When the state of Israel was created as a homeland for displaced Jews, many people already living there — the Palestinians — were, themselves, displaced. Sent to makeshift refugee camps in 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians today still live in these camps in squalid conditions and utter poverty.

Crossroads Trade purchases its fine Palestinian embroidery from an association of women living in seven refugee camps in Lebanon. Life in the camps and in Lebanon in general is rife with social and economic disruption. Due to high unemployment and declining tourism, the association has been unable to build a market for its extraordinary work. Through its purchases, Crossroads Trade helps women sustain their families and maintain their traditional ethnic arts.