A woman with long dark hair, wearing a cream-colored blouse and gold earrings, smiling softly in a well-lit indoor setting.

Belinda

Co-Founder & CEO

Based between Amsterdam and Kabul, Belinda leads design, production and partnerships from artisan collectives to international donors, NGOs and brands.

  • Belinda's French-Yemeni-Djiboutian heritage has greatly influenced her appreciation for the diverse cultures, religions, and traditions that exist in the world.

    Inspired by her love of travel, culture, and craftsmanship, Artijaan is a dream she has carried for many years; the culmination of a lifelong appreciation for ancestral techniques and handmade objects that tell a story. Her wanderlust always led her to travel with purpose, returning with a suitcase full of treasures and stories.

    With a background in international management she brings the strategic discipline to operate in complex markets, but it was leaving the corporate world that reconnected her to a deeper passion.

    Years building relationships with artisan communities across the Global South exposed her to extraordinary craftsmanship and serious barriers to market access. Living in Afghanistan during the fall of Kabul in 2021, she witnessed artisans caught in the collapse of their country without secure livelihoods. She did not want to build another charity. She wanted to build connection, a sustainable business grounded in dignity and long-term partnership.

    Artijaan was founded from that conviction. Belinda continues to work as a bridge between cultures, between the private sector and the humanitarian world, and between local artisans and international markets supporting craftworkers, particularly women, to step into economic agency while remaining rooted in their traditions.

Portrait of a man with glasses, brown hair, a beard, wearing a red corduroy jacket and cream-colored shirt, against a neutral background.

Pierre-Emmanuel

Co-Founder

Based in Paris, Pierre-Emmanuel is in charge of our creative directions and operations in France

  • Pierre-Emmanuel is the co-founder of Artijaan. With a background in design, he worked for 8 years in China, in the brand identity and communication sector. Back in France, he decides to embark on entrepreneurship with a cause and takes part in “Mapatho” project, a patient platform intended to facilitate the daily lives of people affected by chronic diseases.

    In 2021, he co-founded with Belinda: Artijaan, a project that embodies many of his aspirations.

    He is passionate about craft techniques, wooden construction, and handmade objects that translate a unique history. He greatly values preservation of traditional skills used in making of such objects.

    Pierre-Emmanuel currently lives in France, where he is responsible for the communication and the branding of this project.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair, blue eyes, and fair skin smiling, wearing a white top and a gold necklace, in front of a beige curtain.

Hannah

Storyteller

Based in Rome, Hannah is Artijaan’s storyteller

  • A writer and photographer, Hannah has always appreciated how storytelling illuminates and connects us to a world beyond ourselves. Early in her career, she spent three years living in Kenya. While exploring the bustling Maasai markets of Nairobi or the sun-soaked streets of Lamu, she developed a deep appreciation for the way handmade objects bring richness and beauty to everyday life.

    In 2021, she began looking for ways to respond to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and saw Artijaan at the vital intersection of social enterprise, cultural preservation, and conscious consumption. In a world where value is often placed on rapid and cheap production, she admires the mindful, slow approach to handmade crafts.

    She is currently based in Italy and writes stories for Artijaan’s online platforms.

A man with a cap and headphones around his neck holds a professional video camera, outdoors with a cloudy sky in the background.

Michael

Field researcher

Based in Italy

  • Michael is a documentary filmmaker, anthropologist, storyteller and conflict researcher. He has worked in humanitarian aid, as a journalist, and as a field researcher in the Middle East, West Africa, Latin America and Central Asia. He speaks Arabic, Farsi, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

    After spending much of his life exploring the root causes of conflict, more recently he has spent time with indigenous communities around the world to better understand wisdom traditions, and how the modern world can learn from and exchange with different forms of knowledge. Artijaan for him represents a powerful bridge between worlds, cultures and peoples through stories, craft and heritage, which can help us refashion globalisation into more equitable and human forms of exchange.

Smiling woman with curly hair wearing a white shirt, shell necklace, and dark jacket outdoors with cityscape in the background.

Clémence

Business developer

Based in Paris

  • Passionate about craftsmanship and sustainable practices in the manufacturing sector. Clémence Sangaré is committed to empowering artisans in developing countries by fostering ethical production practices and developing market access. With a diverse background spanning marketing, social enterprise leadership, and international consulting, she has worked extensively in France, Uganda, and various regions across Africa. 

    Clémence’s journey began in the fashion industry, where she recognized the urgent need for sustainable changes and fair trade practices. 

    Since then, she has worked alongside refugee artisans and local communities through social enterprises and UN initiatives to promote handmade products that honor traditional craftsmanship while making ethical production available to independent brands and their customers, thereby establishing sustainable and trust-based relationships between artisans and retailers.

Lenna

Project coordinator

Based in Amsterdam

  • With a strong interest in cultures and structures in society, Lenna studied Interdisciplinary Social Sciences in Amsterdam. Through her studies and travels, she became fascinated by the experience of true connection, and the stories that emerge from it. Being entrusted with other people's stories is something she holds in deep honour. To further develop she now studies Arabic and is planning on doing a masters in Visual Anthropology.

    At Artijaan, she supports the team across a wide range of work: from developing new projects and events to coordinating shipments and building relationships with shops. For her Artijaan is a living example of how handmade products can bridge worlds, carry meaning and create connections between people with different cultural backgrounds.

Team in Afghanistan

Two crossed arrows with feathered ends.

Our incredible team in Kabul and across the provinces ensures everything runs seamlessly. While we prioritise their privacy and won’t share names or photos, we can proudly say they are the heart of Artijaan.
They are the driving force behind supporting artisans, preserving cultural heritage, sharing stories, and turning the vision into reality.
Their dedication and hard work are essential to making everything we do possible

Our artisan partners

Crossed drumsticks with four small sake cups underneath

We collaborate with skilled artisan in Afghanistan to create handmade, traditional crafts.
By working directly with makers, we aim to build sustainable employment opportunities for our partners.

read their stories
An elderly man with gray hair and beard working on a woodworking project in a workshop, using a hand saw on a piece of wood.
An elderly person with a pink headscarf working with a hammer and chisel on metal in a workshop.
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An elderly woman with glasses, wearing a yellow scarf, is sitting cross-legged on a patterned rug and working on embroidery with an embroidery hoop. She is inside a room with potted plants and cushions around her.
An elderly man with a white cap sitting inside a large clay or ceramic vessel, surrounded by similar vessels, looking up at the camera holding a round object.
Young woman sitting on a rug indoors, wearing a pink headscarf, with a measuring tape around her neck, using a mirror, and holding a brush and a small container.