Throughout its history, this area of the world has been a major center of world affairs, being an important political, economic, and cultural region. The Middle East is also the geographic origin of three of the world's great religions - Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and has been a land of rich, and often explosive, diversity. War in many countries has taken its toll on people's ability to access markets and to sustain themselves. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel and Palestine, thousands have lost their lives due to continuing ethnic, religious, and political violence. In Eastern Europe, newly independent countries are challenged with building their economies as they begin to participate in the global marketplace
Our work in this region supports community organizations that are both rebuilding traditional livelihoods that have declined because of lack of markets as well as providing new economic alternatives to farmers and artisans.
Where we work in the Middle East and Eastern Europe:
SERRV works with 5 artisan and farmer groups in the region: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Israel, and Palestine.
Meet some of our artisan and farmer partners in the Middle East and Eastern Europe:
Sarajevo Phoenix, Bosnia-Herzegovina
In Sarajevo, the Balkan capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina (formerly Yugoslavia), SERRV's partner Sarajevo Phoenix represents a group of Bosnian women - Serbs, Muslims, and Croats - who are skilled embroiderers. Many of the women are refugees or lost their homes, husbands or fathers during the Balkan war of the mid-1990s. Read more about Sarajevo Phoenix.
Sindyanna of Galilee, Israel
Sindyanna of Galilee is a nonprofit organization which was established in 1996 to help restore and develop the Arab olive industry in Israel and provide meaningful work for women in Galilee. The cultivation of olives has been a mainstay in western Galilee for centuries, but many Arab farmers have lost this crucial income because of many obstacles they must overcome to have access to land, markets, and equipment. Read more about Sindyanna.
Click on the menu to the left to see all of our partners in the Middle East and Eastern Europe