The women hand make vibrantly-colored crocheted baskets and rugs and the actual project was named by the women - Kuchinate means ‘crochet’ in Tigrinia. The African Refugee Women’s Collective has gone through a journey and the women currently work from a quaint studio in south Tel Aviv, which is open to the public for sales and workshops in learning the technique. They also host a series of pop-up shops in different locations throughout the year. There are a few shops in Tel Aviv that stock the baskets and rugs that are made by the women. They are beautiful, quality products that the women are proud of and have allowed them not only to learn a skill, but make money from their craft. The project also serves another significant aspect of empowerment: it became a place where women with shared hardship and experience could come together and find support from one another. The shop is a safe place to work, create, eat, laugh, dance, cry, and talk, and all visitors are welcome.
From a women’s co-working space to a women’s only spa, these Tel Aviv hot spots are owned-and-operated by a slew of dynamic and inspiring women bringing an added dose of culture and interest to the heart of the city.
