S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The tenth edition of Hope Store \u2013 Arab Handicraft and Cuisine Fair is taking place from 11am to 5 pm on April 7 at Comunidade \u00c1rabe Aberta, in S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Vila Mariana neighborhood.<\/p>\n
The event is designed to help refugees from Arab countries, especially Syria, get their finances back together. The refugees and immigrants get to keep all proceeds from their sales. Handicraft items will include costume jewelry, carpets and towels. All the Arab food on sale will be vegetarian. (photo above is for illustration purposes only<\/em>).<\/p>\n Arab immigrants from Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq will also be present, and non-Arab countries including Nigeria, Angola, Haiti, Colombia and Venezuela will also be represented.<\/p>\n The Arab fair is organized by the exhibitors\u2019 families, with assistance from Instituto Base G\u00eanesis, an Adventist Church NGO that has been catering for four years now to homeless people on Pra\u00e7a da S\u00e9, a downtown S\u00e3o Paulo square. The institute offers Portuguese, English, Arabic and Brazilian sign language lessons, as well as professional training courses including sewing and cuisine.<\/p>\n According to the institute\u2019s fundraiser Michele Aranha, the plan is to have the event branch out into other places, like schools, universities and residential areas. \u201cThe institute wasn\u2019t originally intended to work with refugees, but the demand came up and we ended up adapting our work to accommodate them,\u201d explained Aranha.<\/p>\n Find out more from the event\u2019s\u00a0Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Quick facts<\/strong><\/p>\n Hope Store \u2013 Arab Handicraft and Cuisine Fair Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nSunday, April 7, 11am to 5pm
\nComunidade \u00c1rabe Aberta
\nRua Coronel Lisboa, 532 \u2013 Vila Mariana
\nS\u00e3o Paulo
\nFree admission<\/p>\n