Project engages Talin women in handicraft manufacture
by Erica Vendetti
Published: Saturday September 22, 2012
Making of traditional dolls in Talin.
Yerevan – It is not uncommon in Armenia that on a warm early autumn
day, adults are gathered together, chattering happily while the
children sit on the floor playing with assorted toys- smiling and
laughing. Two children are making car noises; others toss a ball back
and forth, while one sits quietly creating imaginary lives for her
inanimate friends. But, look closely and you will notice something
different.
Unlike most social gatherings where the women are busy preparing
coffee and tasty foods, these women are busy making crocheted dolls
wearing ancient Armenian costumes. For now, a lone prototype doll and
I sit, marveling at the courageous ambitions of these women. Their
energy makes the dolls feel just as alive as the bustling town
five-stories below.
Talin, a town located in Aragatsotn Marz with an estimated 5,700
people, has always been at a crossroad. Here, six women come together
to create collectable dolls uniting the past, present, and future of
Armenia. Talin, like the rest of Armenia, is no exception to the
existing economic and social difficulties- it too was once a thriving
hub, full of promise for skilled electrical, dairy, and textile
workers. For families in Talin, the lure of employment for both men
and women was once strong. But now, with the collapse of the Soviet
Union and closure of many factories, these opportunities are now
limited to the most skilled laborers.
Women in Armenia work mostly at home, serving as the glue in a strong
family tradition as a mother, wife, and homemaker. But, as the global
economy continues to struggle, so too do the families of Armenia.
Here, the need for multiple income families has grown without an
increase in job availability. Recently, I spoke with a former resident
who carried great affection in his heart for Talin, but like many
others, had moved away for work. “I want to move back,” he says, “but
there is no work available for my family and I.” But, for those
working with Talin Dolls, this reality is changing.
Talin Dolls, like the work of so many other great endeavors, is the
result of international friendship. When Brian Bokhart, current United
States Peace Corps volunteer, connected Gayane Khachatryan, a local
Armenian woman, with Sir Timothy Straight, the honorary consul for
Norway and Finland in Armenia and founder of Homeland Handicrafts, no
one expected a mere six months later that Talin Dolls would be a
product highly demanded in the market. Just as each stitch brings the
collectable doll to life, the sum of these individuals created a
vessel for Talin Dolls to achieve its goals- the Talin Women’s
Resource Center Development Foundation (TWRC).
TWRC’s work with Talin Dolls is two-fold. They strive to create jobs
for women through the sale of exquisitely hand-crocheted dolls wearing
traditional Armenian clothing, and with the use of profits generated
create a disabled children’s resource center in the region. This new
center seeks to identify disabled children and address their needs by
providing information for parents, training to medical staff,
physiotherapy and create a new support community for families of
special needs children.
In addition to giving a fuller life for the children and families of
disabled individuals in the Talin region, TWRC also strives to bridge
the information gap among women on issues like health, dietary and
rights issues for themselves, their families, and children. TWRC and
Talin Dolls represents the combined efforts of different organizations
and people coming together to pool resources and experience, and mix
ambition and hope to create something new in order to positively
affect the future of women and children in Talin.
Being one of the new volunteers in the region, I have lost track of
how many people have told me about their hopes for Armenia, their
dreams for their family and themselves. All of this is said with the
great passion and hospitality that comes with what it means to be
Armenian. It is hard not to get swept up in the passion of these
exceptional people’s desire to help their families, communities, and
country. But the reality in regions far from Yerevan often means
limited resources and a lack of information among various networks,
especially those for children with special needs. Unfortunately, this
often means many families are left alone to face the challenges of
everyday living. Still, despite obstacles generated by complex
business and political inter-workings, Bokhart, Khachatryan, and
Straight remain steadfast in their commitment and make this project
succeed.
Currently, collectable dolls have been designed for ten ancient
communities- Moush, Sasoun, Trabizon, Vaspourakan, Karin (Erzroum),
Zeytoun, Sebastia, Khotorjour, Artsakh and Van. While the dolls
themselves are collectors’ items for people of Armenian decent to
reconnect to the lost regions of Armenia, for the artisans, the dolls
provide much more. They offer skilled women the opportunity to provide
stable funding for their families. By selling only ten dolls, a woman
can afford the monthly utility payments for her home. By selling
upwards of twenty dolls, a woman can afford an entire month’s food for
a family of four. With the income from Talin Dolls, TWRC will be able
to help disabled children and their families who often struggle in
private to provide better care for their loved ones. With the success
of the Talin Doll project, TWRC hopes to also hire a regular driver to
connect more children from the surrounding communities with the
resource center.
Today, the women of Talin work to transfer love of country, community,
and family into each of the finished Armenian dolls. Through the
Indiegogo campaign (hyperlink) for Talin Dolls, the women hope to
expand their collection through requests for Armenian districts not
yet represented among the original ten. The possibilities are endless
for this budding project. No sooner had Straight left Talin with the
first 10 collectables, than someone approached him in a Yerevan cafe
to purchase a doll before official photographs, let alone sales, had
started. The women working with the Talin Dolls project embody the
true spirit of Armenia– where, despite a difficult past and an
uncertain future, the permeating message of these people is one of
hope, family, and positivity about the direction of both their project
and country.
Bokhart, Khachatryan, and Straight have done something very special
for Talin. Not only have they created a community for women, where
many only know each other only by name, occupation, or children, but
they have also tapped into the pride of the Armenian people- allowing
women to renew their hopes and aspirations to merge traditional values
with the reality of a never ending list of family needs. Each time a
doll is created it renews a much needed sense of accomplishment in
these women. Talin Dolls’ future is in the hands of everyone- from the
local Armenian, the diaspora population, to other concerned citizens
of the world. Helping the women of Talin Dolls and TWRC reminds the
people of Armenia about the sincere concern and interest the
international community has for this vibrant and hospitable country.
The women of TWRC are working tirelessly to complete all orders for
mailing by December 1, with the plans for all dolls to arrive to their
new homes by Christmas. The women of Talin look forward to hearing
from you with orders for existing dolls and copies of family photos
providing inspiration for new collectors models.
For more information regarding the project, women, how to purchase a
doll, and how your purchase helps, please visit:
From: Baghdasarian