L'Artisan du Liban is a social enterprise working to keep Lebanese culture alive by supporting the development of local artisans and preserving the cultural tradition of Lebanese handicrafts.

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THE CHALLENGE:

The creative industries are declining due to a severe lack of demand caused by the financial crisis. As a result Lebanon’s local arts and cultural scene is suffering and the challenges that artists and small creative enterprises face are piling up, making it increasingly difficult for artists and artisans to achieve a meaningful and sustainable income from their work. The August 4th 2020 Beirut explosion created further setbacks, with many producers losing their stores, workshops and often a large part of their inventory in the blast.

THE ORGANISATION:

As the first social enterprise in Lebanon, established in 1979, L'Artisan du Liban’s (ADL) mission is to work for the social and economic development of both local artisans and their supply chains, including suppliers, tailors and designers. ADL is preserving the cultural tradition of crafts and supporting its artisans to achieve a sustainable source of income by delivering on-the-job training and one-to-one coaching, designing innovative products, developing new production methods and selling artisans’ products in their online and physical stores. The types of artisans they partner with come from communities across Lebanon and can range from well-established workshops to independent women producing high-quality handicrafts from home. So far, ADL has supported more than 1,000 artisans across Lebanon, mostly in remote rural areas, and has saved multiple crafts from extinction. All profits are reinvested into ADL’s business in order to reach more artisans.

ALFANAR’S SUPPORT: LOOKING AHEAD

In addition to supporting ADL to recruit an additional 250 artisans from disadvantaged communities, Alfanar is also providing management support to strengthen the organisation’s financial sustainability by increasing brand awareness and sales channels, developing a marketing strategy, introducing new product lines and improving overall operational efficiency.

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