Threads of Peru new volunteer, Meriem Hammoutene!
Bonjour! I am Meriem Hammoutene, born in the US but raised in France and my family is from Algeria. I have also been lucky enough to live in Brazil, Spain, NYC and to travel a lot so I could easily say I feel at home all over the world.
I hold a Master’s Degree in Business & Marketing Management from one of the top French Business Schools and I have over 5 years’ experience managing iconic consumer goods brands such as Activia, Dove, Breyers, ...
I am genuinely passionate about sustainability and inspiring people to make the world a better place so as a next step in my career, I am interested in putting my skills at the service of meaningful projects that give back to society. So I decided to take a step back and a career break to travel solo in South East Asia for 5 months.
One of Meriem's stunning photos from her travels throughout Southeast Asia.
While this was such a rewarding and humbling adventure, I also wanted to use this time off to get a first experience with the nonprofit world.
During my research, I ran into the Threads of Peru website, loved its mission and simply wrote in the “Contact Us” section to apply to be a volunteer ... and here I am, very excited to help support the team’s on marketing projects.
Here, Meriem tries her hand at some traditional weaving on a type of Asian backstrap loom.
Fun fact: weaving has been a recurrent theme during my trip as I have had many occasions to witness the traditional work of women in Asia. I even made my own bracelet with a loom made with bamboo sticks in Laos !
In my spare time I love to take pictures, that I feature on www.pixelsbymeriem.com. I have been playing volleyball since as far as I can remember and I am learning a 5th language: Arabic, dear to my family history.
(l) Meriem's handwoven masterpiece; (r) a large artisanal floor loom