Idlib – Samah Alloush

Driven by her passion for handicrafts, Raghda decided to learn the craft of resin making in the city of Idlib, aiming to secure a source of income to support her living.

Raghda lives with her mother, and they do not have a stable source of income, except for some remittances that occasionally arrive from her brother, who resides in Germany.

The 45-year-old woman committed to joining an educational workshop at a private center in the city, learning the steps to create resin pieces, a craft that requires a lot of precision and creativity, linked to her educational background.

Raghda graduated from a women’s arts institute and has worked in several areas of handicrafts, such as making colored flowers from ceramic and arranging them on mirrors and boards. She has also ventured into creating flower bouquets, hospitality tray covers, and accessories from ribbons.

Handicrafts have become a destination for many women living in northern Syria, as they provide a source of income from home without the need to leave their houses, whether they are single or married.

These crafts help women contribute to household expenses, which have become burdensome amid rising commodity prices, increasing living costs, scarce job opportunities, and low wages that do not exceed 100 Turkish lira (3 US dollars) daily for work in construction and agriculture.

Raghda, who has been displaced from the rural areas of Idlib to the city, believes she has found her calling in the resin craft, as it is new and in demand among those interested in preserving their memories within her pieces.

The fee for the workshop Raghda joined was 150 US dollars (5,150 Turkish lira), lasting over two consecutive months with three days a week. The center is responsible for providing materials to ensure that trainees benefit fully from the training, according to Raghda.

What is resin making?

Resin is a transparent glass-like material formed by mixing liquid epoxy with a hardener in specific proportions, in addition to alcohol or transparent colors, glitter, mica, and pigments. It is poured into silicone molds to create plates, trays, clocks, and stands for various occasions, including engagements, weddings, or newborn celebrations.

Each piece requires several days to become ready, and temperature fluctuations between summer and winter affect the curing duration of each layer of resin, according to Mona Sweid, a young woman specialized in resin making in Idlib.

Sweid (27 years old) has been making resin from her home for several years in a dedicated room. She buys raw materials from online pages in Turkey, considering them cheaper than those available in some shops in northern Syria.

Sweid graduated in dental prosthetics and works in her own lab, but she loves handicrafts. She mastered resin making after watching educational videos on YouTube.

She mentioned that she conducted previous experiments, some of which failed, but she eventually arrived at the appropriate working method and the necessary mixing ratios.

A hospitality plate made from resin materials in Idlib – November 11, 2024 (Enab Baladi/Samah Alloush)

Expensive raw materials

Two years ago, Masa (21 years old) opened her own handicraft shop in Idlib after learning this craft by joining an online workshop and watching several videos on social media.

The woman, displaced from Damascus and a mother of two children, told Enab Baladi that she faced difficulties in securing raw materials, pointing out their high prices. The price of one kilogram of epoxy ranges from 520 Turkish lira to 1200 lira (between 15 and 35 US dollars), depending on its quality and usage.

She mentioned that she uses the cheaper type to make light weight simple pieces like letters and keychains, and the more expensive type for items that require multiple layers and are heavy, such as trays and stands.

Masa added that some shops provide these materials, but they can sometimes run out, forcing her to wait until they are available, thus interrupting her work.

The woman sells letters made from resin for between 25 to 40 Turkish lira, depending on the decorative materials added to the piece, such as gold leaf and colors. She sells a keychain for 75 Turkish lira (the dollar is equivalent to 35 Turkish lira).

Masa is still at the beginning of her project, as the profits she earns are used to purchase missing silicone molds and packaging materials. She is starting from scratch and replenishing her supplies from her profits until she can expand her work.

The woman is trying to achieve financial returns to support her husband, such as paying rent and securing basic living necessities and hopes to receive support from local organizations that provide assistance to small projects.

Decorative materials and molds for the resin craft – November 11, 2024 (Enab Baladi/Samah Alloush)

Hazardous materials

The materials used in resin production are chemical, producing toxic gases that can harm human health if misused. The fumes generated from the reaction can pose dangers to the respiratory system.

Skin diseases like eczema may occur if the materials come into contact with the skin, so necessary precautions should be taken, such as working in a separate room with good ventilation to allow air renewal, keeping materials out of children’s reach, and wearing gloves and a filtered mask to ensure safe breathing.

In northern Syria, women wishing to work face obstacles, the most prominent of which are the lack of education and experience, limited job opportunities, difficulty balancing family care with work, lack of transport to workplaces, and the absence of academic qualifications, according to a study by the Syria Civil Defence.

Despite the existence of training institutes that provide women with some skills and expertise, women engage in exhausting and hazardous professions in order to meet their various needs amid rising prices and low wages.

Northwestern Syria is home to 5.1 million people, of whom 4.2 million need assistance, and 3.4 million experience food insecurity. Among them, 3.4 million are internally displaced, and 2 million live in camps, according to the United Nations, while local statistics mention between 5.5 to 6 million people.