Omani women continue to achieve success in many areas, especially within the framework of their local community, and to exploit the opportunities provided by the state and to contribute to the gross domestic product.
Omani females join males in building the nation in various areas of life. They are a role model to follow in contributing to the development process in the country.
Many government and private institutions, such as the Omani Women Association, supervised by the Ministry of Social Development, and the voluntary teams, seek to empower Omani women.
Sidab Women Group is one of the unique models in empowering women through establishing a project that benefits the participants. It is an environment-friendly project that is based on the manufacturing of environmentally friendly bags that replace plastic bags.
They are manufactured in different shapes and sizes of cotton and knitted fabrics that are woven, traditionally or manually. They are natural materials that are not harmful to the environment and wildlife.
They also have a traditional implication as they are related to the textile materials manufactured from the knitted material, which make many clothes and mattresses that decorate traditional houses.
The idea of the project came in 2004 to its owner Badria bint Malallah Al Seyabiya, with the benefit to low-income families from Sidab city in the Governorate of Muscat. The idea of the project started at Al Bustan School, with four traditional machines, on which seven housewives and a number of female volunteers.
The project started with the marketing and promotion of eco-friendly bags, which are characterised by a modern design inspired by the original Omani heritage. They were initially marketed to tourists coming to visit the Sultanate. The demand for them increased and the number of joined women increased as well, followed by the expansion stage and the rental of a special site for the project at Sidab in the Governorate of Muscat. The number of modern machines used in production of high quality bags in record-time has increased.
“The woman’s project is one of the projects that has contributed to the empowerment of Omani woman and the transformation of housewives into producers in their homes by training and enabling them to sew bags designed by Omani women who are members of the group,” Lamis bint Sinan Al Kiyumiyah, Head of Sidab Women Group said.
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