Our Impact in 2025: A Year of Purposeful Growth

2025 was a defining year for Handmade Palestine. We expanded our team to four full-time members, extended our services to include EU fulfillment through Germany, and undertook important operational improvements.

These developments strengthened our ability to support artisan partners across Palestine and to meet the growing demand from you, our customers, who support, share, and sustain our mission around the world.

Our Journey

Handmade Palestine began as a small display in a café in Ramallah, created to provide artisans with a point of sale while raising funds to plant trees and protect nature at Mashjar Juthour. Over time, this initiative evolved — first into a website, then onto Etsy, and eventually into the platform you see today.

This growth was made possible by the dedication of volunteers and community supporters who believed in the vision of a values-driven social enterprise. For the first seven years, founder Morgan Cooper Totah personally funded Handmade Palestine. In 2021, the organisation reached a major milestone by becoming financially self-sufficient.

Although we operate as a business, Handmade Palestine has always functioned with a non-profit ethos.  Profits are donated to Mashjar Juthour to support conservation and land protection, as we were first created to generate income for that non profit. Neither the founder nor the team came from formal backgrounds in business development or marketing, making this journey a steep learning curve. What we brought instead was deep commitment, shared purpose, and a willingness to learn and grow together.

2025 Overview

Our overall performance in 2025 was significantly lower than in 2024, reflecting a return to more organic and sustainable growth following an exceptional year of global solidarity with Palestinian businesses. This year represents a stable baseline for the organisation’s continued development and long-term resilience.

2025 Impact at a Glance

• 100% of olive trees at Mashjar Juthour adopted through the Adopt an Olive Tree partnership, ensuring their continued care and protection
• 36 artisan groups and cooperatives represented on our website
• Over 600 artisans supported, the majority of whom are women and refugees:
  • Over 80% of our artisans are women, many of whom are the primary — and often sole — providers for their families
  • Through our fair-trade partnerships, refugee artisans gain access to steady, dignified work, providing a vital and reliable source of income in an unstable economy
• 6,364 orders placed and fulfilled in the United States
• 2 international fulfilment centres serving global customers
• 29% returning customer rate
• 501,003 visitors to the Handmade Palestine website, nearly doubling year on year

In 2025, we also saw an increase in wholesale orders from allies and customers supporting bricks-and-mortar stores and fundraising initiatives. We received growing interest in corporate gifting, opening new avenues for solidarity-based support.

We began new partnerships with Sharif Ceramics and Tawfiq Netsha, both of whom create exceptional crafts. Their work — and the stories of their families and craft-making traditions — will be featured on our website in the year ahead.

Throughout 2025, we supported income generation for 36 artisan groups, five team members, and 30 small businesses.

This collective impact is an achievement we are deeply proud of. Together, these outcomes tell the story of a year defined by resilience, progress, and lasting impact. Each purchase continues to directly support Palestinian artisans and their families, helping strengthen communities and sustain livelihoods.

Positive Impact on the Land

In 2025, Handmade Palestine’s work extended beyond artisan support to tangible, long-term investment in land stewardship at Mashjar Juthour. Through income generated by Handmade Palestine sales and the Adopt an Olive Tree programme, we were able to transform solidarity into living soil, dignified work, and enduring ecological infrastructure.

• Built a traditional stone cottage at Mashjar Juthour using waste stones collected from streets and excavation sites, creating future accommodation for workers and volunteers
• Invested approximately 90,000 NIS in the cottage structure and 20,000–22,000 NIS in roofing, funded largely through Handmade Palestine
• Excavated over 35 m³ of soil to expand and reshape a five-pound ecological water system, including waterfalls, a fountain, and the foundations for a future eco-pond micro-climate
• Repositioned 5–7 tonne boulders to form an island and sculpt the pond edges, strengthening long-term ecological structure and beauty
• Planted 25–30 new fruit trees with children — the next generation of Palestinians — achieving a 100% survival rate despite harsh conditions and ongoing occupational stress
• Reinforced and upgraded the caves at Juthour with new tiling and a bathroom, improving safety and accessibility for visitors, workers, and volunteers
• Constructed stone benches, tables, and entrance walls using traditional techniques designed to last with minimal maintenance, reflecting Juthour’s long-term stewardship vision
• Worked with 17 local workers throughout the year, providing dignified income while adapting infrastructure to the local terrain, climate, and political reality
• Continued construction, planting, and local employment despite the theft of essential tools (including generators, pumps, and hoists), choosing resilience over retreat
• Funded land stewardship and local employment through Handmade Palestine sales and the Adopt an Olive Tree programme, turning global solidarity into living soil, dignified work, and long-term ecological infrastructure.

2025 Challenges

While overall sales declined compared to 2024, this shift reflected changing global attention following an unprecedented year of solidarity with Palestinian businesses. Many supporters continued to seek meaningful ways to stand with Palestine — through raising awareness, sharing our artisans’ stories, and purchasing their crafts.

We faced challenges in selling our Palestinian Ramadan Gift Boxes; however, this led to the launch of our Zakat giving programme. This initiative became a powerful and timely form of support, providing direct assistance to dozens of families and creating a significant positive impact during a critical period.

Looking Ahead in 2026

In 2026, we are committed to continuing to expand our artisan network, developing new and innovative products, strengthening global partnerships, and deepening our sustainability efforts — all while remaining rooted in dignity, fairness, and community-led growth.

Thank You for Being Part of This Journey

Every purchase, every share, and every show of support truly matters. Handmade Palestine is more than a marketplace — it is a collective act of care, resistance, and hope.

Together, we are preserving Palestinian cultural heritage, uplifting artisans, and demonstrating that creativity and resilience endure even in the most challenging circumstances.

Your support directly sustains Palestinian makers and strengthens the wider local economy. This work is only possible because of you. From the bottom of our hearts — thank you for standing with Handmade Palestine.