Interview with Ms. Lamia Sawan

Lamia is one of the 20 women currently participating in the WEL project in North Lebanon. We caught up with Lamia to discuss her background and plans for her business.

What is your personal background?

My name is Lamia Michael Sawan, I am 59 years old and I live with my husband and my children in Kfarhabou, North Lebanon. I am an ambitious woman and I refuse to be a failure, and am always searching for new opportunities.

What is your business idea?

Since I was a young girl, I have dreamt of reviving Lebanese Heritage and this dream had a direct link with my patriotism and my attachment to my country. This dream was translated in enhancing my experience in local traditional handicrafts concerning different items that target the high-income segments. Moreover, being an ambitious woman pushed me to get acquainted with new ideas and products and that is to work with glass and glassware.  I have had many financial obstacles, but my dream and my insistence pushed me to develop my business.

Why have you chosen the handicrafts sector?

As I have mentioned before, my dream was a key contributor to choosing my business. Today, I have 35 yrs. experience in this sector. Furthermore, I would like to mention here that I always seek new markets. For my current business idea of glassware, I have markets in Lebanon as well as in Australia, America, Europe, and the Middle East.

What kind of experience do you have?

I have a remarkable experience in both handcraft and mouneh as I have participated in several training sessions.  Moreover, I took an experience in marketing skills after being participated in several well-known exhibitions all over Lebanon.  In addition to my previous experience, I am currently learning the additional required skills for a successful business in the WEL program.

What is your dream?

If we have a look on the Lebanese heritage we can notice that it is rare to find items that resemble Lebanon, especially the handcrafts. For this my dream is to reserve the heritage by doing handcrafts that were done by our ancestors. My dream is to develop more my business by having new markets in order to be more successful. I have an experience in sales and good communication skills as I also work as a saleswoman in a local company. I am ready to work hard and achieve my dreams!

Good luck, Lamia, and all 20 women of the WEL project!