STORY
DESIGN
The rainbow has become a universal symbol standing in the face of coronavirus. In the UK the rainbow is a token of gratitude to the National Health Service. In Italy it is accompanied with the slogan ‘Andrà Tutto Bene’ - everything will be alright. But everywhere, from Spain to the US, it represents the same message of hope in a time of great uncertainty. This mask draws inspiration from the colours of the rainbow.
ARTISAN
As fighting escalated in Eastern Ukraine, Yulia began sewing as a coping mechanism to help her process the conflict around her. She set up a small atelier making embroidered pictures, hairpins, embroidered shirts, and embroidered towels, a symbol of the Ukrainian wedding. Faced with a new crisis, the COVID 19 pandemic, Yulia and her small team has turned their skills to the production of boutique facemasks.
PEACE MASK PROJECT
The Peace Masks Project aims to combat the shared threat of COVID-19 and provide livelihoods to those living and working in conflict affected areas. The project forms part of a larger effort by the Peace Dividend Initiative to help ease tensions in conflict-affected areas by identifying and facilitating key peace-supporting economic opportunities and encouraging cooperation.
IMPACT
Peace Masks not only provide livelihoods for communities affected by conflict and violence, but weave peace into the fabric of these fragile communities by connecting them in a productive process that boosts co-existence and reconciliation and helps soothe grievances.
For this project, PDI has partnered with ISHKAR, who sell to an international market, building “peace value chains” and delivering livelihoods to at risk populations.
