Samidoun: Leather, Tatreez, and the Will to Create

"The idea behind Samidoun was not born out of comfort or long-term planning. It came at a moment of uncertainty."

Those are the words of Mahera Nassar Ghareeb, Samidoun's founder. She had spent years leading a workshop for people with disabilities — building something from almost nothing, learning what it means to hold a community together with limited resources and considerable will. Then came the news that she might lose her job. And with it, the question that Palestinians have been asking across generations under occupation: how do I survive?

Her answer was Samidoun.

What She Already Had

Mahera looked at what was around her. Her sister-in-law had started a small tatreez project — struggling, nearly inactive, but there. Skilled leather artisans in Hebron were producing beautiful, high-quality work with nowhere near enough market reach. And across the villages in the Bethlehem area, women with deep knowledge of traditional Palestinian embroidery were talented, trained, and urgently in need of income — particularly now, in a period of compounding hardship.

She brought it together.

How Samidoun Works

Today, Samidoun works with a network of leather artisans in Hebron and more than 25 women from villages around Bethlehem. Together they create handcrafted leather bags enriched with traditional Palestinian tatreez — heritage and contemporary design carried in a single object.

It is, in Mahera’s own words, not just a business. It is a response to hardship. A space where women can earn, create, and feel valued. A bridge between tradition and modern design.

Samidoun is about survival — but it is also about choosing to make something meaningful and beautiful from the materials that hardship leaves behind.

How Handmade Palestine Collaborates with Samidoun

When Mahera first had the idea, she approached Handmade Palestine founder Morgan and together Samidoun and Handmade Palestine designed new leather totes and fanny packs. Manjel Ma'qoud was brought in to design the tatreez and SG Leathers to create models for the first bags. You can see and shop their stunning collection here.