UAE-based entrepreneur empowers talented refugee women artists from Kenya

A UAE-based entrepreneur and UN refugee agency’s high-profile supporter has launched eco-friendly limited-edition T-shirt towels crafted by refugee women Kenya.

Salama Mohamed’s luxury skincare brand Peacefull is collaborated with MADE51 – a UNHCR initiative that empowers refugee artisans by providing them opportunities to earn income through artisanal work.

Through MADE51, Peacefull connected with RefuSHE, a local social enterprise in Nairobi, Kenya, and the refugee women they work with. Together, they designed and created one-of-a-kind items, skilfully handcrafted by talented refugee women in Kenya.

To mark World Refugee Day, Salama and Peacefull hosted an event at Abu Dhabi’s Manaarat Al Saadiyat to screen the documentary ‘She and Her Dignity’, and to launch the limited-edition T-shirt towels crafted by refugee women.

The documentary captures Salama’s inspiring journey as she travels to Kenya to meet resilient displaced women who are reclaiming their dignity through the art of craftsmanship, while also portraying the rawness and reality of their experiences, helping raise awareness, celebrate success stories, and advocate for the rights of forcibly displaced individuals across the globe.

“Peacefull’s collaboration with MADE51, and specifically with the talented women in Kenya, has been a true labour of love. In joining hands and hearts, through our shared experience and collective efforts, the documentary portrays the transformative power of compassion and resilience — and celebrating, above all, the unbreakable human spirit,” Salama noted.

Houssam Chahine, UNHCR’s chief of private sector partnerships in Mena, underlined that refugees “want opportunities, not handouts”.

“They wish to be self-reliant and are eager to use their talents and passions to contribute to the communities hosting them. We can all do more to give refugees more hope – and more opportunities – while they are away from home. We are proud and grateful of the important work and partnership with Salama and her brand Peacefull, in providing refugees opportunities to work, and provide for their families.”

This initiative showcases the transformative power of collaboration and demonstrates a tangible way to support and uplift forcibly displaced individuals on their journey toward self-reliance.