Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts, one of Bab Rizq Jameel's social enterprise programs set up to fight unemployment. The academy was set up to provide opportunities for women to work from home. It also provides women with training on making rugs. The institute bears the costs of materials and markets products for the women. Over 200 women are participating in the program. Participants earn a minimum of SR3,000 a month and together produce about 10,000 rugs per month. The rugs carry distinct designs based on Islamic art and heritage. The Nafisa Shams Academy for Arts and Crafts' production department takes care of the manufacture of rugs, prayer beads and packaging for copies of the Qur'an. Jawaher Al-Zahrani, general manager of the academy, said that the academy has improved production lines and that about 10,000 rugs are produced each month by 200 Saudi women. She added that the academy aims to fight unemployment and provide women with opportunities to work from home, something that would help them balance between their families, education and work. Al-Zahrani added that the academy markets the products to both the government and private sectors which use them as gift items. Mona Al-Alami, production manager at the academy, said ensuring standards of quality is the academy's priority. She added that the academy's production department provides designs and materials to the women and guidance on what to do. Finished products are then packaged for sale. She also said they do not have a specific target for the participants in terms of age or education, adding that the only thing that matters is their ability to work. Salwa Al-Gouhani, a married woman and university student, said she began working on making rugs in 2008. She added that the program allows her to work, study and take care of her family at the same time. She also said that her previous experience at a seamstress helped her progress in the manufacturing of rugs and that she sometimes trains new participants who join the production line. “My family supported me a lot when I decided to work on this type of work. I would advise women to start working as I did rather than wait for a job,” she said. Hanan Al-Harbi, a university graduate, has also been working in the production of rugs along with her sister since 2008. She said she worked as a teacher before manufacturing rugs. She said she prefers this line of work because she has the comfort of working from home and does not need to travel, something that many working women in the Kingdom struggle with. __
