The Holyland Handicraft Cooperative Society (HLHCS) is a guaranteed World Fair Trade Organisation member in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem. It supports 35 producer groups bringing work to 2000 individuals. Partnerships include local women’s enterprise groups and organisations that support people with disabilities.

HLHCS aims to preserve the handicraft traditions of the local area for the benefit of future generations of Palestinians. Their carving of olive wood was first developed because of local availability of the raw material and the demand by pilgrims for religious icons.

 

Their mission is to strive to alleviate local poverty and unemployment, decrease emigration, and sustain Palestinian handicraft workmanship traditions by effectively marketing their products, obtaining raw materials at a reasonable cost, and developing technical and managerial capabilities.  HLHCS dreams of peace in the Holy Land, and believes that Fair Trade is a tool to reach its goals.

 

Pendants, decorations and nativities are made from olive trees, a symbol of peace. Each item is carefully carved using prunings from the young trees and the sprouts from the trunks of the old unproductive trees, all locally sourced. The wood is collected without harming or destroying the ancient trees.