On the outskirts of Marrakech, a stone’s throw from the Tamseloht town square, a small ornate wooden door is squeezed into the side of a large clay wall. To its right is an unassuming clay pot with the word ‘Beldine’ inlaid. It is the only indicator that we are in the right spot.

This is the entrance to Atelier Beldine. 

Beyond this door and a dark hallway, light pours into a beautiful courtyard with all manner of desert-dwelling plants. Following the voices of several women, we walk into a naturally light white room filled with hand-blown glassware, the faintest smell of acrylic paint lingers in the air as the women hand paint glass with delicate Moroccan designs.

Dorine Eijkman is the founder Atelier Beldine. The desire behind this collective was to give women in the area access to employment that would develop their artistic talents and business skills through the management of their own workshop.

Full-time employment for women is rare in Morocco, but this is changing thanks to opportunities supplied by collectives like Beldine. Mera, for example, is a long-standing artisan here – having worked with the cooperative for 15 years.

Equality for women starts with being given access to equal education. It is reinforced when women like Mera are given the right to contribute financially to their society.

From an economic standpoint, the presence of women in the workforce reduces the cost and price of products as the workforce as a whole doubles as it grows to accommodate the other half of the population. Supplying women with an income means a country’s economic demand increases. Women are also more likely to allocate assets into family welfare, which improves overall social security and stability.

Through economic independence women deepen their reach from the home and into the workforce and then back into the home.