[Arabic]

During Wamda’s Mix N’ Mentor Riyadh, we chatted with Diana Rayyan, the founder of Ateeq, a social entrepreneurship startup that earlier this year launched its first initiative, Trochet, to support women in need in Saudi Arabia.

The name "Trochet" is made of two words "trash" and "crochet"; the project gathers recycled plastic bags and sends them to women in need to knit or crochet them to produce creative designs and products like coasters, bean-bag chairs, pillows, or even new bags. Trochet then sells the products and uses the money to support the women.

"Both the women we work with and the clients are hesitant to use plastic waste bags, but after witnessing how much people got excited about the products during our launch event, the hesitation disappeared and now we have a growing community of women and clients that is growing every day," says Rayyan.

Check out the short interview above to learn more about how Ateeq is “upcycling” others’ trash and supporting the community.