Just off Madaba’s main Artisan Street stands Seher Al Sharq, a pristine shop teeming with colorful, hand-embroidered products. Sahar Abu Nassar is the entrepreneur behind it, the name of which means ‘magic of the orient’ in Arabic; she opened it recently as an expansion to her budding embroidery business. The small shop reaches far beyond its four walls in Madaba’s city center, employing tens of women around the country, who can make a living working from home.

Sahar’s business is inspired by traditional embroidery; she uses intricate patterns and colorful designs, which are sewn onto a diverse range of items, from dresses and cushions to bags, tablecloths, key rings, wall hangings and more. The new shop helps to attract both locals and tourists to view and purchase Sahar’s exquisite products.

From meager beginnings, starting it off working at home, Sahar moved on to displaying her products at handicraft shops in Amman, where she gained greater exposure and secured larger orders. The next step was to open her own shop, which she was able to do with grant and technical support from the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project through the Madaba Enterprise Development Program. Today Sahar’s business employs a network of over 50 women who hail from Madaba as well as other towns around Jordan, including Baqaa, Hai Nazzal and Zarqa.

Sahar is a mother of five and her business enables her to contribute to household expenses and help out with financially providing for her children.

The business also provides each woman she employs with a regular monthly income that reaches up to JD150, which in turn benefits their families.

In addition to awarding a grant for Sahar’s shop, the USAID/Jordan Tourism Development Project supported Sahar’s business by contracting a design consultant to help her develop new designs and products in order to diversify her offering and enhance its marketability. “I have added several new items, some of which are unique in Jordan and not available anywhere else, and this has increased my orders,” said Sahar. The training also introduced Sahar to a handicraft exporter, who was impressed with her products and commissioned her to produce orders for export to the Gulf, thus opening up a large, new market for Sahar’s business.

With her new shop and increased exposure, Sahar plans to double or even triple the network of women who she employs. “In the future I hope to expand the workshop in order to be able to train more women to in this work. Then I hope to double or even triple the number of women employed by this business.”