About BFTA?
Bethlehem Fair Trade Artisans (BFTA)is an NGO social enterprise specializing in Palestinian home decor and gift products handcrafted by artisans throughout the West bank and Gaza.
. With a mission to promote the principles of fair trade, BFTA serves as a vital link between Palestinian artisans and global fair-trade markets, ensuring ethical practices, cultural preservation, and economic empowerment.
BFTA collaborates with over 60 producers across Palestine, representing a rich tapestry of traditional crafts. These skilled artisans work with materials and techniques that reflect Palestine’s cultural heritage, including olive wood, ceramics, blown glass, embroidery, keffiyeh textiles, and leather. Through these art forms, BFTA supports the livelihoods of artisans, many of whom are women, refugees, or individuals from marginalized communities.
At its core, BFTA is dedicated to more than just commerce—it is a movement committed to social justice, cultural preservation, and sustainability. By providing artisans with fair wages, dignified working conditions, and access to international markets, BFTA empowers Palestinian producers to thrive in the face of economic challenges.
BFTA’s work extends beyond the marketplace. The organization actively spreads the fair-trade message through advocacy and education, inspiring a global community to choose ethical and sustainable products. With every purchase, BFTA customers contribute to a vision of equality, resilience, and hope for Palestinian artisans and their families.
In 2015, BFTA became the first guaranteed member of World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) in the Middle East. WFTO is the largest global network advocating Fair Trade principles.
OUR MISSION
BFTA‘s mission to empower the most vulnerable producers in Palestine, support them to become active agents in their own livelihoods, and develop their social rights and their communities.
OUR GOALS
BFTA aims to develop the local economy by creating more opportunities to the most marginalized producers, creating sustainable livelihoods.
BFTA targets youth with its fair trade advocacy in the hope of creating more sustainable and equitable business models and a better working environment for the future.
By spreading the message of fair trade, BFTA aims to restore the dignity of the most marginalized groups in the Palestinian society and to improve their lives.
Through its dedication to solidify the fair trade principles in Palestine, BFTA works to contribute to a global trade structure of equality and justice.
WHAT WE DO
While working with producers specializing in olive wood, embroidery, mother of pearl, olive oil soap, felt wool, and recycled products, BFTA promotes and celebrates the Palestinian culture and traditions. Through our mission of fair trade, we cherish these ancient crafts as we share their local stories with the world.
BFTA became an umbrella of major support for: 53 family-owned olive wood workshops, ceramics and blown glass factories, 50 women’s cooperatives and groups working with embroidery, recycled glass, basket weaving and jewelry making, and 5 dis-abled groups making felt wool products and recycled cards.
BFTA strategically reached new markets and doubled sales in the past few years, which has helped to lift hundreds of people out of poverty. By fostering the sustainable development of these communities, BFTA aims to contribute to a global trade structure that benefits marginalized groups.