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Exhibition promotes Emirati enterprise

Abu Dhabi: Numerous Emirati women sat dressed in traditional outfits displaying straw baskets, perfumes and embroidered outfits, all efforts of their hours of hard work and enterprise.

They were attending the first Micro Projects National Exhibition 2011 in Abu Dhabi yesterday, which is intended to encourage Emirati micro enterprise across the country. Organised by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, the exhibition which kicked off yesterday focuses specifically on the projects undertaken and products created by Emirati women and their families.

"Emirati women take initiative and are productive in numerous ways, and their efforts are integral to preserving the national identity of the country. This exhibition therefore seeks to encourage them further in their efforts," Rashid Al Saedi, a representative of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs told Gulf News.

Support groups

More than 160 families displayed their projects at the exhibition, which will be open to the public until Monday. The projects included products of traditional handicraft like woven baskets embroidered abayas and jallabiyas, pottery and accessories, as well as a variety of service-oriented micro enterprises.

The exhibition also saw the attendance of various organisations offering support and funding to micro enterprises, including the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, the Women's Union, the Family Development Foundation, and the Ministry of Social Affairs.

"Emirati handicrafts are still alive and this exhibition aims to promote them among women nationals, as well as provide incentives for women to keep enhancing their skills and engaging in enterprise," Al Saedi said.

"This exhibition will also be a forum to encourage interaction among Emirati families across the UAE, as well allow them to strengthen the ties between them," he added.

Al Saedi also said that the exhibition was poised to become a national event that would promote national identity and encourage local enterprise among Emirati individuals.

The exhibition is also being supported by students from Zayed University and United Emirates University, whose students are volunteering their services for the event.

"I learnt the art of weaving ‘talli', a type of embroidery used for traditional menswear, from my mother about two years ago. And visiting this kind of an exhibition simply makes me want to learn more about the traditional handicrafts our forefathers have been practising and passing down through the generations," said Mariam Al Muhanadi, a Zayed University student of Business Administration who was volunteering her services for the exhibition.

What: The Micro Projects National Exhibition 2011.Where: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.When: May 12-16 (Thursday to Monday).Timings: 3pm to 10pm (Thursday and Sunday for ladies only).

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