Peace you can hold – Introducing the MADE51 Peace Collection
Posted by MADE51 Team on
Peace is often discussed in political terms - something shaped by diplomacy and global decisions. But for the 123 million people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes, peace isn’t an abstract ideal. It’s personal. It means safety. It means being able to work and meet basic needs. It means holding onto dignity in the midst of displacement.
For refugee artisans, craft can offer a moment of calm in the instability of displacement. The rhythm of embroidery, the repetition of familiar patterns, and the focus required in handcrafting each piece help to create a sense of inner peace. These practices help artisans gather their strength as they navigate life in exile and shoulder the daily responsibility of supporting their families.
MADE51 artisans also carry a powerful call for peace, because the absence of peace has uprooted their lives. This is what they share through the Peace Collection: handcrafted products that carry the artisan’s message of peace, directly from their hands to yours.
The MADE51 Peace Collection
This special collection includes ten handcrafted products created by refugees from countries including Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, Mali, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Each product carries the artisans’ message for peace - through design, materials, and meaning.
Whether it's the Peace Bear, a soft, crocheted bear wearing a vest inspired by UNHCR field staff, or the Hope Keychain, beaded by Sudanese and Ethiopian refugees in South Sudan, each item is rooted in cultural tradition and made using time-honoured techniques.
The collection also includes the Saleh Pouch, stitched by Afghan refugees in India. Featuring the Farsi word for peace, surrounded by a repetitive, meditative pattern, the pouch reflects both personal meaning and cultural heritage.
You may even recognise the With Refugees Bracelet, a globally recognised symbol of solidarity proudly worn across social media by UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadors Cate Blanchett, Helena Christensen, Theo James, Khaled Hosseini, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Maya Ghazal, Yusra Mardini, Nomzamo Mbatha, Wenyen Gabriel, and Mary Maker.
Each of the pieces in the Peace Collection can be worn, carried, or gifted. But more than that, each carries a true message from the artisan who made it. Choosing a piece from the collection is a way to receive and carry that message - to stand #WithRefugees, not just in sentiment, but in practice.
Behind each product, tangible impact
The Peace Collection is a reflection of skilled craftsmanship - but also of what happens when refugee artisans are included in economic opportunities that respect their rights, their heritage, and their potential.
In the past year, through MADE51:
- 3,460 refugee and host-community artisans earned income – 90% of whom are women
- USD 478,400 was paid directly to refugee artisans through product sales
- An estimated 15,170 children benefited from improved family livelihoods
- 1,617 artisans received training in craft skills, business practices, and financial literacy
- MADE51 products were sold in 23 countries, made by refugees from 18 nationalities
- Total sales exceeded USD 1.3 million through MADE51 and local enterprise partner channels
These numbers reflect real change. They represent refugee women becoming main income earners for the first time, children attending school, and cultural traditions being passed down and celebrated rather than lost. By partnering with local social enterprises, MADE51 ensures that refugee artisans are included in fair, dignified work that supports local economies and honours cultural heritage.
The Peace Collection is your invitation to be part of this work - to stand not just for peace, but with the people crafting it every day.
Standing with refugee artisans
Refugees are not waiting to be saved. They are working amidst displacement, contributing to local economies, and using their skills to bring heritage and connection to their communities. MADE51 connects them to global markets through fair and dignified work, in partnership with local social enterprises.
Without political solutions, they are holding onto their skills, their resilience, and their hopes for something better. Their call for peace is not abstract - it comes from lived experience, shaped by what they’ve lost and what they continue to long for.
Purchasing from the Peace Collection is one way to support that work. To stand not just for peace, but with the people longing for it - and crafting it - every day.
Peace doesn’t just exist in policy. It can be practiced through inclusion, craftsmanship, and connection.