"Porcelain is the art of living", says Bahia Zayat, as she walks around the classroom, proudly showing off her students' work

"Porcelain is the art of living", says Bahia Zayat, as she walks around the classroom, proudly showing off her students' work.

Although their porcelain painting is far from being professional, Bahia is happy about the progress made by the twenty women, who joined the Painting on Porcelain workshop, funded by UNIFIL, under the auspices of the Italian contingent and in collaboration with the Southern Women's Association.

The twenty young women, who were picked out from the Tyre region and adjacent villages to participate in this training, will be learning a lifelong craft in a rare opportunity that could lead to financial independence and stability.

Fatme Serhan, a middle aged woman, sees an amazing potential in learning the painting on porcelain craft. "It has been an incredible workshop. I have learned the techniques of drawing and colouring. I definitely will be pursuing a career in porcelain painting."

They will make use of this unique opportunity, where they would learn how to draw, mix colours, and "cook" their pieces in a porcelain oven. This project aims to enhance the capacity of southern women, in addition to building relations between the Italian contingent and the local population.

"The advantage of this workshop is that it is free. The training for porcelain painting cannot be done without financial support because of its high expenses," Bahia explains.

UNIFIL funded the training, the procurement of utensils and transportation for all participants.

"I plan to teach this art after I master it," says Zaynab Zein.
"It started as a hobby", she explains, "and it shall develop into a craft, thanks to UNIFIL."

Diana Badderdine is no different. Her main interest was in learning colour mixing and the brushing techniques, and she now sees a porcelain painting career in her future.