In 2022, L’Occitane Middle East approached SITTI with the goal of launching an impactful gift-with-purchase campaign for the 2023 Ramadan season. The L’Occitane partnership resulted in the largest revenue-generating partnership for SITTI to-date. 

In turn, this partnership has been the single most impactful for SITTI’s employed refugee team and associated households in Jordan’s Jerash refugee camp.

SITTI 

“SITTI is a conscious lifestyle brand committed to the self-reliance of refugee and displaced communities through long term employment and skill development training, empowered by an inclusive global economy.”

L’Occitane 

“With empowerment we positively impact people and regenerate nature.”

Impact Objective

Partner with SITTI to advance L’Occitane’s commitment to three of their six key areas of action:  women’s empowerment, reduced waste, and celebrating craftsmanship.

The majority of refugee women who work with SITTI are considered the primary or sole income earners for their households. Reliable employment opportunities are vital for their path towards self-reliance, while additional earned income can mean the difference between meeting day-to-day needs and planning for the future. The L’Occitane partnership made it possible for SITTI to provide additional income beyond the regular part-time wages of more than half of our women team members. The partnership also supported income increases on-par with full-time wages. 

14 refugee women team members (45% of all women team members) experienced increased income. (Compared to 1 woman team member in 2021.)   

Documented Cases of Improved Household Self-Reliance for Women-Led Households include:

• Purchase of life-saving medications for child(ren) 
• Necessary improvements to household structure 
• Debt paydown
• Purchase of university materials (books, transportation)
• Basic household utilities, amenities (food, electricity)

Fair financial compensation for craftsmanship, as well as access to materials and supplies, encourages a greater appreciation for artisan skill sets passed down and enhanced over generations.  L’Occitane’s partnership with SITTI made it possible to enhance the financial sustainability and accessibility of carpentry and all-natural skincare product craftsmanship. The following represent key performance indicators of elevated craftsmanship made possible through our partnership.

1,764.90 additional hours of work secured for refugee artisans

1,192.90 additional hours of work secured for women refugee artisans 

80% increase in combined income earned by all refugee artisans*

96.7% increase in combined income earned by refugee women artisans*

Sitti believes that data is paramount to build and develop informed, enhanced programming that serves the interests and needs of our community. When done with the safety and interest of the community in-mind, data collection also helps inform major decision-makers beyond the local level. In an effort to share what we learn with the international community, and ensure the protection of information they’ve willingly and generously provided for purposes of this report and future community impact, SITTI adheres to the UNHCR Policy on the Protection of Personal Data of Persons of Concern.

The SITTI Community Impact Team manages and supports data collection for purposes of the SITTI Annual Impact Report, in addition to partner-specific impact reporting. The Team is led by SITTI Chief Impact Officer, Jacqueline Sofia, and appointed M&E Manager, Amna Abo Zuhair. All Community Impact Team members are required to complete extensive training on data collection and best practices through our partners at RefugePoint and the Women’s Refugee Commission.

In accordance with the policies and guidelines of SITTI, the RSRI and our community-based organizational partners, the SITTI Community Impact Team was formed in September 2020. The Team was created in response to the need for a select group of individuals with professional and lived experience with data collection and refugee advocacy in Jordan’s refugee community.