Syrian craftswoman turns blindness into opportunity through handmade creations
Damascus, June 29 (SANA)For craftswoman Nesreen Hijiri, losing her sight was not the end of her dream, but the beginning of a different journey written with determination and resolve.
From a world without light, she crafted another world pulsing with colors she paints with her imagination, transforming metal wire, plaster and accessories into decorative plants that burst with beauty, proving that creativity is not bound by disability and that willpower can open new doors to life.
Hijiri told SANA during her participation in the “Syrian Hands” bazaar inDamascusthat she refused to let her blindness end her journey, so she enrolled at the Institute for the Blind to learn a profession that would enable her to support herself.
There, she discovered her passion for making decorative plants, excelled at it, and went on to launch her own project and participate in bazaars and exhibitions to showcase her products.
She explains that each piece she creates carries part of her feeling. She begins by shaping plant branches from metal wire, fixing them to plaster bases, and decorating them with various accessories to give them a distinctive artistic touch. Her sense of touch has become her guide in her work, while she relies on those around her to choose and coordinate colors, so each plant reflects an artistic taste and a spirit filled with hope.
Hijiri sees her project as no longer just a craft or a means of earning a living, but a message that people with disabilities possess talents and creativity that deserve support and nurturing. She expressed hope to develop her project and expand production by providing more opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in bazaars and events, helping them reach a wider customer base and turn their small projects into sustainable sources of income.
Hijiri’s story remains an example that losing one sense does not mean losing the ability to create, and that sincere determination can turn challenges into achievements, painting hope in the details of lives shaped by their owners’ will before their hands.